Today’s scripture: Genesis 2:18-22 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Ben Lamb):
Some friends and I went to Chicago a few years ago to see a touring show by the world-famous Cirque du Soleil. It was wonderful!
Instead of lots of animals jumping around and people being shot out of cannons, it was more of a feast purely for the eyes and mind.
There are no animals in these shows, as humans comprise all the cast of Cirque’s productions. The Quebec-based company uses few words during its performances — and what ones it does use are usually French — but that fact doesn’t detract at all from the awe of the performances. Visual is the theme of each show.
I’m picturing God wanting Adam to realize on his own that he was created as a person who needed to have a partner in order to be most happy in life. (Some people don’t seem to need things that way, but Adam did.)
God seems to have chosen the visual “learn by example” method. Since Adam was going to get to name the animals anyway, why not let him notice that what he found in them was not quite what he was looking for as his own mate?
(Aside: The footnotes in my Bible refers to this as a “second creation” since “the creation” of animals was mentioned in chapter one. But I’ve come to wonder if this verse might be a nifty way of telling how God instantly brought the animals directly to Adam so he could go about naming them more quickly and efficiently? Think of how truly awesome it would have been for Adam to see God’s power right in front of him. Besides, it would have been just plain fun to watch, too!)
I believe God wants us all to be happy. And after Adam saw the pattern of how the animals were paired up, he may have thought, “Hey, they seem so happy, I wonder if the same would work for me.”
The part that speaks most to me is the “perfect match-up”: “. . .I will make him a helper as his partner.” I looked at 20 translations of this verse, including the highly-revered King James Version. None of them indicate that God had pre-determined which sex should be Adam’s partner; just that the partner should be suitable for him. It turns out that the sex of human most suitable in Adam’s case, to bring him the most happiness, happened to be female.
It’s time to ditch the misguided phrase “God made Adam and Eve; not Adam and Steve” and replace it with “God made all of us, and whomever we need.”
Prayer for the day: Thank you, God, for providing us with happiness in a multitude of ways: the glorious works of your creation, the gift of our helpers in this life, and the knowledge that you want our inner peace as well. Amen.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.