We’ve heard many women ask the question, “where are the
good men?” In this present day, we understand the concern. There are men in
prisons, men struggling with homosexuality, men with children from multiple women,
men unemployed, and men choosing to remain single. Certainly there is not a
shortage of men, however, there is a shortage of men who are ready to be
husbands. So where are the good men? Exploring
Genesis 2:15-20, the careful observer discovers principles which good men
should possess.
God created Adam a man, but He had to prepare him to be a
husband. We find Adam working and managing the Garden of Eden. Through the assignment of cultivating the
Garden, God taught Adam responsibility. Every day Adam went to work. This work
may have seemed mundane and tedious, but the job was very much needed. There is
nothing glamorous about being responsible but it is an integral part of being a
good leader. Adam proved to be a RESPONSIBLE leader before becoming
a husband. If a man does not display
responsibility before marriage, don’t expect a responsible husband after saying
“I do.”
Adam avoided eating from the tree of good and evil as
commanded by God. With this lesson God established boundaries for Adam. The
lesson was simple. If Adam would not respect God, his creator, He would not be
able to respect God’s creation—his wife. A successful marriage is one where
husband and wife respects the boundaries of that relationship. These boundaries
include protecting your marriage from intruders which may come in the form of
infidelity, interfering family members, and meddlesome friends. Adam showed RESPECT to God’s command. If a man
does not display respect before marriage, don’t expect a respectful husband
after saying “I do.”
Lastly, Adam models the idea that first and foremost fellowship
with God brings one from being a man to a good man. Adam had a relationship
with God where he heard God’s voice and responded in obedience. God then blessed
him with a human relationship. Looking into the Master’s classroom we learn if our
spiritual relationship with God is out of whack, our human relationships will
be out of whack. After exhibiting responsibility and respect, God created in
Adam a desire and need for a permanent human relationship. A “player” can be
responsible and respect God, but he may not see the need for a relationship
with one woman. Just because he has a good job, opens the door for you,
leads in the church, studies the Bible, and pays his child support that does
not make him ready for marriage. Adam willfully decided upon a one God, one
woman RELATIONSHIP. If a man is not faithful to his relationship with God and
you before marriage, don’t expect a faithful relationship from your husband
after saying “I do.
All the development of Adam was done before he could ever lay his eyes on a
woman. Adam was ready for a woman, but, Eve was not ready for the man because
she hadn’t been formed yet. Proverbs 18:22 says "He who finds a wife
finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD." It is
the man’s job to find a wife. This means a woman is shaped into a wife before a
man ever finds her. And, before marriage, she sees her husband as her head and
leader. She is already submissive.
Perhaps, you have not captured the eye of a "good
man" because you have not become a wife. God could still be shaping you.
