God, in His wisdom, designed marriage to be a beautiful union that will produce great things to the glory of His name. Through godly marriages, both the husband and the wife can get to know God more, have the opportunity to grow personally in a way that single individuals cannot, and be able to do more things for the Lord. After all, it was to the man and his wife that God said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground." (Genesis 1:28)
There are some things that husbands can learn from the first couple that God brought together. Here are some of them.
1. Husbands should not expect their wives to do the things they do
God made man and woman different. Genesis 2:7 says that God made man "from the dust of the ground." According to Genesis 2:21-22, however, "the Lord God made a woman from the rib [of the man Adam], and He brought her to the man."
Because of these differences, the husband must never expect his wife to be able to do some of the things he does. The man was made from dust, specifically designed for rougher, physically-inclined tasks such as heavy lifting or heavy work. The woman, on the other hand, was made from a finished product. This means that she is more refined, and is delicately designed for the lighter, finer work that men usually find quite difficult to do (i.e. have you seen a man enjoy crocheting like his mom does?).
1 Peter 3:7 reminds, "You husbands must give honour to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered."
2. Husbands both lead and need their wives
Any husband needs to lead his wife. And no matter how self-reliant he is before marrying, he needs to understand that he needs his wife, and this is a need that God Himself has seen and declared.
It's worth noting that God gave Adam orders before giving him his wife Eve (see Genesis 2:15-17). This means that husbands must find their purpose in the Lord before marrying. If ever they are married before knowing God, it's not too late to find purpose in Him and then lead the home according to how God wants the family to be.
It's also worth noting that after God gave Adam those orders, He would say "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him." (Gen. 2:18)
This simply means that God knows that a husband will need his wife more than he thinks he does – he will need his wife's help in fulfilling God's plan for him.
3. Husbands must protect and care for their wives
Genesis 2:21-22 specifically mentions that God made Eve out of Adam's ribs. This simply means that a husband must realise that his wife is one with him, and deserves to be taken care of by him.
Verses 23 and 24 shows just how and why a man must protect his God-given wife.
"At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken from 'man.'"
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
