June 21 Daily Devotional

Adam Knew Eve

Charles and Norma Ellis

Bible Reading

Genesis 4:1, 25-26

¹And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD....
²⁵And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
²⁶And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Devotional

The Hebrew word for know, as well as the Greek, has a richness we need to appreciate for our understanding of the Bible. It does not mean mere recognition, 'I knew him a block away.' It does not mean simply insight into a person's character, 'I know her like a book.' It means also love. God knew His people. He recognized all of His people. He had the deepest insight into their character and heart. But further, He loved them.

And this same word is used here and often in Scripture for the marriage act. Adam knew Eve. Adam loved Eve and God had provided a special means by which he might express his love, a special act of closeness and exclusiveness.

Sex, as God ordained it, is an expression of love, a tangible, special way for the oneness of man and wife to be manifested. God had all of this in mind when He made them male and female in the beginning.

Even after the coming of sin into the world, with the train of distortion and sorrow and tragedy that followed, God has graciously permitted men, even unbelieving men, a suggestion of the joy that is possible in marital love and the family. Marriage is a blessing to all men. What a loss to mankind to minimize the worth of marriage and the family!

But just as God redeems individuals, He redeems marriage. He makes the man and woman new creatures in Christ. And just as the roles of man and woman are reoriented when Christ comes into lives, so is the sex relationship. The Christian man and woman can really know each other in the many facets of that rich word 'know'!

We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."

Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.

Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.