For Adam no suitable helper was found.
Genesis 2:20
A story is told about a composer who had a troublesome son. They often quarreled, but the son had a trump card. When his father went to sleep, he played the first seven notes of a scale, leaving it incomplete. Ever the perfectionist, the father would be unable to sleep until he climbed out of bed and played the final note on the piano.
Genesis 1:1 through 2:17 progresses like a perfect symphony. Creation unfurls in perfect order and harmony, and is all “good.” Suddenly in 2:18 something is “not good,” and God completes creation by creating woman. We discussed yesterday how marriage reflects the Trinitarian nature of God in the plurality of persons. The male/female partnership reflects the diversity in creation, and the instructions to leave father and mother again shows how each marriage represents something new in creation.
Marriage also reflects the essential unity of the Trinity and creation, and that is the emphasis in verse 24. The mystery of marriage is akin to the mystery of the Trinity. Just as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit maintain their individual personhood yet are in the unity, so too man and woman in marriage stay themselves and become something else at the same time.
God makes this “new creation“ from the “one flesh” union of marriage. This goes beyond sexual union, but certainly includes it. In fact, many commentators state that biblical language asserts that the physical union creates the marriage itself. In their union, Man and Woman experienced perfect freedom with one another (v. 25). The joy God takes in creation was intended to spill over into the joy Adam and Eve can share with each other. The marriage relationship has great value and purpose in reflecting God’s creativity, unity, and joy.
Apply the Word
With proper boundaries, children are more secure and can truly enjoy their surroundings. We need to see God’s restrictions on our sexual behavior in the same way, as gateways not to slavery but to greater freedom. Today let us thank God for His guidance, for “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul” (Ps. 19:7).