Act Like a Manنموونە

God Didn’t Make a Self-Made Man

"And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man." — Genesis 2:22

“No man is an island…” John Donne wrote in a sermon 400 years ago. More of the famous line, “No man is an island entire to itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…” Donne’s sermon, later made into a devotional, became famous by Ernest Hemingway writing For Whom the Bell Tolls. Hemingway’s title also came from Donne’s devotional.

Donne wrote the lines while deathly sick. It wasn’t long after his daughter passed he sat reflecting and writing amazing prose—like we all do when we’re sick. He was thinking about how the infection was killing his body and that he was dependent on others for care.

God seems to think being alone isn’t great. He said being alone was “not good.” God put Adam to sleep with some divine anesthetic, or what I’ll call “the good stuff,” and proceeded with the first recorded operation. Out of Adam’s side, God formed woman.

Single guys: don’t skip this. You’re called to respect God’s order, to recognize His hand at work. I’ve never met someone who overvalued marriage. But don’t undervalue it. There’s unity baked into this recipe—commissioning man and woman to care for God’s creation (Gen. 1:28).

Matthew Henry beautifully described this holy recipe, "The woman was formed out of man—not out of his head to rule over him; not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him; but out of his side to be his equal, from beneath his arm to be protected, and from near his heart to be loved." You are called to love and protect God's woman. This includes your wife, mom, mom-in-law, grandma, sister, and daughter. Don’t have a wife? Honor all females. Do this and reflect God’s heart.

Which woman in your life can you show your gratitude to today?