It seems man did not know his problem, but the Lord saw it and said it is not good for the man to be alone. This seems to be God's original purpose for marriage, i.e not for man to be alone. Not alone in his life, not alone in his labours, not alone in his decisions, not alone in his pursuit in life, not alone in his ministry, not alone in his battle, not alone in his achievements or failures, not alone in his thoughts, not alone in his planning and not alone in himself. God created marriage for companionship and partnership. But many a times, people do not get married for any of these purposes. They nurse ulterior purposes for marrying someone and the outcome is usually not pleasant.
Genesis 2:18-24
2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Study Points:
(I) It seems Adam was given resposibility in the garden and God was watching how he was going about it all alone. Can this be true?
Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
(a) After God saw and said it is not good for the man to be alone, what did God do?
Genesis 2:19-20 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
(b) Why do you think God did what he was doing in verse 19-20
(c) When did God commence the creation of woman for man?
(d) Why do you think God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam before taking his ribs?
(e) Can you explain the process which God paseed through to bring a woman to Adam?
(f) Why do you think God took such process and what should we learn from here?
Genesis 2: 21:22 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; [2:22] And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
(II) Understanding God's processes and His method of providence to His children will help faithful Christians in making choice of their life partner.
(a) Who gave Adam his wife?
(b) How did Adam know that Eve was his wife?
(c) How did Eliezer the servant of Abraham know the correct wife for Isaac?
(d) Can we adopt this system in making a choice of our life partner?
(e) Is God still giving people their life partners in our time? If yes, how and if No, what do you think is the new method God is using.
Psalms 32:8-9 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. [32:9] Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
(III) It seems Adam and the animals understood each other's language then.
(a) What is your view on the above scripture Genesis 2:1-19
(b) How did the animals accept the names given to them and understand that that was their name? vs 19
(c) No one else could fit him among all the beast and fowl of the air. Why? vs 20
(d) What is the difference between a woman and a wife?
(e) Three things were involved in the original marriage. Genesis 2:24
(f) Why do you think these things are necessary in marriage?
A correct wife is the flesh of her husband, and his bone. There must be oneness in every aspect of life.