Genesis 2:18-24 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 2:18-24 on biblegateway.com
Verse 18Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." Verse 19So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. Verse 20The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner.
Verse 21So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. Verse 22And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Verse 23Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." Verse 24Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Devotion
God observes early in Genesis that “it is not good that the man should be alone.” Indeed, humanity was created and intended to be in community with one another, not isolated and removed from others or the world.
In God’s fresh creative act, men and women are brought together to help and serve the other for the good and the benefit of each. Woman is “flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.” Adam’s wonder is that the woman is just like him—part of him in a way that no other creature on earth could be like him.
There is awe and appreciation for this wondrous gift of human solidarity. In the idealized Garden of Eden, before the serpent’s wagging tongue gets involved, there is no battle of the sexes, because neither sees the other as anything besides for each other.
Prayer
Lord God, creator of all things, you created us to be in community, to live together in the bonds of peace, unity and love. You created us to be for the other with no blame, no shame and no abuse. Help us in our broken and daily lives to see and live out the good intention you have for our lives in the midst of our messy relationships. Amen.