.
†. Gen 2:18 . .Yhvh God said: It's not good for Adam to be solitary; I
will make a fitting helper for him.
"a fitting helper" is from two Hebrew words. "Fitting" is from neged
(neh'-ghed) which means: a front, i.e. part opposite; specifically a
counterpart, or mate. The word for "helper" is from 'ezer (ay'-zer)
which means: aid.
Note that aid isn't spelled with an "e" as in aide; so that Eve wasn't meant to
be Adam's servant, but rather, his assistance-- in other words; his aid as in
first aid. Note that assistance is not spelled the same as assistant nor are
the two words synonyms. An assistant does what they're told, while
assistance is support.
You know what that suggests to me? It suggests that Adam didn't really
have it all that easy in his world, and that Eve's companionship made his life
a lot more tolerable and worth the living. The helper that God made for
Adam would be both his counterpart, and his crutch. In other words: wives
are really at their best when they strengthen their men to go out that door
and face the big, bad, mean world.
In making a statement like Gen 2:18; God made it very clear right from the
beginning that human beings were not intended to live a celibate life. If
homo sapiens were packaged in a box of software, one of his system
requirements would be Companion. Woman's potential for companionship is
the primary reason that God made her-- not for her sex appeal nor for her
reproductive value; no, for companionship.
Before God introduced the man to a woman, He first gave the man an
opportunity to seek appropriate companionship from among the creatures of
the animal kingdom. That route was futile.
†. Gen 2:19-20a . . And the Lord God formed out of the earth all the
wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man
to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each
living creature, that would be its name. And the man gave names to
all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts;
I'm sure Adam loved animals; I mean look: he gave them all names; which
is something that people who make their living in animal husbandry try to
avoid because the practice can lead to attachments; thus making the
situation very difficult when it's time for sale and/or slaughter.
My wife's kindergarten class visits a working dairy farm every year where all
the cows and the calves have number tags stapled in their ears. On the
books, those numbers are the bovines' names; but in a matter of minutes,
my wife's kinders give the little calves real names because it's just in our
nature to do that. (I named one White Shoulder because it had an epaulette
of white hair on its right shoulder)
But as cute and cuddly as creatures are, they just don't have what it takes
to be the kind of companion that a human being really needs.
†. Gen 2:20b . . but for Adam no fitting helper was found.
That's telling me that people who seek companionship from a pet are out of
kilter because pets are unbefitting-- they're a lower form of life than homo
sapiens; and God didn't create them to be man's companion, no, He created
them to be man's servants. (Gen 1:26, Gen 1:28)
†. Gen 2:21a-22a . . So the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon the man;
and, while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at
that spot. And the Lord God fashioned the rib that He had taken from
the man into a woman;
The Hebrew word for "rib" is tsela' (tsay-law') and Gen 2:21-22 contains the
only two places in the entire Old Testament where it's translated with an
English word representing a skeletal bone. In the other twenty-nine places,
it's translated "side" which is really how tsela' should be translated because
according to Gen 2:23, the material taken from Adam included some of his
flesh; and seeing as how the life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev 17:11) then
I think it's safe to assume that the flesh God took from Adam's body to
construct the woman contained some of his blood too.
The most important thing to note in that passage is that the woman wasn't
created directly from the soil as the man was, viz: she wasn't a discreet
creation, i.e. the woman wasn't her own unique specie.
Being as the woman was created from the man's flesh, blood, and bones,
then the flesh, blood, and bones of her body were reproductions of the
man's flesh, blood, and bones. Therefore any and all progeny produced by
the woman's body, whether virgin conceived or normally conceived, would
consist of the man's body, i.e. they would be the man's progeny just as
much as hers if her own ovum was in any way at all involved in the
conception.
This section makes it appear that the woman was brought into existence
after the completion of the sixth day. But according to Gen 1:27, the male
and the female were both created at the very same time on the very same
day.
FAQ: So; where was the woman prior to her actual appearance on the
scene?
A: She was in Adam's body.
That's not a strange new idea. For example: Heb 7:9-10 says that Levi was
in Abraham's body; and that was literally centuries before Levi was born.
Note : Why wasn't Eve given a chance to fit in with the animals before
introducing her to Adam? Well, I think it's because men can make do with a
soccer ball named Wilson if they have to; but normal women, as a rule,
can't. Men and Women share a lot of similarities; but the resolve to go it
solo, to be a rugged individual-- to live alone and unloved in the world --is
not one of them.
†. Gen 2:22b . . and He introduced her to the man.
Upon seeing Eve for the very first time, Adam didn't exclaim: Hot diggity
dog! Now I can get laid! No he didn't say that at all.
†. Gen 2:23a . .Then the man said: This one at last is bone of my
bones and flesh of my flesh.
In other words: Finally somebody I can relate to. (compare Laban's response
to Jacob's tale in Gen 29:13-14)
A few years ago here in Oregon a priest, after some thirty years of practice,
gave up his vocation and got married because he said he couldn't stand
being alone anymore. I think he made a very wise decision; and no doubt
saved his sanity too.
Eve was Adam's own kind: manufactured from his own flesh and bones.
Since she was just as much human as himself; she was therefore someone
Adam could easily relate to-- an impossibility with other kinds of nephesh.
Eve's primary purpose in life was to be her man's best friend; and that is
precisely why God made women: to be their husband's buddy. Therefore
wives who aren't their husband's buddy are seriously maladjusted; and can
only be accepted as cheap goods rather than top-of-the-line in quality.
The one who designed a man said it is not good for a man to live alone. And
if it's not good for a man to live alone, then it goes without saying that it's
not good for a woman either. If men are supposed to be happier with a
woman, then women should be happier with a man. Of course when couples
mistreat each other, then the Creator's purposes are frustrated.
I believe the war between the sexes is symptomatic of a serious malady
within the human race. The Bible says in Isa 53:6 that Messiah had to be
crucified for the sins of the world because everybody went astray like sheep,
each going his own way. Deep within the feminine mystique, and also within
the male ego, is the desire for autonomy: to be independent not only of the
opposite sex, but also independent of the Creator's design. However,
mankind's designer didn't intend men and women to function independently
of each other. They were created to be together; as couples.
The expression "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" makes it obvious
that Adam had the most perfect friend possible-- another human being. Not
a clone of himself, but very much like himself and with enough of a
difference to make things interesting.
So Adam saw in Eve his true counterpart-- a blood relative who was just as
human as himself; and one who could truly relate to him, be sensitive to his
feelings, and understand his thoughts; something no other creature ever yet
has been able to do.
Pop Quiz : How many friends do people need to dispel feelings of isolation
and loneliness? Answer: Just one-- if that one is a supportive spouse. They
say dogs are Man's best friend. No they aren't; dogs are beasts. A human
being's best friend is a spouse that looks out for them.
Cont.
/
†. Gen 2:18 . .Yhvh God said: It's not good for Adam to be solitary; I
will make a fitting helper for him.
"a fitting helper" is from two Hebrew words. "Fitting" is from neged
(neh'-ghed) which means: a front, i.e. part opposite; specifically a
counterpart, or mate. The word for "helper" is from 'ezer (ay'-zer)
which means: aid.
Note that aid isn't spelled with an "e" as in aide; so that Eve wasn't meant to
be Adam's servant, but rather, his assistance-- in other words; his aid as in
first aid. Note that assistance is not spelled the same as assistant nor are
the two words synonyms. An assistant does what they're told, while
assistance is support.
You know what that suggests to me? It suggests that Adam didn't really
have it all that easy in his world, and that Eve's companionship made his life
a lot more tolerable and worth the living. The helper that God made for
Adam would be both his counterpart, and his crutch. In other words: wives
are really at their best when they strengthen their men to go out that door
and face the big, bad, mean world.
In making a statement like Gen 2:18; God made it very clear right from the
beginning that human beings were not intended to live a celibate life. If
homo sapiens were packaged in a box of software, one of his system
requirements would be Companion. Woman's potential for companionship is
the primary reason that God made her-- not for her sex appeal nor for her
reproductive value; no, for companionship.
Before God introduced the man to a woman, He first gave the man an
opportunity to seek appropriate companionship from among the creatures of
the animal kingdom. That route was futile.
†. Gen 2:19-20a . . And the Lord God formed out of the earth all the
wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man
to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each
living creature, that would be its name. And the man gave names to
all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts;
I'm sure Adam loved animals; I mean look: he gave them all names; which
is something that people who make their living in animal husbandry try to
avoid because the practice can lead to attachments; thus making the
situation very difficult when it's time for sale and/or slaughter.
My wife's kindergarten class visits a working dairy farm every year where all
the cows and the calves have number tags stapled in their ears. On the
books, those numbers are the bovines' names; but in a matter of minutes,
my wife's kinders give the little calves real names because it's just in our
nature to do that. (I named one White Shoulder because it had an epaulette
of white hair on its right shoulder)
But as cute and cuddly as creatures are, they just don't have what it takes
to be the kind of companion that a human being really needs.
†. Gen 2:20b . . but for Adam no fitting helper was found.
That's telling me that people who seek companionship from a pet are out of
kilter because pets are unbefitting-- they're a lower form of life than homo
sapiens; and God didn't create them to be man's companion, no, He created
them to be man's servants. (Gen 1:26, Gen 1:28)
†. Gen 2:21a-22a . . So the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon the man;
and, while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at
that spot. And the Lord God fashioned the rib that He had taken from
the man into a woman;
The Hebrew word for "rib" is tsela' (tsay-law') and Gen 2:21-22 contains the
only two places in the entire Old Testament where it's translated with an
English word representing a skeletal bone. In the other twenty-nine places,
it's translated "side" which is really how tsela' should be translated because
according to Gen 2:23, the material taken from Adam included some of his
flesh; and seeing as how the life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev 17:11) then
I think it's safe to assume that the flesh God took from Adam's body to
construct the woman contained some of his blood too.
The most important thing to note in that passage is that the woman wasn't
created directly from the soil as the man was, viz: she wasn't a discreet
creation, i.e. the woman wasn't her own unique specie.
Being as the woman was created from the man's flesh, blood, and bones,
then the flesh, blood, and bones of her body were reproductions of the
man's flesh, blood, and bones. Therefore any and all progeny produced by
the woman's body, whether virgin conceived or normally conceived, would
consist of the man's body, i.e. they would be the man's progeny just as
much as hers if her own ovum was in any way at all involved in the
conception.
This section makes it appear that the woman was brought into existence
after the completion of the sixth day. But according to Gen 1:27, the male
and the female were both created at the very same time on the very same
day.
FAQ: So; where was the woman prior to her actual appearance on the
scene?
A: She was in Adam's body.
That's not a strange new idea. For example: Heb 7:9-10 says that Levi was
in Abraham's body; and that was literally centuries before Levi was born.
Note : Why wasn't Eve given a chance to fit in with the animals before
introducing her to Adam? Well, I think it's because men can make do with a
soccer ball named Wilson if they have to; but normal women, as a rule,
can't. Men and Women share a lot of similarities; but the resolve to go it
solo, to be a rugged individual-- to live alone and unloved in the world --is
not one of them.
†. Gen 2:22b . . and He introduced her to the man.
Upon seeing Eve for the very first time, Adam didn't exclaim: Hot diggity
dog! Now I can get laid! No he didn't say that at all.
†. Gen 2:23a . .Then the man said: This one at last is bone of my
bones and flesh of my flesh.
In other words: Finally somebody I can relate to. (compare Laban's response
to Jacob's tale in Gen 29:13-14)
A few years ago here in Oregon a priest, after some thirty years of practice,
gave up his vocation and got married because he said he couldn't stand
being alone anymore. I think he made a very wise decision; and no doubt
saved his sanity too.
Eve was Adam's own kind: manufactured from his own flesh and bones.
Since she was just as much human as himself; she was therefore someone
Adam could easily relate to-- an impossibility with other kinds of nephesh.
Eve's primary purpose in life was to be her man's best friend; and that is
precisely why God made women: to be their husband's buddy. Therefore
wives who aren't their husband's buddy are seriously maladjusted; and can
only be accepted as cheap goods rather than top-of-the-line in quality.
The one who designed a man said it is not good for a man to live alone. And
if it's not good for a man to live alone, then it goes without saying that it's
not good for a woman either. If men are supposed to be happier with a
woman, then women should be happier with a man. Of course when couples
mistreat each other, then the Creator's purposes are frustrated.
I believe the war between the sexes is symptomatic of a serious malady
within the human race. The Bible says in Isa 53:6 that Messiah had to be
crucified for the sins of the world because everybody went astray like sheep,
each going his own way. Deep within the feminine mystique, and also within
the male ego, is the desire for autonomy: to be independent not only of the
opposite sex, but also independent of the Creator's design. However,
mankind's designer didn't intend men and women to function independently
of each other. They were created to be together; as couples.
The expression "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" makes it obvious
that Adam had the most perfect friend possible-- another human being. Not
a clone of himself, but very much like himself and with enough of a
difference to make things interesting.
So Adam saw in Eve his true counterpart-- a blood relative who was just as
human as himself; and one who could truly relate to him, be sensitive to his
feelings, and understand his thoughts; something no other creature ever yet
has been able to do.
Pop Quiz : How many friends do people need to dispel feelings of isolation
and loneliness? Answer: Just one-- if that one is a supportive spouse. They
say dogs are Man's best friend. No they aren't; dogs are beasts. A human
being's best friend is a spouse that looks out for them.
Cont.
/
