God wanted His people as well as all generations to understand the origin of the world in which they lived, so He provided the details to Moses who wrote the words found in Genesis 1. The Creator God spoke all things into existence in six literal days and then rested on the seventh day. God’s six days of work and one day of rest became a pattern for man’s work cycle (2:1-3). The second chapter of Genesis provides further details of the sixth day of creation when man and animals were created. After breathing the breath of life into the man (2:7), God placed him in the garden of Eden (a perfect environment) where tended and kept the garden (2:8, 15). Although God gave the man freedom to eat from all trees in the garden, He put one restriction on him. The man was not permitted to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:9). If man disobeyed God’s command and ate from the tree, he would lose his fellowship with God and eventually experience physical death as a consequence (2:16-17).
On the sixth day, God reflected on His creation and found that it was incomplete. Even though man was created to have a relationship with God, The Creator desired for man to experience a meaningful relationship with someone comparable to him (2:18). Moses records God’s thoughts in regards to man’s incompleteness, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (2:18, NKJV). Man’s counterpart was created for companionship and as an equal. She was would enable man to fulfill God’s command to fill the earth and have dominion over it (1:27-28). Without woman, man would experience loneliness and God wanted to make sure this need was met. Man’s need of a companion was further emphasized as God commanded him to name each of the animals (2:19-20a), but not one of them was comparable to him (2:20b). God then caused a deep sleep to fall over Adam and using one of his ribs, God formed woman out of the man (2:21-23). When both the male and female were created, God established the marital relationship between them and set the foundation for all future marriages. A natural reading of Genesis 2:24 reveals that a marriage relationship is defined as one man and one woman leaving their family and becoming joined together as one. This joining together was meant to be permanent and complete. Moses also mentions the fact that Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed (2:25). Because sin had not entered into the world, there was no need for man or woman to be ashamed of their bodies; in fact, they were completely comfortable with each other and would find complete satisfaction sexually, emotionally, and spiritually. Adam and Eve were completely delighted in their union with each other and with their Creator. This time must have been beautiful.
Dear God, thank You for creating man and woman to be joined together so that they can find satisfaction in their relationship. Although sin has now entered into the world, may those who are married find help from You to endure struggles and find companionship in each other.
