Articles
Genesis 2: A Helper Comparable to Him
“And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Genesis 2:18)
When God created man, we are told in Genesis 2 that He brought all creatures before Him for names (Genesis 2:19). How long did it take for the first man—Adam—to see that each species was represented by both male and female, while humankind was only male?
Why was man only male? And, why the parade of animals before Adam? Why did God, who Genesis 1:31 tells us made everything good, declare that it was not good for Adam to be alone?
First, we must clearly understand that God’s plan for man was—and is— certainly good. Adam was not defective as he was; God simply hadn’t finished the creation of humankind yet. Second, the sheer fact that human reproduction requires both male and female demands that God always intended that a woman would be brought into the picture.
So, again, why? Why did God delay in the creation of woman? Ponder this possibility: God wanted man to recognize his need. God made man with incredible potential. Even still, such potential was limited. Adam had to be shown that. (Maybe he great tired coming up with animal names after a while?)
So, God brought all the animals before Adam—the man He had created with so much potential—to drive home an important lesson: he needed someone like him.
What lesson do we take from this? Children sometimes cry out, “I can do this myself!” That mindset is sometimes difficult to shake in life. We tend to think we are self-sufficient, able to do anything on our own. But, the fact is we are not. While we may not want to admit it, we are flawed, weak and terribly insufficient. Sometimes, we can’t simply be told that some tasks are beyond our ability alone. We must come to the point that we admit need someone else; that we need… help.
For many, this will take the form of a spouse, someone from the opposite sex to whom they will devote their life. This will be someone with whom they can be “one” (Gen. 2:24)—sexually, mentally, spiritually, etc. Others will never marry; that’s alright; Jesus never married, and Paul wasn’t (at least not while he carried out his great missionary journeys- 1 Cor. 9:5). But, married or unmarried, we all need people who can help us, laugh with us, cry with us, comfort us, carry us, and advise us. Alone, we think mainly of ourselves; with others, we think about and throw ourselves into the lives of others, loving and sacrificing for someone other than ourselves. Ultimately, that’s the only way we can truly begin to understand and connect with a God who loves, sacrifices and… helps.
Let’s apply that to our lives.
