One Becomes Two
Opening Prayer
God, You walk with me today and see me in my loneliness. I trust you to provide for me in relationships with You and with others.
Read Genesis 2:4-25
[4] This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. [5] Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, [6] but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. [7] Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. [8] Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. [9] The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. [10] A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. [11] The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. [12] (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) [13] The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. [14] The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. [15] The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; [17] but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” [18] The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” [19] Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. 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. [20] So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. [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 then closed up the place with flesh. [22] Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. [23] The 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.” [24] That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. [25] Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What does His concern about aloneness tell us about God?In the garden, after spending time in fellowship with the man He had created, God’s thoughts turned to the man’s need for human companionship. The man had been brought forth by God to work the land (2:5) He kept very busy tending the earth and working the Garden and the Lord recognized his need for a suitable partner and helpmate. For the very first time in Creation’s history, the Lord God determined that something was not good (18.) The man should not be alone. God, the Great Provider, responded to the need by creating an entirely new companion for the man—a woman. She did not exist among what had already been created; God fashioned her from the very substance of the man himself (21,22.) Similar to the man, yet distinct, the woman was his complement. Her presence in the world would allow man to bring forth children, thereby giving him great advantage. And yet, in short order, the woman would lead the man to step out of God’s plan for the very first time. The human union would be irretrievably broken and fail the great litmus test—the marriage between Christ and His church. We look forward to the day when the perfect union will take place with great rejoicing (Revelation 21:2).In the garden, after spending time in fellowship with the man He had created, God’s thoughts turned to the man’s need for human companionship. The man had been brought forth by God to work the land (2:5) He kept very busy tending the earth and working the Garden and the Lord recognized his need for a suitable partner and helpmate. For the very first time in Creation’s history, the Lord God determined that something was not good (18.) The man should not be alone. God, the Great Provider, responded to the need by creating an entirely new companion for the man—a woman. She did not exist among what had already been created; God fashioned her from the very substance of the man himself (21,22.) Similar to the man, yet distinct, the woman was his complement. Her presence in the world would allow man to bring forth children, thereby giving him great advantage. And yet, in short order, the woman would lead the man to step out of God’s plan for the very first time. The human union would be irretrievably broken and fail the great litmus test—the marriage between Christ and His church. We look forward to the day when the perfect union will take place with great rejoicing (Revelation 21:2).
Apply
Think about the standard God has set through Jesus’ relationship to the Church.
Closing prayer
Lord, I praise you that you watch me closely and see my need for relationships.
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