Genesis Chapter 2 Part 4

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome back to our study. Today we're in Genesis chapter 2. This is lesson 4 of Genesis chapter 2. And today we're going to be looking at Genesis chapter 2, verses 18 through 20. Now, as we get into this, I want you to think about just a few things. Have you ever noticed that up until this point, Genesis, in the book of Genesis, everything has been described as good. God created light, it was good. God created the heavens, it was good. God created the earth, it was good. God created the plants, the animals, and mankind, it was good. Yet in Genesis chapter 2, we encounter something remarkable. For the first time in Scripture, God declares that something is not good. And the question is, why? Was Adam incomplete? Was there something wrong with God's creation? Or is God trying to teach us something profound about humanity that many people reading this missed today? And another question we need to answer is why did God bring the animals to Adam before bringing Eve? The detail is often overlooked, but it's one of the most important parts of the story. And the answers to those questions reveal God's design for relationships, community, and ultimately our dependence on Him. So let's read the passage together. Genesis chapter 2, just verse 18 and 20. It said, Then the Lord God said, It is not good for man to be alone. There is the it's not good part. I will make him a helper suitable for him. Out of the ground, the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whenever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to all the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. Again, this is the first not good. Verse 18 begins, it is not good for man to be alone. Now, this statement should immediately catch our attention. Throughout Genesis chapter 1, God repeatedly declared his creation to be good. Now, for the first time, this is described as not good. Now notice what God does not say. He doesn't say, well, Adam is sinful. He doesn't say Adam is defective or that his creation is flawed. Instead, God identifies something that Adam is missing, something that he lacks, and that's companionship. Now, this is important because Adam already possessed what many people today would consider enough. He had the perfect environment. He had meaningful work, he had direct fellowship with God. He lived in a world that was untouched by sin, yet God still said something was missing. Why? Because humanity was created for relationships. And the Bible begins with community. Before there was the nation of Israel, before there was a church, there was a man created for fellowship. And this reminds us that isolation was never God's design for humanity. Even before sin entered the world, God intended for people to live in fellowship with one another. As Matthew Henry famously observed, man was not made for solitude, but for society. The truth remains just as relevant today. We live in an age of unprecedented connection through technology, yet many people report feeling more isolated than ever. Genesis reminds us that people were designed for genuine relationships. Now, what does a helper suitable for him actually mean? God continues, I will make a helper suitable for him. This phrase has often misunderstood. Some have assumed the word helper implies being inferior. The Bible actually teaches the opposite. The word used here is a Hebrew word that interestingly is the same word that is frequently used of God Himself. In Psalm 33, 20 it says, Our soul awaits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. It's the same word. The word for helper, therefore, does not describe weakness, it describes one who provides strength and support. And so the issue is not superiority or one who is inferior. The issue is partnership. The phrase suitable for him literally carries the idea of one corresponding to him, someone who matches him, someone who complements him, someone who shares his nature and his calling. And so God was not creating a servant for Adam. And this becomes one of the foundational passages for the biblical understanding of marriage. Two people equal in value before God, distinct in design, but united in purpose. John Calvin wrote, the woman was formed to be a companion and associate of the man. The emphasis is partnership. And so God's design has always involved cooperation rather than competition. So there's a question here. Why bring the animals to Adam first? At first glance, we see verses 19 through 20, and they kind of seem out of place. God says, I'll make a helper. And then all of a sudden he stops and says, and I'm going to bring the animals, and they're going to appear. Verse 19 says, The Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky and brought them to man to see what he would call them. Now, this is much more than a lesson in zoology. God is teaching Adam something profound. Notice that Adam is given authority. Now, naming in the ancient world often represented responsibility and stewardship. So Adam is exercising the role that God gave him over creation. He is observing, he's putting into categories, he's ruling over. And in many ways, what he is doing is continuing the work that God was at first doing. And now God has assigned to Adam, starting in the garden. But there's another lesson unfolding here. As Adam examines the animals, something becomes increasingly obvious. Every creature has a counterpart. Each creature has one like itself. And yet Adam does not. And so verse 22 continues, but for Adam, there was not found a helper suitable for him. Now God already knew this, it's written in the text to reveal it to us, but Adam needed to discover it. Sometimes God allows us to recognize our need before he provides the solution. And the process itself becomes part of the lesson. Adam was learning that no part of creation could fully satisfy what God intended for humanity. No animal shared in his nature. No animal reflected God's image in the way that Adam reflected God's image. No animal could become the companion that God designed for him. Only another human being could fulfill that role for Adam. That means that humanity is unique. And this passage also highlights this special place within creation. Now, Adam can name the animals because he stood apart from them. While humanity shares certain biological characteristics with animals, Scripture consistently presents mankind as being distinct. Only humans are said in the scriptures to share or to bear the image of God. Only humans receive moral responsibility. Only humans are given stewardship over creation. Only humans enjoy the unique relationship with God described in Genesis. And this distinction becomes important throughout Scripture. Human beings are not merely advanced animals. We are image bearers. We were created with purpose, with dignity, and eternal significance. David later writes in Psalm chapter 8, verses 5 and 6, he says, Yet you have made him a little lower than God, and you crown him with glory and majesty. You make him rule over the works of your hands. And so Genesis chapter 2 provides the foundation for that understanding. Now, another important truth emerges here as you read the text. Notice that God announces his plan before he fulfills his plan. God says, I will make a helper suitable for him. Then he begins the process. There's already a delay between promise and fulfillment. And throughout scripture, we see this pattern repeatedly. God promises Abraham a son. Years pass before the son is born. God promises Israel a deliverer. Generations pass before God sends the Messiah. Centuries pass. Now, God's timing is never accidental. That's why I want you to understand here. He often prepares people before providing what he promised. Now, Adam's experience teaches patience and trust. The delay was not God neglecting anything, it was part of God's instruction. It was kind of looking ahead to Christ. As we studied Genesis, we should always remember that the Bible's story ultimately points to Jesus. Adam experienced loneliness before receiving his bride. And Christ came into a fallen world and experienced rejection and suffering and abandonment in order to redeem his bride. The New Testament repeatedly describes the church as the bride of Christ. In Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25, the Apostle Paul writes to the church, Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her. And so the first marriage in Genesis ultimately points toward a greater relationship, which is the union between Christ and his redeemed people. What begins in Eden finds its fulfillment in the gospel. Now, Genesis chapter 2, verses 18 through 20 teach us several important truths. Number one, God created human beings for relationship. Isolation was never his design. Second, the biblical idea of a helper speaks of partnership and strength, not one who is inferior. Third, humanity occupies a unique place within creation because we bear the image of God. Fourth, God often allows us to recognize our needs before he provides the answers that he's already preparing. And finally, this passage points us toward Jesus, the bridegroom who came to redeem his bride. The God who saw Adam's need is the same God who sees ours today. And just as he provided for Adam in his perfect timing, he remains faithful to provide for his people today. I hope you enjoyed this lesson, and I will see you next time.