"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.' Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him'"
Throughout this passage, I am so completely struck by God's active involvement in the whole intricate process of the creation of man and woman. There is so much by the way of design in Genesis 2.
First, God is One who causes the trees to spring up in the midst of the garden. That includes the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And according to Verse 9 that tree was pleasant to the sight and good for food. Except for Verse 16, that God said No.
At this point, there is only the man. The command was given to the man. The text is clear that God commanded the man. Most understand this passage as demonstrating God's order that men were designed to be in control and leading and guiding others. Adam was responsible for guiding and protecting Eve who would come to him later.
Also, at this point, what did Adam understand of good and evil? He hadn't eaten from the tree yet, so did he know what was good or evil? I think that Adam knew that his every good was found in God. When God made the statement, "It is not good that the man should be alone," Adam looked to God for the definition of good. He trusted that what God said wasn't good, wasn't good. He did not seek a definition for good outside of God. So often today, however, we seek our definition of good in ourselves rather than in God and what He says. We must remember that the ultimate good is found in God, and what He says about our lives is the only thing we need.
So, we're back to God's statement about it not being good that man should be alone. Here's one of the things that I love about this passage! Did God tell the man, "Ok, now go do something about it?" No. In fact, did God even rectify the situation at that moment? No! God had a task for Adam to do first. And the Bible gives us no indication of how long that task took. Considering that Adam gave names to all of the animals in the world, and that the hiphil verb showing God's causative action demonstrates that God brought the animals to Adam, it may have taken a long time. God works in His own timing to ordain what He wills. God said that it wasn't good for man to be alone. But God also defined when and where He would order that situation.
We so often don't see the element of time in scriptures. We think that everything is supposed to come right now. If something's wrong, we want it fixed now. But that's not how God rolls. It is his world. He gave Adam a task to do. And possibly, as he brings those animals to Adam, Adam is thinking back to what God said. Everything Adam knows is good except this one thing. What is this thing called "not good"? Adam sees all of the animals and possibly he gets the sense of that desire for the missing thing. We don't know. But instead of trying to find it of His own accord (which is what happens in Chapter 3), he waits for God to do it in His timing.
And God does it. In his own unique way, He creates the woman differently from how He creates the man. The Hebrew uses the word "formed" when He created the man, as though forming pottery or fashioning from the dust. But with the woman, he "builds" her from the rib of the man. He took special care in fashioning the woman. There is something inside of me that just rests with satisfaction in God's care for women. We were meant to be cherished and taken care of. Maybe that's why at my core, I have such a deep desire for that very thing because we were made in that way with that design. God built me uniquely, differently, but just as valuably as the man. But we are different. Gloriously different.
And God brought (hiphil verb again demonstrating God's causative action) the woman to the man, as a helper corresponding to the man. And Adam's response demonstrates that there had been some waiting going on. "At last."
As I read this passage, my heart rejoices in God, in who He is and the way that He works. Desires are there and demonstrate our understanding of something that is not good, something that seems to be lacking. We were created to be a certain way. And as a result of the events in Genesis 3, we are not what we should be. But I am encouraged to keep my eyes focused on God. He is the One who fulfills His purposes for me. I don't have to try to be someone I'm not or do what I'm not commanded to do so as to order my life the way that I think it should be. Because ultimately, the gospel makes up for every lack that I experience in life. Every thirst that I have is fulfilled when I cast my eyes on Jesus Christ and see Him as the living water. When I desire deeply, I'm able to drink deeply of the living water and know Him like never before. Allow our desires, everything that we were created to be, lead us closer and more deeply to Him "who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted" (Is. 53:4). But out of His great love, He knows. He's there and His love is deep and more satisfying than anything on this earth.
"When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the LORD will answer them;
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
I wil open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.
I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together,
that they may see and know, may consider and understand together,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it." Isaiah 41:17-20 (italics mine)
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