It is not good for the man to be
alone; I will make a helper suitable for him.
Genesis
2:18
But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Although Genesis 1 says that mankind was made male and
female, we learn in Genesis 2
that the first of mankind was of the male gender. Anyone who has read Genesis 1 remembers that God’s closing benediction
at the end of each day was, “and God saw that it was good.” Man’s aloneness at
the end of Day 6 was the first time God pronounced some aspect of His work “not
good.”
In Genesis 2 we learn that the female was created—not
simply because God wanted to try His hand at something different—but for two
important purposes: companionship and completion. To misunderstand the fullness
of meaning in these important words is to miss God’s original blueprint for
marriage.
Adam didn’t
need a faithful horse or a good dog. Remember, he alone of all creation was
made in the Divine image. God understood that Adam’s unique position also
created a sense of solitude that a good horse or dog (or giraffe or alligator)
could not satisfy. He needed a companion who because she shared his nature
could share his life. This companion would be a helper.
The Hebrew
word is ezer, Hebrew for helper, is
one who supplies strength in the area needed and neither stronger or weaker than
the one helped. In the Psalms (33:20, 70:5, 115:9) God Himself is called an ezer because He comes into a situation
and supplies crucially needed resources. By her nature, through her presence
and through her shared likeness in the Divine image, Adam’s helper would be
perfectly suited to satisfy the “aloneness” that God said was not good.
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