What's Missing

Today’s Thoughts

When I read or think about the opening chapters of Genesis, the line that sticks out to me is, “it is not good for man to be alone.” (Gen. 2:18-20)

In this perfect new world, created by God, where Adam walks intimately with God and has a duty to do there is still something missing. So God puts him asleep and takes something from him to form Eve. The term for Eve in Hebrew is “ezer kenegdo,” often poorly translated into “help mate.” Everywhere else the term appears it’s in reference to God, and is better translated as inspirational companion.

So, Eve was technically there from the start, at least to my way of thinking. In all that God was directly supplying, and in all that Adam was in and of himself, it just wasn’t quite right. God took something from Adam in order to supply it through another human being.

Here we have the very first relationship and we see what is inherent to relationship whether in a perfect world or a fallen one: Interdependence, bonding, attraction. In one sense God split the Adam—pun intended—and created the first human to human bond. I know I’m laboring a point but think about it. God chose to supply something indirectly. He felt it was better, needed, to work through another human to bless a man. The pinnacle of Creation is relationship.

It is Not Good for Man to be Alone:
The questions that leap to my mind are these:
A) What is God removing from us that he is going to supply even better through relationship?
B) What has God made me with so that I will supply it to others?
C) What would this world look like if we were all supplying each other with the things God made us to be?

Fun Extras We Don’t Often Think About:
So in addition to every living thing, during creation God makes:
Light (energy)
Sun, moon, and stars (time, motion, place and direction)
The earth (matter)
Rest
Relationship

God used a specific order to do everything. By creating Adam, naming him, placing him in the garden, telling him to name the animals, telling him not to eat of the one tree, then creating Eve, God is establishing a certain way or order that is best. Man is born, has an identity bestowed upon him, adventures while being mentored by God, becomes responsible for certain things, then discovers woman and learns what’s been missing.

It fascinates me that God designed us in this way. That even in a perfect world we would notice a lack before receiving. What I’m trying to say is that it we aren’t born in love with someone. We develop as individuals first and along the way a desire is initiated, deepened and then supplied. It’s all right there in the beginning.