The scriptures in Genesis 2:24 describe the divine purpose concerning marriage with the following words: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Marriage is a divine institution, and it has among its objectives the procreation and the increase of the human family. The third part of the angels had been cast out of heaven, and God created man to multiply saintly, and thus, replenish heaven with glorified human beings who had to take the place of those who lost their place.
Man had to join his wife and "be one flesh." That suggests an emotional, social, spiritual union, and an exclusive and unique way of intimacy that goes beyond the sexual sphere itself. Therefore, the intimacy in marriage should not be restricted to the physical area, since its scope is more extensive, and it includes all the levels of the conjugal relationship.
It is evident that the conjugal act is the apex of intimacy, and it polarizes all kinds of personal intimacy of that "single flesh." That means that intimacy in marriage brings together all the relationships, affections, emotions, ideals, and projects of life of a couple in mutual association.
The current concept of intimacy has been perverted, and many people believe that just the sexual act between two people implies intimacy. Sex was created by God, and one of its objectives is to renew intimacy and strengthen the conjugal union, but when sexual intercourse is carried out in a selfish, imposing or only as a means of satisfying the fleshly passion, it gives rise to a feeling of use or object of pleasure that obliterates intimacy. In this way, there can be sexual relationship without intimacy and intimacy without having sex, or at least without this being the main objective, because it is not defined only by pleasure, but also by love, courtesy, kindness, affection, the promotion of the spouse’s happiness.
Intimacy comes from the Latin "INTIMUS", which means "inside, or that is inside." That way, when "Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel...Therefore she took a vail, and covered herself...And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."Genesis 24. 63-64,67. Thus Isaac and his wife’s intimacy began. She entered her husband'stent, and it became the center of their conjugal intimacy, the sacred circle where it could and should grow and strengthen.
By Júlio Sandoya - Brasil
