Adam lived in a perfect garden with perfect food and a good job. He walked with God. Yet God Himself said something was missing.
The first not good. God said, “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Sin had not come yet. Being alone was simply not how God made people to live.
God is never alone. God has always been Father, Son and Holy Spirit, loving one another. Jesus said the Father loved Him before the world was made (John 17:24). People made in God's image are made for love too.
A helper. God said, “I will make him a helper comparable to him” (2:18). Does helper mean someone less important? No. In the Bible, God Himself is called our helper.
God our Helper. “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Comparable. Comparable means like him and right for him. The animals were good company, but none of them could be Adam's partner (2:20). God would make someone who matched him.
Why the animals first? God brought the animals to Adam before He made the woman (2:19-20). As Adam named each one, he could see that no creature was like him. God let Adam feel the need before He met it.
Two are better. “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). God made us to help each other up.
Families and friends. God meets our need for people in many ways: moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends and the church family.
Not everyone marries. Some people never marry, and that is good too. Jesus never married, and Paul said being single can be a gift from God (1 Corinthians 7:7). God gives single people family and friends in His church.
Another Helper. Jesus promised His friends, “He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). The Helper is the Holy Spirit. He is a Person, not a force, and He lives with every believer.
Never alone. God promises His people, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Even when you feel lonely, Jesus is with you.
What to do. Look for someone who is alone at lunch, on the playground or at church. Be a helper. And when you feel lonely, tell God. He hears you.
God did not make the woman from dust. He made her from Adam himself, and then He brought her to him. That shows how closely God joins a husband and wife.
A deep sleep. “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” (2:21). God did all the work while Adam rested.
Made by God. God made the rib into a woman, “and He brought her to the man” (2:22). God was the One who brought them together.
Adam's song. Adam cried out, “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh” (2:23). At last there was someone just like him! Adam was overjoyed.
Man and Woman. “She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man” (2:23). In Hebrew the two words sound alike, like a matching pair.
Same and different. The woman was made of the same stuff as Adam. Both were made in God's image (1:27). They were equal in worth and different in design, made to fit together.
God's plan. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (2:24). Marriage is one man and one woman, joined by God to start a new family.
One flesh. One flesh means two people joined so closely that they share one life. They work together, care for each other and keep their promises for life.
Jesus agreed. When people asked Jesus about marriage, He pointed back to Genesis: “He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female.’” Then He said, “What God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).
Not ashamed. “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (2:25). They had no sin, so they had nothing to hide from God or from each other.
A picture of Jesus. Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 and says, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32). Every marriage is meant to show how much Jesus loves His people.
How Jesus loves. “Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Ephesians 5:2). Jesus gave His life on the cross for His bride, the church.
The wedding to come. One day all of heaven will shout, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come” (Revelation 19:7). Jesus will bring His people home.
When families hurt. Sin has hurt many marriages and families. If your family is hurting, God sees you and loves you. Talk to a grown-up you trust, and tell Jesus how you feel.
What to do. Pray for your parents and for the families in your church. Thank God for the people He has put in your home.
Complete all sections to finish!
Read each section and answer the questions correctly.