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Genesis 2:4-25
Adam and Eve
4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
18The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
19Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he 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,’
for she was taken out of man.”
24That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Starting today, the lectionary readings from the Old Testament will be coming from the Book of Genesis. So, before we dive into the specific reading for the day, let’s take a few minutes to think about that book in general.
We know Genesis as the first book of the Bible, but it’s one of the five books at the beginning of the Old Testament that are collectively known as “the Five books of Moses,” or “the Pentateuch.” In the Hebrew tradition, they’re called “the Torah.” And when the Jews referred to “The Law,” they were usually talking about the Torah. For instance, Jesus said he came to “fulfill the Law and the prophets,” and he probably meant that he was the fulfillment of the whole story told in the Hebrew scriptures.
Although the books of the Torah are sometimes called “the Law,” it’s important to keep in mind that these five books are a blend of history, theology, parables, and commandments. The ancient Hebrews didn’t feel any need to separate those things – as far as they were concerned, it was all one guide to their relationship with God.
As you’re probably aware, not all those who call themselves Christians agree on how we are to understand Genesis, especially the first eleven chapters. Some believe these chapters contain literal, factual history, and that the universe was created by God in the year 4004 BC. Others believe the dating is different, because the idea of a day in the first creation story refers to some much longer period, but that everything else is factual history. That would include actual first people named Adam and Eve, who were created by God and were personally responsible for the fallen state of humankind.
But those who have worshipped or studied with me might remember that in reading Genesis, I make a distinction between fact and truth. I understand that every part of the Bible contains important truth, but that not all of it is meant to be taken as fact. Some parts of the Bible, it seems to me, are meant to be understood as parables that communicate important truths about God’s intentions for us, but are not to be taken as historical fact.
The parables of Jesus seem to me like an obvious example. I don’t believe these parables were ever intended to describe things that actually happened. I think Jesus meant them as ‘thought problems’ that lead us to understand important spiritual truths. The Book of Job seems to me another example – I don’t believe for a moment that the God who went to the cross for us could ever be provoked into letting Satan wipe out a whole family to settle an argument. But as a parable that tells us how God’s people are to deal with tragedy in life, the Book of Job tells a powerful, wise, and truthful story.
And as I read them, the first eleven chapters of Genesis fall into that same category – parables that communicate truth, but are not fact. Take the first creation story, for instance. (Today’s reading is the second creation story.) The first creation story tells us that God created the universe on purpose, that it reflects his creative character, and that God is well pleased with it. And by the way, that God has blessed the idea of taking a day off after six days of work.
Today’s reading – the second creation story – makes the point that God has appointed us to act as stewards over his creation. Also, that God intends us to enjoy and benefit from the things he has created, but that he has reserved for himself the role of arbiter of good and evil.
A really interesting part of the story, it seems to me, is the way it describes the relationship between man and woman. It says that for the man, there was no “suitable helper.” The scholars of the Hebrew language of the Old Testament tell us that word translated “suitable” is the Hebrew term k’negdo, which means something like ‘corresponding to.’ And the connotation of the term is that the two partners are different but somehow complementary.
Then Adam describes Eve as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” The point seems to be that the ideal relationship is one that includes both a sense of sharing a common nature but also of being different in a way that is complementary. It seems to me that reflects an important truth about the way we are made – that our ideal relationships have both aspects. We are most blessed if our partner provides what we are lacking (and probably feels free to tell us when we’re wrong). A relationship is never healthy if one partner expects the other to just be a human mirror that reflects their likeness. That’s narcissism, not real love.
There are some who would say that this passage expresses God’s will that all domestic relationships are to be between a man and a woman. I don’t happen to agree, but I understand why some people do, and I don’t want to get into that question here. But it seems to me that people in all relationships should be striving to recognize and honor the principle that healthy relationships are intended by God to have both a sense of common nature and also a complementary character that allows us to build one another up, and not just to be reflections of each other.
So, whether or not you believe this story is factual, I hope you would find that it contains important truth for our lives as God’s people.
Let’s pray. Lord, guide our study and reflection on the scriptures, and help us to arrive at understandings that allow us to live for your glory and be faithful to the example and teachings for Jesus. And help us to be faithful in our relationships with one another, to honor what we share in common and to benefit from the ways we complement each other. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Henry
(Today’s other readings are Psalms 3 and 4; Hebrews 1:1-14; and John 1:1-18. Our readings come from the NIV Bible, as posted on Biblica.com, the website of the international Bible Society.)
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