Genesis 2:18-25
"His Invention, His Time, His Intention" • 10.15.09 • Thursday Night Study
Intro
- The author of Genesis has narrowed our focus from the edges of space and time, to the forming of the first man. Genesis will now center on God's relationship with humankind.
- Moses will begin in earnest with a look at one of the more celebrated and beautiful passages in the scripture, one that is foundational to the underpinings of society as we know it today.
- The content, marriage, is strongly attacked today. The institution yearly seems to struggle to maintain it's validity in an anti-God society.
- With a growing number of the population opting for alternative arrangements, co-habitation, etc., marriage seems like the pony express in the internet age!
- Additionally, one looks at the staggering number of failed marriages in the world and cannot help but be skeptical. It's estimated that half of the marriages that begin, end in divorce.
- There is a 70% failure rate among those who give it a second try.
- Of course, these statistics rarely account for people who ruin the curve by serial marriage.
- Consider some celebrity examples. Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married 9 times and divorced 7! In a close second, Mickey Rooney was married 8 times!
- These two seem like amateurs when compared to the world record holder for most marriages. That "distinction" belongs to a former Malaysian police officer Kamarudin Mohamad.
- He was married a world record 53 times! His marriages lasted an average 193 days each. He was married to his 51st wife for 20 years. His briefest marriage lasted only 2 days.
- The shortest marriage ever though belongs to Scott McKie and Victoria Anderson, who were married for only 90 minutes!
- We can be grateful that God's purpose for marriage is not displaced by those who have abused the priviledge.
- I am thankful that we have the opportunity to look at this passage, especially in a time when there is so much opposition to marriage. When one looks at this passage, it's difficult to imagine why.
- No matter where you are on the spectrum, married or single, you will find great benefit from this passage, and that you see it with fresh eyes. I suggest that we take it apart in this way. We'll see
• Genesis 2:18-20 : "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.' Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him." : Verse 18 is a summary explanation of what happened.
- God said, for the first time in Genesis, "This is not good." In all of God's creation, this was the one thing that He labeled "not good." Not functional. Not complete.
- God sees this need. He observes it, knows it and has a plan to deal with it before Adam is cognizant of what is missing.
- It was God's idea to make a helper comparable to him. She is to be a helper. This word is used 19 times in the Old Testament, 16 of which refer to God Himself.
- A helper is a person who supplies what is lacking. She is to aid and assist him, to come alongside of him.
- She is also comparable to him. Similar in appearance, intelligence and disposition. She is an equal human being, worthy of the same distinction as man.
- Now, this passage seems to indicate a learning curve for God. The way we read this today, it feels like God is just discovering this. That is not the case. Woman was always in the plan of God.
- Remember that He made them male and female, both in His image and likeness.
- This verse is the "inside scoop" into the mind of God. What proceeds is the process whereby man, Adam, became aware of his need.
- Adam's job, we have seen, was to tend the garden and protect it. Each day, God would bring the beast of the hour to Adam, in order that he might name them.
- Imagine the brilliance necessary to catalog the entire animal kingdom!
- Whether bird or beast, the universal glue was that there were mates for each one. Adam became increasingly aware that God was bringing him complete sets.
- The picture over time, it seems, is that Adam anticipated that God would eventually bring him someone that would complete him. "Maybe this is the day...oh, we'll call that "Camel!"
- One can almost see Adam, looking out, wondering when God would bring that one that looked like him, had the ability to talk, could control it's drooling and was not one piece of continuous hair!
- The beauty of this part of the passage is the careful oversight that the Lord maintains over the man.
- Here is a God who lives in the heavenlies, who has created a majestic witness to His existence.
- He is transcendant, outside of time and creation's rules. But at the very same time, He is imminent, attending Himself to basic human needs.
- Turn with me to Psalm 8. David might have been thinking about this passage when he penned these words.
• Psalm 8:3-9 : "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen-- Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!"
- Turn with me Matthew 6. Jesus is talking about our tendency to worry. He assures us that God's heart remains the same.
• Matthew 6:25,26 : "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
• Genesis 2:21-23 : "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in it's place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman and He brought her to the man." : God's idea is about to take shape, but it's going to require some surgery. This is interesting to me. This creation is different.
- Adam was taken from the dust and formed. God did not choose to employ that method. Instead, He required that Adam give up the part, in this case one of the ribs.
- When Adam awoke, he would have been altered personally.
- The reason is that this will be a picture of how they shared the same material. She is equal in every way, yet completely distinct.
- Adam lost a rib and gained a helper. God gave back more than what was given!
- I listened to a Pastor this week mention that when we give God just a little, He returns it to us in exponential ways. This was never more true than the return here.
- Notice the final words from verse 22. He brought her to the man. He had brought the animals to Him to see what He would name them. God now presents Adam's mate to him.
- This is reminiscent of when a Father delivers His daughter to be married.
- I personally pray for the rapture, as I really don't want to think about this, but the joy a Father must have, aside from the grief, is that His daughter will be safe and cared for by this man.
- But let's think futher of the words "He brought her to the man."
- There was a period of time that elapsed between the end of Adam's surgical procedure and the presentation of the woman. Adam did not just wake up from his surgery and see his wife.
- There was a waiting process.
- This is especially poignant in our world today among singles. I won't disparage the desire for singles to couple. There are creative venues available today that really cut through the junk.
- According to one report that I read this week, there are an estimated 1,400 dating sites on the internet that grossed over $950 million dollars in 2008. According to that same report, 40 million Americans employ such sites and by 2013, the revenue from such sites will reach over a billion!
- The most difficult part for those who are single today is to be both active and patient. To seek and to wait for the Lord to reveal. Turn with me to Psalm 40.
• Psalm 40:1-4 : "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies."
- Waiting on God is not just a good decision. It is a decision to trust God to fulfill our desires.
- This one is a difficult one to trust God with. What will He bring me? Does He know what I want? He knows what you need better than you do! Turn with me to Psalm 37.
• Psalm 37:3-5 : "Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass."
- He will give you the desires of your heart. This can mean that He puts them in your heart to desire them or that He brings those desires to pass.
- What you want more than anything is for the Lord to bring you that spouse. To get that, you need to be patient and let Him.
- A final word to those that are single. Redeem the time. Grow in your love for Jesus, be content with Him, make a list of what you are looking for in a mate, and then commit it to the Lord.
• Genesis 2:23-25 : " 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.' Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." : Adam understood God's intention for marriage perfectly clear. These are his first words. In them, he acts as the spokesman for God.
- This is now bone of my bones. Literally! She was from the same substance, the same DNA. This statement is one of commitment. A statement that expresse permanence.
- Adam is saying, "you are a part of me at the deepest level." The woman was so much a part of him that to remove her would be to damage him.
- Moses now comments, a man shall leave his father and mother. Intentional separation for the cause of being free to join another.
- If the first statement reflects permanence, the second statement reflects priority. All men after Adam are called to leave their parents when the woman is brought to them.
- This involves physically leaving our parent's home. But it also involves leaving their culture, finances and advice behind!
- Parents are to no longer the primary source of influence. This new unit is to be self-sustaining, bonding to one another.
- The man is to leave and then be joined to his wife. Joined. This has long been referred to as leaving and cleaving, which the Authorized version has. The idea is literally "to be glued together."
- So glued that they become one flesh. God regards us all individually. We do not lose our individuality or culpability. We do however become part of a unit.
- Where she goes, I go! There is no more "mine." Now, it's "ours."
- This concept of one flesh implies that there is one goal and direction. God starts to do it in our hearts and then we sustain as we continue to build a life together.
- Finally, Moses comments upon the fact of their being. They were both naked. We have mentioned permanence and priority. We now come to physical expression.
- I love that the Spirit of God mentions this last. We are so backward in our society. Usually, this is what we, especially men, think of first. However, when a man gives a woman security and sanctity, sexuality will usually be the outflow.
- On the other side of the spectrum, women will give sexually to get priority and permanence! The Spirit of God gives us the proper order, the ideal arrangement.
- Their sexual expression one with another was pure. It became what it has always been intended to be. The act that says, "I would be your spouse all over again!"
- There was no shame. Sexual activity is the natural outflow, both for procreation and recreation. God designed it to be a strong experience just for that purpose.
Conclusion
- As we come to the end now, I think it's plain what God would call us to respond to. For the single person, God says trust me, wait and watch me move!
- For the married, we must examine if our hearts are in tune with God's ideal. We need to communicate security, exemplify priority and practice intimacy. May the Lord give us grace to do so.
"His Invention, His Time, His Intention" • 10.15.09 • Thursday Night Study
Intro
- The author of Genesis has narrowed our focus from the edges of space and time, to the forming of the first man. Genesis will now center on God's relationship with humankind.
- Moses will begin in earnest with a look at one of the more celebrated and beautiful passages in the scripture, one that is foundational to the underpinings of society as we know it today.
- The content, marriage, is strongly attacked today. The institution yearly seems to struggle to maintain it's validity in an anti-God society.
- With a growing number of the population opting for alternative arrangements, co-habitation, etc., marriage seems like the pony express in the internet age!
- Additionally, one looks at the staggering number of failed marriages in the world and cannot help but be skeptical. It's estimated that half of the marriages that begin, end in divorce.
- There is a 70% failure rate among those who give it a second try.
- Of course, these statistics rarely account for people who ruin the curve by serial marriage.
- Consider some celebrity examples. Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married 9 times and divorced 7! In a close second, Mickey Rooney was married 8 times!
- These two seem like amateurs when compared to the world record holder for most marriages. That "distinction" belongs to a former Malaysian police officer Kamarudin Mohamad.
- He was married a world record 53 times! His marriages lasted an average 193 days each. He was married to his 51st wife for 20 years. His briefest marriage lasted only 2 days.
- The shortest marriage ever though belongs to Scott McKie and Victoria Anderson, who were married for only 90 minutes!
- We can be grateful that God's purpose for marriage is not displaced by those who have abused the priviledge.
- I am thankful that we have the opportunity to look at this passage, especially in a time when there is so much opposition to marriage. When one looks at this passage, it's difficult to imagine why.
- No matter where you are on the spectrum, married or single, you will find great benefit from this passage, and that you see it with fresh eyes. I suggest that we take it apart in this way. We'll see
I. God's Idea (v.18-20)
II. God's Invention (v.21,22)
III. God's Intention (v.23-25)
TextII. God's Invention (v.21,22)
III. God's Intention (v.23-25)
I. God's Idea (v.18-20)
• Genesis 2:18-20 : "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.' Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him." : Verse 18 is a summary explanation of what happened.
- God said, for the first time in Genesis, "This is not good." In all of God's creation, this was the one thing that He labeled "not good." Not functional. Not complete.
- God sees this need. He observes it, knows it and has a plan to deal with it before Adam is cognizant of what is missing.
- It was God's idea to make a helper comparable to him. She is to be a helper. This word is used 19 times in the Old Testament, 16 of which refer to God Himself.
- A helper is a person who supplies what is lacking. She is to aid and assist him, to come alongside of him.
- She is also comparable to him. Similar in appearance, intelligence and disposition. She is an equal human being, worthy of the same distinction as man.
- Now, this passage seems to indicate a learning curve for God. The way we read this today, it feels like God is just discovering this. That is not the case. Woman was always in the plan of God.
- Remember that He made them male and female, both in His image and likeness.
- This verse is the "inside scoop" into the mind of God. What proceeds is the process whereby man, Adam, became aware of his need.
- Adam's job, we have seen, was to tend the garden and protect it. Each day, God would bring the beast of the hour to Adam, in order that he might name them.
- Imagine the brilliance necessary to catalog the entire animal kingdom!
- Whether bird or beast, the universal glue was that there were mates for each one. Adam became increasingly aware that God was bringing him complete sets.
- The picture over time, it seems, is that Adam anticipated that God would eventually bring him someone that would complete him. "Maybe this is the day...oh, we'll call that "Camel!"
- One can almost see Adam, looking out, wondering when God would bring that one that looked like him, had the ability to talk, could control it's drooling and was not one piece of continuous hair!
- The beauty of this part of the passage is the careful oversight that the Lord maintains over the man.
- Here is a God who lives in the heavenlies, who has created a majestic witness to His existence.
- He is transcendant, outside of time and creation's rules. But at the very same time, He is imminent, attending Himself to basic human needs.
- Turn with me to Psalm 8. David might have been thinking about this passage when he penned these words.
• Psalm 8:3-9 : "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen-- Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!"
- Turn with me Matthew 6. Jesus is talking about our tendency to worry. He assures us that God's heart remains the same.
• Matthew 6:25,26 : "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
II. God's Invention (v.21,22)
• Genesis 2:21-23 : "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in it's place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman and He brought her to the man." : God's idea is about to take shape, but it's going to require some surgery. This is interesting to me. This creation is different.
- Adam was taken from the dust and formed. God did not choose to employ that method. Instead, He required that Adam give up the part, in this case one of the ribs.
- When Adam awoke, he would have been altered personally.
- The reason is that this will be a picture of how they shared the same material. She is equal in every way, yet completely distinct.
- Adam lost a rib and gained a helper. God gave back more than what was given!
- I listened to a Pastor this week mention that when we give God just a little, He returns it to us in exponential ways. This was never more true than the return here.
- Notice the final words from verse 22. He brought her to the man. He had brought the animals to Him to see what He would name them. God now presents Adam's mate to him.
- This is reminiscent of when a Father delivers His daughter to be married.
- I personally pray for the rapture, as I really don't want to think about this, but the joy a Father must have, aside from the grief, is that His daughter will be safe and cared for by this man.
- But let's think futher of the words "He brought her to the man."
- There was a period of time that elapsed between the end of Adam's surgical procedure and the presentation of the woman. Adam did not just wake up from his surgery and see his wife.
- There was a waiting process.
- This is especially poignant in our world today among singles. I won't disparage the desire for singles to couple. There are creative venues available today that really cut through the junk.
- According to one report that I read this week, there are an estimated 1,400 dating sites on the internet that grossed over $950 million dollars in 2008. According to that same report, 40 million Americans employ such sites and by 2013, the revenue from such sites will reach over a billion!
- The most difficult part for those who are single today is to be both active and patient. To seek and to wait for the Lord to reveal. Turn with me to Psalm 40.
• Psalm 40:1-4 : "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies."
- Waiting on God is not just a good decision. It is a decision to trust God to fulfill our desires.
- This one is a difficult one to trust God with. What will He bring me? Does He know what I want? He knows what you need better than you do! Turn with me to Psalm 37.
• Psalm 37:3-5 : "Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass."
- He will give you the desires of your heart. This can mean that He puts them in your heart to desire them or that He brings those desires to pass.
- What you want more than anything is for the Lord to bring you that spouse. To get that, you need to be patient and let Him.
- A final word to those that are single. Redeem the time. Grow in your love for Jesus, be content with Him, make a list of what you are looking for in a mate, and then commit it to the Lord.
III. God's Intention (v.23-25)
• Genesis 2:23-25 : " 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.' Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." : Adam understood God's intention for marriage perfectly clear. These are his first words. In them, he acts as the spokesman for God.
- This is now bone of my bones. Literally! She was from the same substance, the same DNA. This statement is one of commitment. A statement that expresse permanence.
- Adam is saying, "you are a part of me at the deepest level." The woman was so much a part of him that to remove her would be to damage him.
- Moses now comments, a man shall leave his father and mother. Intentional separation for the cause of being free to join another.
- If the first statement reflects permanence, the second statement reflects priority. All men after Adam are called to leave their parents when the woman is brought to them.
- This involves physically leaving our parent's home. But it also involves leaving their culture, finances and advice behind!
- Parents are to no longer the primary source of influence. This new unit is to be self-sustaining, bonding to one another.
- The man is to leave and then be joined to his wife. Joined. This has long been referred to as leaving and cleaving, which the Authorized version has. The idea is literally "to be glued together."
- So glued that they become one flesh. God regards us all individually. We do not lose our individuality or culpability. We do however become part of a unit.
- Where she goes, I go! There is no more "mine." Now, it's "ours."
- This concept of one flesh implies that there is one goal and direction. God starts to do it in our hearts and then we sustain as we continue to build a life together.
- Finally, Moses comments upon the fact of their being. They were both naked. We have mentioned permanence and priority. We now come to physical expression.
- I love that the Spirit of God mentions this last. We are so backward in our society. Usually, this is what we, especially men, think of first. However, when a man gives a woman security and sanctity, sexuality will usually be the outflow.
- On the other side of the spectrum, women will give sexually to get priority and permanence! The Spirit of God gives us the proper order, the ideal arrangement.
- Their sexual expression one with another was pure. It became what it has always been intended to be. The act that says, "I would be your spouse all over again!"
- There was no shame. Sexual activity is the natural outflow, both for procreation and recreation. God designed it to be a strong experience just for that purpose.
Conclusion
- As we come to the end now, I think it's plain what God would call us to respond to. For the single person, God says trust me, wait and watch me move!
- For the married, we must examine if our hearts are in tune with God's ideal. We need to communicate security, exemplify priority and practice intimacy. May the Lord give us grace to do so.
1 comment:
Hi Pastor Frank,
I was just wondering if your going to continue with the MORNING FILL bible study. or is it the same as your Thursday night study.
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