The Duck Billed Platypus and Your Wife
July 1, 2023 2023-07-01 8:00The Duck Billed Platypus and Your Wife
Revlee
Welcome to Marriage Friday!
You probably never thought you would see your wife compared to a duck billed platypus and let’s be clear:
I AM NOT COMPARING YOUR WIFE TO A DUCK BILLED PLATYPUS!!!
But, they do have a strange connection that you, husbands, need to be aware of if you want your marriage to be all you desire.
In Genesis, there is a strange little passage where the text seems to go off on a nonsensical tangent. God says about Adam, “It is not good for man to be alone.” Well, I have spent a weekend or two by myself and I agree with this statement. I’m not all that pleasant and tend to forget about hygiene when my wife and kids are gone. But that’s for another blog. Let’s take a look at this strange passage:
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Genesis 2:18-22 (NIV)
So…what we are saying here is that after God says it is not good for man to be alone, He brings every animal He has ever created so that Adam could give them a name. Hmmm….that seems weird. It becomes clear that as Adam was naming all the animals, the purpose was for Adam to find a suitable mate. So God brings all the animals and Adam gives them a name. Alligator, monkey, zebra, duck billed platypus, but none of these were suitable mates for Adam. Duh?
When God brought these animals, especially the ugliest of them like the duck billed platypus, you can’t tell me that God didn’t already know Adam was not going to find a mate from all of these. Sure, some were beautiful with vibrant colors making the most beautiful sounds, but God knew that Adam needed what he had never seen…a woman. So why did God do this? What is the purpose of this interval of time taking for Adam to look every animal over and come up with a name and what does this have to do with Adam finding a suitable mate. These things don’t seem to go together any more than a duck billed platypus and your wife. But they are connected.
You see, after Adam has looked over every animal to give them a name, God put him to sleep, pulled a rib from him and created Eve. Adam did not wake up and Eve was sitting there next to him. No, God brought her to him. God presented her to him. God told Adam to sit down and get ready because He was about to show him something incredible. When God said this to Adam, he might have thought, “I’ve already seen thousands of creatures today. I’m tired. Seriously, there is no suitable helper for me. Did you even see that duck billed platypus….what is that anyway??” He sat there on a rock surrounded by the beauty of the garden and all the animals of creation. A dramatic pause came over the whole garden. They sensed something was different about this time. God was acting different. They could tell this was not just another four-legged creature or a colorful winged-animal. No, this was different.
The panda bears picked up some bamboo sticks and began to beat them like tympany drums. Birds began to sing a new song. The sun was moved to create spotlight and from the shadows, the most exquisite creature Adam had ever seen stepped forward and God said, “Adam, I present to you, Woman.” Adam’s eyes bugged out. His jaw dropped to the floor. He was entranced and who could blame him after hours of looking animals like the duck billed platypus. Compared to all of these animals, Eve was special, very, very special.
This was God’s plan all along. By giving Adam time to evaluate every living creature first, an awe for Woman came over him more than if God had not taken Adam through this exercises of comparison. If God would have just made Eve appear Adam, no doubt, would have been impressed. But how much more taken he must have been with her after looking down the mouth of alligators and cobras. She was brighter than the sun, more glorious than the stars.
Imagine how Eve must have felt when she saw Adam’s response to her. Woman’s first moment of existence was overflowing with the admiration of man. She was the main attraction. She was uniquely beautiful in her speech, in her form, in her character. Adam was overwhelmed and his first interaction with Eve overflowed with high esteem. God purposely designed this first meeting so that Adam would exalt Eve above all the other creatures and Eve would know that she was special.
“Ok, Pastor Lee, but what does this have to do with my marriage.” One word: Romance.
Men do not understand romance. They do not understand why they need to go out of their way to make their wife feel special. Men look at Valentines Day like a conspiracy of women and retailers on how to separate them from their money. But it was not women, not retailers. It wasn’t chocolate companies nor florists. It was God who created the first Valentine’s Day and established the first marriage in romance.
Men, you may not understand it, but let me put it to you this way. Look at your wife. Go ahead, look at her. She’s not a duck billed platypus. She is unlike anything else in all of creation. She has been specially designed for you. And you must appreciate this Heavenly gift. But also men, please understand that God planted into the DNA of women a desire to be cherished and to be made to feel special. I know you don’t need a steak dinner, whataburger is just fine. I get it. But your wife has an underlying desire to know that you think she is uniquely exquisite. Every now and then surprise her by taking her out on the town. She is worth it. There is a big difference between the duck billed platypus and your wife, and aren’t you glad?!?!
The next time your wife says to you that you never get her flowers anymore or that you never kiss her without wanting sex, or that you never do anything to show her she is special, don’t get frustrated with her. It’s in her design. God made her that way. And God wants you to know that she is a gift from Heaven that should never be taken for granted.
He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the LORD.
Proverbs 18:22 (NIV)
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Now, go have a fantastic marriage!
Be sure to share this with anyone the Lord puts on your heart.
