“The
LORD God had formed all the wild animals and all the birds out of
the ground. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would call them.
Whatever the man called each creature became its name. So the man named
all the domestic animals, all the birds, and all the wild animals. But the man found
no helper who was right for him.
So the LORD God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man
was sleeping, the LORD God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the
flesh at that place. Then the LORD God formed a woman from the rib that he had
taken from the man. He brought her to the man.
The man said
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.
She will be named woman
because she was taken from man.”
That is why a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his
wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, but
they weren't ashamed of it. Genesis 2:19-25 (GW)
the ground. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would call them.
Whatever the man called each creature became its name. So the man named
all the domestic animals, all the birds, and all the wild animals. But the man found
no helper who was right for him.
So the LORD God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man
was sleeping, the LORD God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the
flesh at that place. Then the LORD God formed a woman from the rib that he had
taken from the man. He brought her to the man.
The man said
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.
She will be named woman
because she was taken from man.”
That is why a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his
wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, but
they weren't ashamed of it. Genesis 2:19-25 (GW)
Viewing
scripture as inspired by God, Jews and Christians have for 1,000’s of years
seen this ancient story as foundational for how men and women were to carry out
their task of filling the earth and living together on it. (Genesis 1:28)
Adam
was beginning his task of partnering with God as steward over the world of
nature, but
he found himself
incomplete.
So God created woman.
I like how the ancient rabbis would insist, “she was not taken from
Adam’s head so as to rule over him, nor was she taken from his feet so as to
be ruled over, rather
she was taken from his side to be a partner equal to him”.
Furthermore the Hebrew word for helper is the very same word used
elsewhere in scripture to describe God Himself.
The
poetic quote in the above passage was actually a solo sung at Kathy and my
wedding 27 years ago!
And it came to pass that verse 24 became a reality for us as it did in
the story for Adam and Eve.
We became one, never to be separated, and we took on the task of raising
5 children together.
This
family unit is the foundation of all of society.
The implications of oneness are just huge.
But they are hard to accomplish.
On Sunday I will begin to teach what the bible says not just about how to
stay together, but about how
to stay in love with each other.
For more:
follow on Twitter @jefflampl
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