Reading: Genesis chapter 2 verses 18-25.
(a). The first Quandary (verses 18-20):
• Our passage begins with a statement,
• That by now should be shocking to any careful reader of Genesis.
• Up to verse 18 everything God has done has been good,
• In fact chapter 1 verse 31 says “Very good”.
• That was God’s benediction, his blessing on all he had made,
• But Here in verse 18 for the first time we find difficulty.
• It is not a flaw or a mistake,
• But there is for the first time something that is not good.
(1). Alone (Verse 18):
18The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
God is about to show Adam that although this brand new world is full of beauty and variety:
• There is a problem in that;,
• There is no creature suited to be his companion.
Now remember Adam had been made in God’s image:
• He is not an evolved creature;
• And God made all creatures after their own kinds (chapter 1 verses 20-25).
• So even if he lives to be million years old,
• No animal will evolve into a suitable partner.
The first man Adam:
• Was created by design, to be unique, the pinnacle of God’s creation.
• “Not a little higher than the monkeys, but a little lower than the angels”.
And because of this uniqueness in creation:
• Adam enjoys a relationship with God,
• That no other part of God’s creation can.
In fact, in this section:
• We see three different relationships,
• These relationships are in three dimensions;
• First: relationship to those above us - Man and God.
• Verse 18: Adam and God are in a unique relationship.
• Second: relationship to those below us – Man and animals.
• Verse 19: Adam will name each creature.
• Third: relationship to those alongside– Man and woman.
• Verse 21-25: Adam will form a oneness with his soon to be created wife Eve.
(2). Animals (Verse 19-20):
19Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. 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. 20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Now having been told in the narrative:
• That it was not good for man to be alone:
• We would expect God to remedy that situation straight away, but he doesn’t.
• Between that statement in verse 18 and the creation of Eve in verse 20
• Is a time consuming verse 19:
Verse 19 (N.L.B):
So the LORD God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one
Ill:
• 3,500 mammals living today.
• 8,600 birds,
• 5,500 reptiles and amphibians.
• Total: 17,600 animals to name!
Before god created a partner for Adam, he required Adam to wait,
• First of all Adam had come to terms with his animal companions.
• And in doing so it would highlight for him, his uniqueness and his loneliness.
Verse 19b:
“God brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
As God and Adam are enjoying each others company:
• God caused a great variety of animals and birds to come to Adam.
• He would do a similar thing later with Noah in chapter 7:
• Creature by creature passed by from the aardvark to the zebra,
• And Adam was to study and name the animals.
(3). Awareness (verse 20).
• As a result of naming the animals,
• Adam is about to be made aware, gain knowledge of certain things.
He becomes conscience of three things:
(1). He is ordering his world.
• Adam not only had to name the 17,600 mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
• But don’t forget he then also had to remember what he creature was called.
So this was no random chance naming:
• Adam has not merely pulled names out of the back of his mind,
• And slapped them on the back of the animals as they went by.
• Adam was being asked to study the animals:
• To note their nature and relationships, and then name them accordingly.
• Adam is doing one aspect of the work of a biologist:
• Studying, categorizing and carefully watching each creature,
Secondly:
• In the ancient world name-giving was an exercise in sovereignty:
• In this verse Adam is taking authority over the rest of the created creatures.
• He is taking responsibility for stewardship of the animal world,
• He will name and rule and manage these creatures on God’s behalf.
Thirdly: And as Adam studied these animals he was to see something:
• God wanted him to see for himself whether or not among this vast array of animals,
• There might be one suited to be a helper for him.
• Gradually the animals pair off and move off,
• And Adam is left all by himself.
• “For Adam no suitable helper was found” (verse 20).
• Now he, too, knows what God has known all along,
• That in the goodness of creation,
• There is still a ‘not good’ to be remedied.
The reason for this negative result was twofold:
First:
• Physically - Adam was human,
• Therefore he was obviously unsuited to enjoy a physical relationship with other creatures.
Secondly:
• Spiritually.
• None of the animals had been created in the image of God as he had been.
• The creatures all had bodies (e.g. kick or stroke them!)
• They have personalities, they are individual characters (e.g. love our pets).
But the animals are not made in God’s image:
• Unlike human beings;
• They cannot know and appreciate and worship God like human beings can.
• They were not designed to do that,
• And they cannot commune with people on a spiritual level.
Ill:
• It is possible for a man and a dog to have great fellowship.
• They can spend many enjoyable hours.
• They can play games.
• They can show and share affection.
• But the fellowship is downward, it must always be on the dog’s level:
• Because the dog can only communicate on that level.
• Humans and only humans communicate on a higher lever.
• As well as each other, they can commune with God (upward level).
Adam undoubtedly saw this:
• As the animals were paraded before him,
• And he realized that if he was to have a companion,
• That companion would have to be specially created by God;
• And in the image of God, just as he was.
(2). The first woman (verses 21-23):
(1). Craftsmanship (Verse 20b-22):
But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
21So 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 closed up the place with flesh. 22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Ill:
• Anaesthetics were not invented till 1840,
• At least 3000 years after Genesis was written.
• In fact not a lot a people know this but;
• Queen Victoria was the first woman in history to have a baby under chloroform in 1853.
Here we have the first midwifery operation in history:
• The patient was a man,
• The surgeon/anaesthetist was God.
• And the result was a full-grown woman.
Ill:
Rib Joke:
• Adam was so excited about hearing news that a woman was to be created,
• That he couldn’t wait & asked God when this most perfect creation would be complete.
God replied soon, but there was one small detail he needed to mention:
• In order to make woman as perfect and as beautiful and as wonderful as she could be,
• God was going to fashion her from Adam himself.
• Adam would have to agree to give up both an arm and a leg.
• Adam was shocked, an arm and a leg!
• “I am afraid so”, replied God.
• After considering this startling news, Adam asked God; “What can I get for a rib!”
Verse 21:
“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 closed up the place with flesh. 22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”
• In these verses we learn that the woman was made for man:
• And she was made from man;
• Note the difference:
• The animals were made from the dust of the earth (mentioned again in verse 18).
• Adam was made from the dust of the earth,
• But woman was made (word used means “built up”) from the man.
Ill:
• A man has both X and Y chromosomes.
• A woman has only X.
• So part of a woman’s body could never be built up into a man’s body,
• The Y chromosomes would be missing.
• But part of a man’s body could be “built up” into a woman’s body,
• Because he has everything she needs for her body.
(2). Creation (Verse 22):
22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam.
In these verses we learn:
• That the woman was made FROM man:
• She was made FOR man;
• And she was GIVEN to man,
• As the greatest of all God’s gifts.
Men please do not read more into this verse than is actually there:
• Woman was not created to be mans servant or mans property.
• But she was created to be his companion, his friend and equal:
Quote Matthew Henry:
‘Woman was not made out of his head to rule him,
not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him,
but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected,
and near his heart to be beloved.’
The removal of a piece of the man:
• In order to create the woman;
• Implies that from now on neither is complete without the other.
• The man needs the woman for his wholeness,
• And the woman needs the man for hers.
• Each is equal in need and in relation to the other.
(3). Companion (verse 23)
23The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
At last man has a suitable companion:
• And woman is made primarily for her relationship to man.
• Eve was made for the man, as a “helper suitable for him.”
• Adam’s primary function was already established in verse 15,
• Without reference to the woman,
• Adam had a job before he had a wife.
• Man was made primarily for his work,
Note:
• That does not mean a man cannot have relationships,
• Or that a woman should not go out to work.
• But I believe this shows us our primary purpose,
• For which God made male and female.
Question (naturally arises): Are men and women equal?
Answer: Men and women are equal, yet different.
Quote Elisabeth Elliot:
“Asks, “In what sense is red equal to blue? They are equal only in the sense that both are colors in the spectrum. Apart from that they are different.
In what sense is hot equal to cold? They are both temperatures, but beyond this it is almost meaningless to talk about equality.”
The word translated in the passage as ‘helper’, in no way implies inferiority:
• It is a word often used of God when he helps and assists humans,
• And God is obviously not inferior to humans.
• The word simply means someone who supports, assists and encourages.
• Eve was to be Adam’s companion and complement.
• There is no sense of inferiority, subordination or servitude implied here,
• Both Men and women are alike yet different and different yet alike.
Ill:
On a car:
• A cylinder-head and a crank-case may be of the same material, size, weight and cost,
• But they cannot be exchanged both have a specific function t fulfil.
Note:
• Male and female is a distinction regarding humans only,
• It is never used of fish, animals or birds – only of humans.
• It is a distinction never reversed in the Bible,
• In fact the New Testament draws on that difference & that order to teach us.
Both Genesis chapter 1 and 2 present us with a paradox:
• Men and women are the same, yet different.
• They are both like God, yet different to each other.
• They are equal, yet unequal.
• And only by arguing the two opposites do we really get the whole truth.
Naming (verse 23 and 24):
23The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
• One of those difference between men and women is seen in these verses (23-24).
• Regarding leadership, headship
Man being the head of woman:
• Is a teaching taught throughout the Bible,
• And unpacked and explained by Paul and Peter in the New Testament.
• Note: Whenever headship in marriage is talked about,
• It is in terms of self-sacrificial love & close harmony.
Naming in the Bible is an expression of authority:
• Ill: God names man (Genesis chapter 5 verse 2),
• Ill: And God also named the stars (Isaiah chapter 40 verse 26).
• Verse 19: God brings the animals to Adam,
• And Man names the animals.
• Now in verse 23:
• Adam also named the woman
Ill:
• When like a father brings forward the bride,
• God brings forward the woman to Adam.
The name Adam calls his new partner is GENERIC not specific:
• Later in chapter 3 Adam would be specific and call her Eve,
• But this action in this verse is still a valid action.
Ill:
• When Adam named the animals he was generic and not specific,
• He called the rhino a ‘rhinoceros’ rather than ‘Rodney’.
Adam names his new partner ‘woman’:
• This is a legacy that is still practiced today,
• When a wife takes her husbands surname after marriage.
Verse 23:
• Notice how Adam greets the woman whom God brings to him:
• “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
Here is the closest human relationship possible:
• ‘Bone of my bones’ is the Hebrew expression,
• Which corresponds to our idiom ‘blood relations’.
Notice Adams recorded words are in poetry:
• I hope you have a Bible that distinguishes,
• Poetry from prose (most modern versions do).
• Prose is when it looks like a newspaper,
• Straight columns.
• Poetry is when it is written in a lot more space,
• It is very spread out, with much shorter lines.
The style conveys an important truth throughout the Bible:
• In prose, God or people are communicating their thoughts (mind).
• In poetry, God or people are communicating their feelings (heart).
ill:
When you write to a loved one:
• A letter, paragraph upon paragraph - your thoughts.
• Send a valentine card, rhyme or a verse - your feelings.
Actually this is the second poem in Genesis:
• Chapter 1 verse 28-31.
• God shows us his delight in creating man.
• Chapter 2 verse 23:
• We see Man's delight in his new partner woman.
Now don’t read this without understanding and feeling the emotion:
• Ill: Living Bible: “This is it” “Wow!”
• Adam was gob smacked by Eve, he was one exited fellow!
• After naming and studying 17,600 unsuitable animals,
• He is thrilled not just to find a suitable companion, but such a good one!
Adam immediately perceives Eve to be his companion, the other half of the moon,
• Someone who can do for him what the animals couldn’t.
• Give him the perfect friendship I companionship that he needs.
The first marriage (verses 24-25):
24For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
• Notice it was God who established marriage,
• As the first and most basic of all human institutions.
Quote Mae West:
“Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution yet”.
• Sadly we live in a world where people believe the idea:
• That getting married and living happily together do not necessarily go together.
Ill:
• No reasonable person would think of building a house,
• Without consulting the carefully drawn plans of an architect.
• Yet people regularly attempt to build their marriages,
• Without consulting the Master Architect of that divine institution.
• Instead we rely on sketchy blueprints,
• That we receive from our parents, our friends and the world around.
In this verse there are three important truths:
• On which the marriage covenant stands.
• Leaving, cleaving and ‘one flesh’.
Ill:
• Like a milk-maid’s three-legged stool,
• Each leg is important and all three are essentials.
• The first two: Leaving and cleaving:
• Are the physical and a social aspects that together make a marriage.
(1). Leaving:
• The first step in creating a new union with our partners,
• Is to dissolve an old one with our parents.
• The writer uses a strong term here, but not a harsh one.
• A break is needed.
Ill:
Comedians like Les Dawson built their careers on Mother in law jokes.
• It is true that in some (not all) situations interfering mother in laws,
• Have made life a misery for their daughters in law.
Ill:
• The Chinese symbol for “trouble”,
• Shows two women under one roof.
The newly weds must become self-sufficient:
• A physical, mental and emotional separation from father and mother is needed.
• The idea here is independence not abandonment.
• We are not to forsake parents or even ignore their advice,
• But from now on they are to make their own decisions and be responsible for them.
(2). Cleaving:
• The Hebrew term translated “Cleave” means “to glue” or “to glue one’s self”
• Ill: Ever use superglue (only thing it sticks is yourself!).
• That’s the idea here is the man and the woman glue themselves together,
• They are to be bonded together permanently.
When two people get married this new union takes priority over all other relationships:
• A persons partner is that persons first priority above all other relationships.
• Even before even the children and even before parents.
• Cleaving points to the committed faithfulness that one person promises to the other;
• That whatever the future holds, the couple intend to face it as a pair.
• Married life is sustained by willing choices.
• A desire to stick like glue together through better or worse,
(3). Uniting (One flesh):
• Is the third leg on which the marriage covenant stands.
• It refers to the personal union of man with woman, and woman with man,
• At all levels of their lives,
• Which is expressed in and deepened through the sexual relationship.
Quote:
“Marriage is not so much finding the right person as it is being the right person”.
‘One flesh’ does not only mean sexual intercourse, though it includes it.
• But it refers primarily to a oneness, a unity and that is illustrated in the next verse:
• Verses 25: “The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”
The vital words in this verse:
• Are not “Were both naked”,
• But “They felt no shame”.
• It is not the sexual aspect the writer is emphasizing,
• But that there was between Adam and Eve an openness and a unity,
• There relationship was not masked by guilt,
• Not disordered by lust, not hampered by shame.
To summarise (final thoughts):
First:
• Both male & female & therefore all human beings;
• Have a value and preciousness as persons because we are created in God’s image.
• Therefore we need to love and accept all persons regardless of race, creed or colour.
• The first thing we need to affirm about one another is our value as persons before God.
Ill:
£50 note story.
Secondly:
• Genesis 2 affirms body-life.
• We are embodied persons; our anatomy, is an integral part of who we are.
Ill:
• It is much more than a house or container in which we live,
• God is concerned about the whole person and not just our souls.
Hebrew thinking and more importantly Biblical thinking:
• Says that the body, the physical is good.
• God made us physical creatures as well as spiritual beings, both are important.
• Both Christians and Jews say that the body is God’s temple:
• And we are told to worship God with our bodies,
• And so important are our bodies;
• That one day God will resurrect and then change these bodies! (1 Cor 15)
Thirdly:
• These chapters affirm the importance of personal relationships.
• It is not good that we should be alone.
Ill:
• God did not give Adam a Bible verse to cure his loneliness,
• He gave him a wife!
As a general principle:
• I would suggest that marriage is the norm:
• It is one way in which personal communion with another person may be enjoyed,
• But as the life of our Lord Jesus himself illustrates,
• It is not the only way.
• But single or married we ALL need good relationships,
• And every church should bear the hallmark of being a caring fellowship!
Quote Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 9:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Fourthly:
• Genesis chapter 2 paints us a picture of sexual celebration:
• Sex is good and it is not spelt SIN.
• Even though throughout the history the Christian church,
• It has at times had trouble dealing with the issues of sex,
• I believe the Bible is very clear,
• That a sexual relationship it is to be enjoyed, it was an invention of God.
Fifthly:
• The Bible places sexual relationships;
• In the context of commitment and monogamy.
Quote: Schoolboy who said:
“Christian marriage is based on monotony!”
• The word “Monogamy” simply means “Once married”.
• “Monos” meaning “Once” and “Gamos” meaning “Married”.
• In the New Testament Matthew chapter 19;
• Jesus affirmed monogamy as God’s plan regarding marriage.
Note: the phrase in verse 22: “God brought her (woman) to the man”
• Once again there is a contrast between the animals and humans.
• The animals are promiscuous (i.e. go wandering and will have several mates).
• By contrast God brings Adam to the woman,
• They are not looking for each other, they are together, permanent.
As you look at our passage:
• The delight of Genesis chapter 2 verse23, Man getting a woman.
• Is followed immediately by the narrator’s comment in chapter 2 verse 24 – marriage.
• Marriage is where physical expression of sexual relationships is meant to belong.
• These are the makers instructions, given to us for good reasons.
