Daily Devotions
Genesis
"I will make him a helper comparable to him." Genesis 2:18
Text: Genesis 2:1-25
THE NAMING OF THE ANIMALS
Besides tending the Garden of Eden, Man was also given another piece of work. God brought all the animals to Man for him to name.
“Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast
of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam
to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called
each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names
to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.”GENESIS 2:19-20
Adam intuitively knew how to name each creature. (The work of naming is not a reference to giving nice sounding names as we would to our pets). As he observed each creature that was brought, he knew how to identify and call each living being by its appropriate name (e.g. “Birds” would be used for winged animals etc).
GOD’S CONCERN FOR A HELPER FOR MAN
God watched Adam work, and felt that he could do with a helper. Out of love for him, God created Eve. What a beautiful description of how tenderly God made Eve – out of Adam’s rib! (The symbolic meaning is to be appreciated especially).
“And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone;
I will make him a helper comparable to him…
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam,
and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up
the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken
from man He made into a woman, and he brought her to the man.”GENESIS 2:18, 21-22
ADAM’S INSTINCTIVE KNOWLEDGE
When Eve was brought to Adam, again his intuitive knowledge sprang to the forefront. He knew and understood Eve for who she was!
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”GENESIS 2:23
She was comparable to him indeed, for she was “bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh”. Adam honoured and esteemed her well when he uttered these words! He must have wondered at how God could create such a companion and helper for him!
A SIGNIFICANT TRUTH NOTED
A special bond is created in marriage. There is a special sense of oneness (“one flesh” Genesis 2:24). The provision is there. The potential is certainly there! Sadly, few have forged that special sense of oneness that God intended!