God's design: Adam, Eve, and marriage

August 1, 2020 (Saturday)

 

Adam has a paradise, almost. In contrast to creation being considered “good” by God, there is one situation that is not good. “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” [Genesis 2:18 ESV] In other words, God’s design is not complete. His intentions are to create male and female (Adam and Eve).

 

The Genesis account is emphasizing the point; God’s creation is short of perfect without the woman. The problem with Adam being alone is there is nothing in creation on his level, his equal with the ability to connect to Adam on his level.

 

To prove the point, God brings him every possible animal.“The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” [ Genesis 2:19 ESV] Adam demonstrates several parts of “the image of God” at this point. First, this reflects the creation account where God called (named) various parts of creation, Adam names the animals. Second, the language skills and intelligence needed to name the various animals of creation had to have been beyond what a primate could accomplish. 

 

God’s point in this exercise is to demonstrate to Adam the necessity of a special creation, the need for an individual his equal who is not the same as him. The creation of Eve was also necessary if Adam was to fulfill the command to be “fruitful.” Fruitful tends to carry the idea of descendants.

 

On proving to Adam the lack of his completion, “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.” [Genesis 2:21 ESV] Adam was "formed" out of the dust (see Genesis 2:7). Eve was “built,” not created out of Adam. The word translated “made” (literally "build") in Genesis 2:22 gives the idea Eve was created with more care and craftsmanship then the rest of creation, even Adam. 

 

Adam’s reaction to Eve? Simply put he was stunned. “Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” [Genesis 2:23 ESV] The original Hebrew conveys an excitement that doesn’t translate well to English. He recognizes Eve is different than the rest of creation. She is the same material (bone and flesh), yet she is different than him. Two sexes are God’s design for humanity.

 

One note about designation of "helper." Eve is designed as a “helper.” The word translated here is also used of God. As in, God is the “helper” for humanity. The struggle between the sexes is a result of sin. It gets real ugly really fast. We will pick that up next week.

 

At this point, Genesis 2:24 gives the starting theology for marriage. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” [Genesis 2:24 ESV] Since Eve was created out of Adam, there is a sense where man needs the woman to complete him. To find this completeness (“one flesh”) the man must “leave.” Here, “father and mother” are mentioned, but I think the principle is to leave any and every emotional attachment behind to form a new permanent bond. Jesus used the Genesis account for His teaching on marriage (see Matthew 19:3 - 9, Mark 10:2 - 9).

 

The final line, highlighting the perfection of their union and the bliss of innocence, is in Genesis 2:25. “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” [ESV] There was no shame, no need to cover anything, and nothing separating them from each other or God. God’s design: one man, one woman, for one life, completely free to enjoy.