Thursday
Thursday
Man as Male and Female
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” [or “as his partner” (NRSV)].
Genesis 2:18
Attentive readers are likely to be rudely awakened by Genesis 2:18. Six times in the creation narrative of Genesis 1 we come across the refrain “and God saw that it was good.” Then follows the conclusion that “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (v. 31).
But now suddenly we read of something that is “not good.” How can there be anything that is “not good” in God’s good creation? Answer: it is not good for man to be alone, for man without woman is incomplete.
Mind you, we must not press this into an absolute statement, for some people are called to singleness, as the apostle Paul made plain (1 Cor. 7:7). Besides, Jesus our Lord, although the perfection of humanness, was himself single, which indicates that it is possible to be human and single at the same time! (See Matt. 19:11–12.)
Nevertheless, returning to Genesis 2, we read that God determined to give Adam a partner corresponding to him. Although the two Hebrew words used here have been variously translated, they combine the concepts of partnership and suitability. They supply no basis for either of the two extremes of male supremacy (men ruling over women) or radical feminism (women dispensing with men). Nor do they make room for gay or lesbian partnerships.
It would be a mistake, however, to restrict the application of Genesis 2:18 to marriage. Calvin was one of many commentators who have seen its wider reference. “Solitude is not good,” he wrote. It is not good for any human beings to be alone. God has made us social beings. Friendship is a precious gift of God.
For further reading: Genesis 2:18–25