Two Become One (Genesis 2:18-24)
I started having health struggles in 2008; my limbs didn’t seem to work and they kept getting worse and worse. My neurologist initially thought I had multiple sclerosis, but other diagnoses started being explored—viz., muscular dystrophy and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
Fortunately, those diagnoses were all false, but it really appeared for a while that Tammy would be spending a good bit of her life as my caregiver. During those dark days, Mom told me, “Your dad and I are so glad you’ve got Tammy, because we don’t have to worry. We know that whatever happens, she’ll take care of you.”
Y’all don’t know how much Tammy takes care of me. If it weren’t for Tammy, I’d probably show up to church naked. . . she always makes sure my clothes are ready and neatly pressed. If it weren’t for Tammy, I might weigh 50 lbs.; when I said, “I do,” I forgot how to cook. If it weren’t for Tammy, I wouldn’t know a single contestant on The Voice, but she keeps me informed.
Most of you men can probably relate. How many of you wouldn’t know which pills to take if your wife didn’t set them out for you? How many of you men don’t know where your undershirts are unless your wife finds them? How many of you guys have trouble even making a sandwich for lunch if your wife isn’t around? How many of you wouldn’t know where your wallet or your keys or the TV remote are if it weren’t for your wife?
God knew that we men would desperately need women to help us; therefore, he made the first woman and brought her to the first man. The creation of man and woman in Genesis 2 sounds much different than the creation of man and woman in Genesis 1. That’s because Genesis 2 answers the why question—why did God create a man and a woman? Because “It is not good that the man should be alone.”
Scripture (Genesis 2:18-24)
verse 18:
God’s making the woman is not an afterthought; rather, God’s statement here simply serves to inform the reader why woman was created. In Genesis 1, after God created something, the author recorded, “And God saw that it was good.” It’s only after the woman is created that God looked down at his creation and declared that “it was very good” (Gen 1:31).
verses 19-20:
The animals were created before Adam—God simply paraded them before the man. God knew he would create Eve—he wished to impress on Adam just how alone he was.
Although I don’t know for sure, I suspect Adam was by himself in the Garden for a decent period of time; it would take time for Adam to realize he was all alone in this world.
God brought the animals before the man to see what he would name them. Naming something indicates one’s authority over that object. Adam named the animals, for God gave him dominion over the animals.
Adam didn’t find a suitable helper for himself among all the animals. God knew that would happen, but Adam didn’t. God was showing Adam that he didn’t have a companion in the animal kingdom.
verses 21-22:
God took a rib from Adam; the Hebrew word is actually an architectural term and is used for anatomy only here in the Hebrew Bible. The word probably doesn’t refer just to a rib but to flesh, too.
From that bone and flesh God “made” a woman for the man. The Hebrew term is “build.” Earlier in the Genesis record, the author used the words “create” and “make” to describe the woman; now, the term is build. God fashioned Eve just so to be the perfect companion for Adam.
verses 23-24:
When the man saw the woman, he said, “This at last. . . .” The Hebrew literally reads, “This time.” Adam had been lonely, and he had looked high and low for a helper; only when God stepped in did Adam find that for which his heart longed.
Because the woman was made for man, “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Application
“It is not good that the man should be alone.” Man was not created to live in isolation. Instead, man was created to live in community. We find that community in our marriages and in a broader familial context.
Yet, one also finds that community in the church: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. . . And all who believed were together and had all things in common. . . And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:42, 44, 46).
You and I need community. God created us for community. How do we find community in the church? Genesis 2 actually provides a roadmap.
One: Part
Because a man should not be alone, he must Part with his family of origin and begin a new family—a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife.
For the church to be a community, you must Part: you must part with—leave behind—your old ways. Perhaps that means you Part with friends who were a problem: “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Cor 15:33). Or maybe that means you Part with a sinful way of life: “We were buried . . . with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4).
Just as a new husband must Part with his parents to form a new family, a Christian must Part with his old ways to partake in the new community.
Two: Pledge
Because a man should not be alone, he must Pledge his fidelity to his bride; the husband is to “hold fast to his wife.” The Hebrew refers to a covenant—the husband is pledging to be his wife’s faithful companion for the rest of his life.
Likewise, the Christian makes that Pledge as he comes to Christ—he pledges with a covenant to love, comfort, and support his brothers. “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom 12:10, 13).
Because the Christian has made a Pledge to his fellow believers, he loves them from the heart. How is your love for your brothers?
Three: Partake
Because a man should not be alone, he must Partake with his wife; “they shall become one flesh.” Yes, that references the sexual union, but the statement refers to so much more—the man and his wife Partake of life together; they share life.
Likewise, the Christian must Partake of life with other Christians; in the church, there is a true sharing of life: “And all who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44). How much are you partaking of life with your brothers and sisters? Do you have all things in common?
Do you need to come and be part of God’s family this morning?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.