God the Provider [Genesis 2]

 

 

7Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

 18Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." 19Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

 21So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

 23The man 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."

 24For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

 

 

As we look at this recount of creation we get a few more details of the culmination of God's creativity - man and woman, created in His image.  "The LORD God formed man." He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life."  God provided a place for man to live. He gave  him food to eat - "the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food."  And he gave him a job, a purpose and an adventure.  But something was still missing.  God saw that the man He created was alone (there was no one to share this adventure with) and God provided for that need.  "The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man."

When Adam looked at what God had created to be a helper suitable for him, he had his first  "aha!" moment.  God had given him someone that was of the same bone and flesh but also someone who was to complement him!  Together they would reflect the full image of God.  The Hebrew word for suitable comes from the root word that means "boldly opposite."  The creation of mankind was not complete until God had formed someone boldly opposite from this man yet still part of him.  When God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,"  He was talking about this - love and relationship that is enjoyed in the Godhead.  It is for "this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."
 

We praise You Father for being an awesome provider.  You provided both man and woman together to reflect who You are.  You are love and You are relationship.  You designed us to bear Your image and You provide everything we need for the life you have given us.

Verna McCrillis, 2/28/2010