Genesis 2:18-25 – The creation of woman as man’s helper and companion.
God intends husbands and wives to be one. God creates woman as man’s helper and companion. This lesson is part of the Lord’s account of creation, beginning with Chapter 2, verse 4. It is the earlier of the two accounts. According to this account, man is created first, then the animals, etc., and finally woman. The animals were not a suitable helper for Adam, and, consequently, Eve was created. Why the rib? It’s closest to the man’s heart. After her creation from his rib, Adam recognizes her as an equal part of him (verse 23). She is recognized as a fellow human with equal dignity and worth. Because of the creation of man and woman, marriage is one of the orders of creation in which the two become an entity of one flesh. Flesh here is more than physical; it refers to the whole person.
For man to be alone was not good. This caused God to create a woman. No amount of vegetation and no number of animals, no matter how much a pet one might be, could be a satisfactory companion to a human being. Man was not meant to be alone, not even with people of the same sex. Woman was made for man, and it is normal and right for male and female to be together as companions and friends.
It is significant that Eve was not an isolated nor independent creation. Adam was formed out of dust; Eve was formed out of Adam by the use of a rib. Male and female are not two separate creations, each going his/her own way. They were not made to be independent of each other. Eve was made from Adam to indicate that they were of the same material and were meant for each other. But why the rib? Why not the head or the heart? Is it that the bib is close to the heart?[2]
A prayer for home and family - Visit, we implore You, O Lord, the homes in
which Your people dwell, and keep far from them all harm and danger. Grant us
to dwell together in peace under the protection of Your holy angels and may
Your blessing be with us forever.[3] -29
September 202
[1] “Adam and Eve in Paradise” Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use
[2] Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B, John Brokhoff © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH
[3] For home and family, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
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