The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love Read Free Page A

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good ” (v. 31).
    Genesis 2 affords a more detailed description of God’s creation of Adam and Eve, including the statement that God Himself brought Eve to Adam (v. 22), evidently to introduce them formally and give them the command to be fruitful. Then it beautifully describes their innocence in these words: “The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame” (v. 25). Adam and Eve knew no embarrassment or shame on that occasion for three reasons: they were introduced by a holy and righteous God who commanded them to make love; their minds were not preconditioned to guilt, for no prohibitions concerning the act of marriage had yet been given; and no other people were around to observe their intimate relations.
    Interestingly enough, the best lovemaking in the world is not limited to beautiful people or two with perfectly sculpted bodies. It is at its best when two healthy lovers, more interested in satisfying their partner’s needs than their own, approach their marriage bed without guilt. That is why virtue is the best preparation for marriage, and why faithfulness throughout the relationship is so enriching. God’s plan was for one man and one woman to share the ecstasy of that experience only with each other.

Adam “Knew” His Wife
     
    Additional evidence of God’s blessing on this sacred relationship appears in the charming expression used in Genesis 4:1 to describe the act of marriage between Adam and Eve: “And Adam knew his wife Eve; and she conceived…” (literal translation). What better way is there to describe the sublime, intimate interlocking of mind, heart, emotions, and body in a passionately eruptive climax that engulfs the participants in a wave of innocent relaxation that thoroughly expresses their love? The experience is a mutual “knowledge” of each other that is sacred, personal, and intimate. Such encounters were designed by God for mutual blessing and enjoyment.
    Some people have the strange idea that anything spiritually acceptable to God cannot be enjoyable. In recent years we have found great success in counseling married couples to pray together regularly. The book How to Be Happy Though Married 3 describes a particular method of conversational prayer that we have found most helpful, and we frequently suggest this procedure because of its variety and practicality. Through the years many couples have tried it and reported remarkable results.
    One emotional, outgoing young wife who exclaimed that it had changed their relationship also confided, “The main reason I was reluctant to pray with my husband before going to bed was that I feared it would hinder lovemaking. But to my amazement, I found we were so emotionally close after prayer that it set the stage for loving.” Her experience is not rare; in fact, we have found no reason why a couple cannot pray before or after a spirited time of loving. However, most couples find themselves so relaxed afterward that all they want to do is sleep—the sleep of contentment.

A Ravishing Lover
     
    At the risk of shocking some people, we would point out that the Bible doesn’t mince any words on the subject. The Song of Songs is notoriously frank in this respect (consider 2:3–17 and 4:1–7).
    The book of Proverbs warns against taking up with the “strange woman” (a prostitute) but by contrast challenges a husband: “may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.” How? By letting “her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love” (Prov. 5:18–19). It is obvious that this ravishing lovemaking experience should make a man rejoice, conferring on him ecstatic pleasure. The context plainly signifies an experience intended for mutual enjoyment. This passage also indicates that such lovemaking was not designed solely for the propagation of the race, but also for sheer enjoyment by the partners. If we understand it correctly, and we think we do, it isn’t