Theocracy - Part 4 “Finding the Good Thing”

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
Prov 18:22

Previously we have seen the issue of obedience being raised, as man was assigned with tasks to do, and things to avoid. We also saw God’s generosity, ultimately expressed in His requirement to avoid the false “Light Source”, as inferior to Himself.

Now we’ll see God further demonstrate His ability to render earthy wisdom as foolishness, as He meets the problem of man’s solitude.

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
Gen 2:18-20

“..It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”

God points out that solitude was not good for the man. Based on this fact, He decides to make a suitable counterpart for him.

“..out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air..”

The quest begins with God forming creatures from the same ground He used to form man. Compositionally similar, they were brought before man for his consideration. One could almost picture God enquiring about each one's suitability as Adam named them.

“..but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.”

What a tragic figure. God had expressed man's need for suitable companionship, and yet there was no one for him. Again God seems cruel, in that He has created a need within man that cannot be met. As we will see, God is leading man closer to walking by faith and not sight. The choice was there for man, in his solitude, to trust the God's plan, without being told what was to come, or eat of the "tree" to acquire the knowledge of good and evil.

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:21-23

“..God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam..”

And so man is brought into a deep sleep. Images of a general anaesthetic before surgery and children going to bed before waking to their birthday presents come to mind. Both would be equally valid, when we consider what is coming next.

“..the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.”

God had proven Himself faithful. He had identified a need in man, promised to meet that need, and then carried out His perfect way to meet it. God had already shown man the inadequacy of all the beasts of the field and the birds of the air to meet his need for companionship. The answer was within man all along.

The only suitable counterpart for man had to be formed from him. It was as if God had broken the mould when he formed man, and nothing else would do. Somehow man recognised the perfect suitability of his counterpart...

“..Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh..”

One could say that this was a perfect match. The woman was one who could be his peer. She was of the same substance as him, not only biologically, but she was also a living soul.

Next post : Theocracy - Part 5 "The Birth of Sin"