AKALA MO BY: AIZA SEGUERRA

Akala mo hindi ko nakita

Maligaya ka 'pag ako ay masaya
Akala mo hindi ko naisip
Na kasama ako sa iyong panaginip
Bawat sabihin ko
Alam ko nakikinig ka
Akala mo siguro hindi ko nakita
Akala mo hindi ko pansin
Akala mo hindi ko alam
Mahal mo nga ako kahit hindi mo man sabihin
Akala mo hindi ko napansin
Akala mo hindi ko naririnig
Tibok ng puso mo't kaba ng dibdib
Akala Mo hindi ko nadama
Na kasama ako sa lungkot at saya
Kapag kailangan kita
Dumarating ka
Akala mo siguro hindi ko nakita
Akala mo hindi ko pansin
Akala mo hindi ko alam
Mahal mo nga ako kahit hindi mo man sabihin
Akala mo hindi ko napansin
Akala mo hindi ko pansin
Akala mo hindi ko alam
Mahal mo nga ako kahit hindi mo man sabihin
Akala mo hindi ko napansin
Akala mo gano'n lang yon
Alam ko 'yon kahit noon
Akala mo hindi ko napansin

Slowly but surely we are doing the biblical work to seed our marriage curriculum for use in PCUSA circles. In my last post we observed that the accounts
of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 emphasized different elements but had at least three features in common: they each announce a likeness that empowers
human beings for meaningful existence, they each identify human sexual distinctions to be foundational, and they each differentiate humans from the
rest of the creaturely world. In Genesis 1 we observed that there is no differentiation between male and female with regard to their being in the image of
God or to their having dominion over the earth. It also should be noted that there is no such thing as a human being apart from a man or a woman. As we
unpack Genesis 2 in this post, keep an eye out for these elements.
7 Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living
being. 8And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God
made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
18 Then the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner. 19 So out of the ground the LORD
God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called
every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man
there was not found a helper as his partner. 21So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and
closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then
the man said,
This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman
for out of Man this one was taken.
24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked,
and were not ashamed.
In this vivid and delightful passage, we gain some insight into Gods intention for the sexes in relationship to him, to the rest of creation, and to each
other. In relationship to God, each has a unique and special connection because God (like a potter) fashioned and shaped each one. In relationship to the
rest of creation, these human beings were distinctly different. Yes, they were creaturely like the animal realm, but no animal could be a partner for
Adam. In fact, human beings were given dominion over all animals. In relationship to each other, what is the mystery that enables two people to live
together in harmony? The question has been whether God created a hierarchy between Adam and Eve to facilitate this harmony. Four arguments have
been offered , but each is problematic:
1. Woman is created after the man (and is therefore subordinate to him). Remember in Genesis 1 there was no mention of a delay between creation of
man and woman, despite the fact that the account is presented generally as a chronology. This Genesis 2 account employs the Hebrew ring construction,
where the central and most important element appears at the beginning and the end. The man at the beginning and the woman at the end are seen to be
parallel and equal in value as the apex of Gods creation. No subordination is implied.
2. Woman is taken from the man (and is therefore subordinate to him). Woman is created using the rib of man (while man was formed from dust). Was
man subordinate to the dust from whichhe was made? Surely not! So it would be illogical to conclude that Eve is subordinate to Adam because his rib
was the starting point of Gods sculpture. Further, as the chapter unfolds the emphasis is on the identical substance of the two and therefore an essential
unity, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. What is really important to remember is that God hand-fashioned both. Adam didnt make Eve, and his rib
didnt either. Adam was asleep and was of no help to the creation of his mate. God made . . . in both instances.
3. Woman is named by man (and is therefore subordinate to him). This one is interesting and perhaps a fine point can be put on it. In the majority of
cases in the OT, naming implies authority over. But the standard formula contains the verb to call and the noun name, as in Genesis 4:25, she bore a
son and called his name Seth. Here in Gen. 2:23b, only to call appears (without the name), and the woman (Heb. ishah) is never used here or later
as a proper name, but only as indicating human gender. It is a play on words, adding an ending to the word for the man (ish). It seems to me, from the
text, that the point here is not the act of naming but the identification within Gods creation of human kin totally in sync with Adams own being. And
note, after the Fall, Gen. 3:20where Adam called his wifes name Eve does contain the typical naming formula. Well talk about that when we get to
Genesis 3.
4. Woman is created as helper for man (and is therefore subordinate to him). The phrase there in Gen. 2:23 employs two words, help and in front
of. These words point to an understanding of the pair complementing each other, filling in the gaps of the other. An exploration of how the designation
of helper (ezer) is used in the OT yields nineteen examples: three are in reference to man helping another (and not so well, it turns out in the context,
e.g. Isaiah 30:5), and fifteen uses refer to God as the helper of Israel (e.g. Exodus 18:4, Psalm 121:2). If anything, Eve coming along as a helper to Adam
would indicate her superiority; but this option is cut off by the complete phrase a helper standing eye to eye, a counterpart. As husband and wife, the
pair stand eye to eye (:20), of the same substance (:23), forming a union of one flesh (:24) in complete openness and intimacy (:25).
This summarizes Gods design for marriage from the creation accounts. Adam and Eve both identify with God as their direct Creator and as human
beings are of the same substance. Their sexual differentiation is essential for their relationship to each other. And they are uniquely suited to each other
in a way they cannot be to animals. But something happens next, and it is not good. In the post to follow, we will see what impact the Fall had on the
relationship between Adam and Eve.

The term one flesh comes from the Genesis account of the creation of Eve describing the process by which God created Eve
from a rib taken from Adams side as he slept. Adam recognized that Eve was part of him, thus they were indeed one flesh.
The term one flesh means that just as our bodies are one whole entity and cannot be divided into pieces and still be a
whole, so God intended it to be with the marriage relationship. There are no longer two entities (two individuals), but now
there is one entity (a married couple).
The new unity takes precedence over all previous and future relationships (Gen 2:24). Some marriage partners continue to
place greater weight upon ties with parents than with the new partner. This is a recipe for disaster in the marriage and is a
perversion of Gods original intention of leaving and cleaving. A similar problem can develop when a spouse begins to draw
closer to a child to meet emotional needs rather than to his or her partner.
Emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, financially, and in every other way, the couple is to become one. Even as one part of
the body cares for the other body parts (the stomach digests food for the body, the brain directs the body for the good of the
whole, the hands work for the sake of the body, etc.), so each partner in the marriage is to care for the other. Each partner
is no longer to see money earned as my money; but rather as our money. Eph 5:22-33 and Proverbs 31:10-31 give the
application of this oneness to the role of the husband and the role of the wife, respectively.
Physically, they become one flesh in the act of copulation, and the result of that one flesh is found in the children that their
union produces; these children now possess a special genetic makeup, specific to their union. Even in the sexual aspect of
their relationship, a husband and wife are not to consider their bodies as their own but as belonging to their partner (1Co
7:3-5). Nor are they to focus on their own pleasure but rather the giving of pleasure to their spouse.
This oneness and desire to benefit each other is not automatic, especially after mankinds fall into sin. The man, in Gen
2:24 , is told to cleave to his wife. This word has two ideas behind it. One is to be glued to his wife, a picture of how tight
the marriage bond is to be. The other aspect is to pursue hard after the wife. This pursuing hard after is to go beyond the
courtship leading to marriage, and is to continue throughout the marriage. However the fleshly tendency is to do what feels
good to me rather than to consider what will benefit the spouse. And this self-centeredness is the rut that marriages
commonly fall into once the honeymoon is over. Instead of each spouse dwelling upon how his or her own needs are not
being met, he or she is to remain focused on meeting the needs of the spouse.
However, as nice as it may be for two people to live together meeting each others needs, God has a higher calling for the
marriage. Even as they were to be serving Christ with their lives before marriage (Rom 12:1-2), now they are to serve Christ
together as a unit and raise their children to serve God (1Co 7:29-34; Mal 2:15; Eph 6:4). Aquila and Priscilla in Acts 18,
would be good examples of this. As a couple pursues serving Christ together, the joy which the Spirit gives will fill their
marriage (Gal 5:22-23). In the Garden of Eden, there were three present (Adam, Eve, and God), and there was joy. So, if
God is central in a marriage today, there also will be joy. Without God, a true and full oneness is not possible.
Concerning the continuation of earthly marriages in Heaven may be desirable, especially when a couple is happily married,
but it is only a romantic fantasy which is altogether unsupported by the Bible. There are some Christian offshoots that
support that, but they are saying that contrary to our Lords statement: For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are
given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Mat 22:30)
God created woman and marriage for the earthly happiness and contentment of the man He created in the Garden of Eden.
The purpose of marriage has a twofold aspect:
1.
2.

It was made for the benefit of the man so he would not be alone Gen 2:18, and
For the procreation of mankind Gen 1:28; 9:1

These purposes are not needed in Heaven for all happiness will be in the presence of Christ and there will be no human
procreation.
Moreover there is no Bible evidence, not one shred, to suggest that marriage survives the grave.
Besides what Jesus promised to His people is that in heaven we shall have something which is far better than any sense of
contentment (including marriage) we are capable of enjoying on this earth.
However rewarding your marriage on earth may have been, it cannot be compared with the heavenly family of God who will
be your eternal companions and family in glory. The intimacy, the honesty, and the sense of deep comforting fulfilment
which rise from a godly marriage on earth are simply tiny example of the greater sense of all those emotions, and more, in
the world to come. In that family there will be no empty chairs, no visits to cemeteries, and no black sheep. All the
heavenly family will be present and just as contented with that wondrous world as you will be, for all will admire the Father
who is head of the family more than any other being who will be there (Eph 3:14,15).
There may be no marriages in eternity, but all of the blessings which God put in this heavenly relationship, and countless
more, will be enjoyed without measure in that glory world.