(In order to fully appreciate this study, you may have to rethink what you have been taught in the past, being very careful to follow what the scriptures say, rather than the more traditional teachings.)

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of  the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it;  and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

What you are reading above is the most common, or traditional understanding of what the Biblical texts offer as the genesis (beginning) of human life, and God's plan and purpose for it.  As a result, many misconceptions and misunderstanding have arisen concerning the appropriate view(s) that we should hold concerning the remarkable institution we know as marriage. Some cling to the idea of the subjugation of women by men, while at the other extreme, others profess an agenda of absolute equality of women, or more. Neither of these opinions are correct, and hopefully as the next phase of this study is offered, you can see why this is so.

Let us begin by recognizing contemporary society's emphasis on experience as a necessary qualification for everything we do in life. This applies to our educational and labor systems in particular doesn't it? It should not be dismissed as we progress here. For as you will see, experience is a key factor in the relationship of marriage. We must address Gen 2 and also cross refer with Gen 1.

Genesis 2:
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

The first thing we must address here is the word "day."  As you will see, the word day, as it is used consistently in the passages we are discussing, is not limited to one specific period of time. There has been much discussion about this, and some have mistakenly stated that only a twenty four hour period can or should be considered. And in this lies a most interesting area of debate. However, just the least bit of effort with a good concordance will support what I am showing here, as is the syntax of what will follow.

The word is derived from an unused root meaning to be hot; TWOT - 852; n m
AV - day 2008, time 64, chronicles + 01697 37, daily 44, ever 18, year 14, continually 10, when 10, as 10, while 8, full 8 always 4, whole 4, alway 4, misc 44; 2287
1) day, time, year  & 1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow

We are told then, that there was a period of time that these events took place. Was it a twenty four hour day? One must read very carefully to see that the day described here, was probably not a twenty four hour day! The proof text can be found in Genesis Chapter 1. In that text, there was first a period of time when only darkness and then light were present - equaling day 1. (Gen 1:1-5)
Then comes another period of activity, the forming of the heaven(s) and the firmament. This is day two. This activity period is found in verse 6, including the descriptions noted below. See 1,1b1&2,1c.1d above

Please re-read the Gen. 2:4-8 description of the creation account very carefully. You will find that God formed the man prior to planting the garden. You will find that the plants etc. of the Gen. 1 text actually came into existence on day three. You will also find that there is no mention of heavenly bodies, plants, fish, or animals. What does this mean? Simply that in a period of time known only to God who is infinite, He (God) worked within infinity during these events and created the male of mankind during that time period.

What is most astounding and profound is that we can see in these passages, how God has begun a melding of the infinite with the finite. God has created the first human being, who would bear witness to His (God's) creative powers, along with the heavenly host.  But, God is doing it in a very special way, for a very special reason. Adam would have experienced seeing God's work in creation!

To emphasize the point just made, let us continue on in the accounts to see if we can find some closure. At this point we have the Creator, a very young earth, a male human being, and a garden.
See how lucidly the conditions are described.

Genesis 1:
   9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:  and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind,  whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Now we will come to the introduction of a twenty four hour day, and the time meld already mentioned.

Genesis 1:
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

The finite time table has now been introduced. And, there is on earth, a human witness to the events that followed over the next few days. That is, the male, Adam, is watching, and experiencing, the awesome power of his creator at work. As you will soon see, this is why, later, Adam is held more accountable to God in a special way. He was the one to be the authoritative and experienced leader.

Genesis 1:
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Can you imagine yourself as being witness to such events? Now the earth is becoming animated with a myriad of living creatures, and this male Adam, is no longer alone with his creator. But, there is more to come, and we must soon address what could be seen as a contradiction of the scriptures.

Genesis 1:
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

We must pause for a minute and look at the time frame or setting of Gen 2, as shown below.
(Please note the series of events that take place while Adam is still the only human on the earth for a while, and then becomes the world's first husband. Note also that the Father of the bride being given in marriage is God! So, God Himself introduced the Covenant of Marriage, and included a Ritual of the Father giving the bride to the husband in a ceremonial manner.)

Genesis 2:
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name  thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

If you have been alert, you'll note that saying there is a contradiction in the accounts of Chapters One and Two, or that they are separate creation accounts, would be most questionable. Chapter one is the basic outline of the account, while Chapter Two goes into exegetical rendering. Now think about 2 Peter, concerning the accuracy of the accounts.

2 Peter  1:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost

The scriptures are here for a purpose, and they are accurate. They were compiled by faithful, devoted men of God. I feel the order in which they are presented is very obvious. In Genesis, Chapter one is an outline. Chapter two is the "fill" information. It is we, who must study to understand, and find the hidden truths, as well as the obvious. There can be no better illustration than the present study.
When we read in Chapter 1:26,27 that God wants a man and woman to represent Him as an authoritative entity, there is a purpose. If the responsibilities to God differ in a form unique to each of them, then we must also see the relative collective portion of the union. For this is what God intends for us, and we must learn understand why He has chosen to do so.
In Genesis one we see how God provided the melding of His time and ours. We see how He provided a witness to His creative work. We see His plan of duality in every phase of the creation, I.E., day and night, animals of two genders, and of course the same for mankind. But we also see, as follows, how there was also a provision for man to be obedient in a very specific way - a way that includes experience, authority and accountability to God as the supreme power.

Genesis 2:
   8  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he
would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet
for him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead
thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Read and re-read as you need to, so you can see just how specific the events are. The why's and wherefores are lucid, as is the chronology of the events. There is no contradiction with Genesis One. For mankind, as you have seen, needed a male and female human to be complete. God created the Ordinance we know as marriage. "Man" as "mankind" (both males and females), are responsible to God , and each other, for the care of this earth. In doing this, God has ordained an earthly form of responsible government. You will see this time and again in your studies of His word.

Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and
twenty years.

What we need to look at now, is the revised Edenic situation. God, who is seen as infinite (etrernal), has introduced the finite universe and its own predetermined system of time. There is both separation and at the same time, companionship of creature and creator.
There are differing forms of life present. There is a natural habitat composed of weather, insects, plants, animals, birds, marine life and humans. There is a government and respective responsibilities . And for all of it, as you will soon see, one person, the man (male) Adam, is the key to what will come next. For it is Adam alone, on earth, who bore witness to God's power of creation, and who is ultimately responsible and answerable to God, for the management of what God has created. Also you will see, this has not, and will not ever change. Adam is the husbandman (farmer if you will) and husband (head of the human household) who has special knowledge and experience to do the job.
Consider now, if you will, procreation. All life forms, have methods of reproducing their respective species. The methods do vary greatly, but all do their job with God ordained precision. We do not know, because we are not told, exactly when Adam and Eve commenced their own sexual activities. But we do know that it would be a bit in askance to say there was none, just because we have no account of child bearing yet. Common sense dictates that Adam and Eve saw the animals going about such activity, and as you will soon be able to reconcile quite easily, must have experimented themselves, learning and perfecting their own sexual activities. Consider also how the two separate beings of "flesh" unite to become "one flesh," both by the marriage covenant and the physical union.

a numeral from 0258; TWOT - 61; adj
AV - one 687, first 36, another 35, other 30, any 18, once 13, eleven + 06240 13, every 10, certain 9, an 7, some 7, misc. 86; 951
1) one (number) 1a) one (number)
1b) each, every
1c) a certain
1d) an (indefinite article)
1e) only, once, once for all
1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one
1g) first
1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal).

01320 basar {baw-sawr'}
from 01319; TWOT - 291a; n m
AV - flesh 256, body 2, fatfleshed + 01277 2, leanfleshed + 01851 2, kin 2, leanfleshed + 07534 1, mankind + 0376 1, myself 1, nakedness 1, skin 1; 269
1) flesh 1a) of the body
1a1) of humans 1a2) of animals
1b) the body itself
1c) male organ of generation (euphemism)
1d) kindred, blood-relations
1e) flesh as frail or erring (man against God)
1f) all living things
1g) animals
1h) mankind

Now comes a major fact you should never discount. In all of creation, humans alone have a uniqueness of physique for sexual activity. They alone can face each other to engage in the union, rather than from behind each other as is the case with the animals we know . Is there a consensual difference or closeness involved? Is it a spiritual union as well as physical? Note what now happens.

Keeping in mind all that has gone before, let us now look at two important facts. The introduction of the serpent, and with whom the confrontational conversation takes place with.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea,
hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

The serpent's identity is shown without a good deal more information, which can come later. The main point is initial identity in both the O.T. and NT, of who and what the serpent represents.

Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

I have already shown how the woman, Eve , is the least experienced human. We could go so far as to say she was mainly educated about the things of God through her husband Adam. So it is not at all surprising that it is she, rather than Adam, who is first accosted by the serpent. She did not have the individual witness experience of God's power that Adam had. In short, she was vulnerable. She was the weaker, (less experienced) vessel. She could not argue against the Satanic accusations, as could Adam, who had seen the awesome power of God, and would not be easily swayed. But there is more.

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make
one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her;  and he did eat

Now we must execute both caution and common sense. We must decide, first of all, if the word "with" means that Adam was alongside Eve, or perhaps, in some other location within the garden? The key to this is in the dialogue. There is absolutely no mention of a confrontation with Adam, is there? Would not such a conversation with Adam been handled differently? Think about it for a minute. How did Eve answer? Did she embellish upon the command not to eat of the fruit?  See Eve's reply!

Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest
ye die.

Why? Did Adam teach such an addition of words to Eve? Death had not been seen, and had no real meaning to them at this point. However, Adam would have been able to rationalize that "death" was not something they would want. And as men do, they attempt to protect, even if enhancing words and comments is a portion of the method used. And remember that lies were not a recognized commodity then. We can only wonder now. What we do know is that God told Adam, who was then responsible to tell Eve. Check it out, by looking back at the text in chronological order. Dig in folks.

Let us assume, for argument's sake, that Eve was separated from Adam when she succumbed to the serpent's (Satanic) ploy. She reaches out, picks the fruit and eats. Instantly, she attains the knowledge of good and evil! She knows all the negatives of fear, guilt, anger, hate, deceit and all the rest that goes into evil knowledge, and how to utilize all manners of deceptions, to harm others. And who else is there to harm? Just one person, whom the serpent could not have argued with, or convinced, that God was someone or something other than what Adam already knew Him to be.
And how, we can now ask, could Eve accomplish what the serpent couldn't? In other words, how could she convince Adam to eat of the fruit? First of all, we must reconsider the word death. At that time it had no meaning. No animal or human had succumbed to it. So it would be virtually impossible for Eve to say something like "see, I didn't die," because the definition of death was yet to be learned. All she could offer is "See, nothing has happened to me".  She had but one devise to use my friends, and that was sex. Yes, I can prove it, using the scriptures.
When God called to Adam and Eve in the garden, they were filled with fear and guilt. Why?  Because now they could feel guilt and fear, and their reaction was exactly the same as occurs today.  They attempted to "cover over" their sin (wrong doing) with hand fashioned clothing so that God would not see their nakedness; which prior to that time was not a consideration.   Read the passages below:

Genesis 2:25  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. {aprons: or, things to gird about}
Genesis 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

They also compounded their guilt by attempting to hide physically so that God would not see the steps they had taken to deceive Him.
At this point  Adam, Eve, and the Serpent are brought to judgment for these deeds, and we need to turn our attention to the psychology of the male and female answers offered to God when they are questioned about what they had done. For here is laid the foundation of the male female "social intercourse" that even today, shows how small we humans really are.  Again - see the verses:

Genesis 3:12  And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Genesis 3:13  And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

These are very important passages people.  They prove some things that are overlooked all to often.  For instance, there is not a word about Adam trying to defend either Eve or himself against the Satanic onslaught.  So to say that they were in close proximity to each other becomes most circumspect.  To compound what I just offered consider how they both attempted to elude the responsibility for what they had done.  They should and could have immediately repented of their short comings by asking for forgiveness. They did not!!
What they chose to do is accuse someone as the guilty party.  How often, to the point of disgust, is this being done in our contemporary so misguided by the placebo of the secular psychologists persuasive "there are no absolutes" and "He/She is the victim of surroundings."  Take note of what i now offer for your consideration -----.
How do you think Eve felt when Adam accused her before God?  Is this the sort of thing that would draw her closer to him?  Would she want to be a loving (including sexual) partner after being hurt so badly?  After all, wasn't adam supposed to be the fearless, protective leader?
And how would Adam feel about Eve, when as a result of "her coolness" the simple, open relationship that they had enjoyed was lost?  See the passages that prove what I offer:

Genesis 3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and
thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. {to thy…: or, subject to thy husband}
Genesis 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Think very carefully about these events and the scriptures offered. Review the histories you know from literature and personal experiences of ourselves and other you know.  How do men and women treat each other?  What has happened to the covenant relationsip of marriage(s)?  Consider what has been taking place in industry and professional lives of men and women?   No matter where you turn people, you can, with open unbiased eyes, see a battle of the sexes raging.  Men and women use and abuse themselves, each other, and their children.  And now, even children are enraged and revolting against the injustices being done to them.

When God created "man" as male and female, there were institued two major triune conditions.

1. "Spiritual" as the image of God including body, mind and spirit
     (represenative of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit)

2. "Physical"  - a father, a mother and the resultant children.

Therefore, we have some things to contend with, choices to make, and the responsibilty to live life in a constructive and positive manner.  The key, according to the Bible (God's word), is that our society is to be based on a system of truths that we should understand and adhere to as follows.

1. To acknowledge God as our creator and the ruler of the universe.

Psalms 148:5  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.

2. To study in such a way that we can understand and carry out what is expected of us in love,
    according to 1 Corinthians 13:

4  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, {vaunteth…: or, is not rash}
5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; {in the truth: or, with the truth}
7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. {fail: Gr. vanish away} KJV

4  Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride;
5  Love’s ways are ever fair, it takes no thought for itself; it is not quickly made angry, it takes no account of evil;
6  It takes no pleasure in wrongdoing, but has joy in what is true;
7  Love has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping all things.
8 Though the prophet’s word may come to an end, tongues come to nothing, and knowledge have no more value, love has no end. BBE

3.  To have a loving respectful relationship in our families, acording to the responsibilites that men
     women and children have acording to Biblical principles.

Ephesians 5:22  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Ephesians 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
1 Peter 3:7  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as
 being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Matthew 19:14  But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Joel 1:3  Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

4. "Well we're living in the new millenium" is not a phrase that should be seen as a reason to
      dirsegard what the Bible has taught from antiquity.

5. While there may be a slight hope for those whose relgions are not Judeo/Christian, the most
    proveable route is still found in the Bible and how it teaches us to live.

14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto
themselves:
15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while
accusing or else excusing one another;) {their conscience…: or, the conscience witnessing with them} {the mean…: or, between themselves}
16  In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

6.  We should not disregard Old Testament teachings saying "We're a New Testament Church" or
     anything akin to it. See how Jesus put it, tying in the old and the new -

John 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

7.  Remember that the fast paced modern society we now live in was foretold long ago, and it would
     be best to give heed to the Bible's accuracy in prophetic messages!

Romans 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things
which are not convenient; {to retain: or, to acknowledge} {a reprobate…: or, a mind void of judgment or, an unapproving mind}
Matthew 24:
  4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
  5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
  6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
  7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in
     divers places.
  8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
  9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Men and women of the new milenium - take heed - stand up and be counted.  The laws that are God given will not be overcome by any power, system of education or science .  From the time that God first created our small portion of the universe, He has been, and will remain, in control of  real power and wisdom.  No efforts to rid the world of the Judeo/ Christian have succeeded. No attempts to rid the world of our sacred scriptures has succeeded.  No effort to eradicate the world of religion has or will succeed.  The Bible shows us that even in the time of  the Great Tribulation, religion will continue to play a major role in the events that take place.  So remember that above all, the respectful, loving way of life that God intended for us to have and enjoy, lies in the truths of the mariage covenant given so long ago, and live by it so that you can have and hold dear, what so many are throwing away.