Together in Christ: 'Made for Each Other' — Genesis 2:18, 21-23

Saturday, January 13, 2024

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Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."

. . .

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

"At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken from 'man.'"

— Genesis 2:18, 21-23 NLT

Key Thought

During the creation, God knew what the male human did not yet know: It wasn't good for him to be alone. [1] Even though the male human had all of God's beautiful creation at his disposal, there was nothing that spoke to the empty place in his soul. So, God gave the male human a mission: Name all the animals. "But still there was no helper just right for him." [2] The male human discovered what God already knew: He needed a human companion similar to him, but different in some respects from him, so they could be complementary to each other!

The Holy Spirit describes what God did with great beauty. [3] God took the flesh and bone of the human male and crafted the human female to be similar to him, yet different. In the perfection of God's creation, before sin entered the world, they could be naked in each other's presence and unashamed. [4] Each human, male and female, is created in the image of God, and each is precious to God and should be precious to the other — as Adam's words of discovery reveal. [5] God goes one step further when He anticipates the future of family and emphasizes that husband and wife find their primary family relationship in each other as husband and wife. [6]

While some may be called and gifted to remain unmarried, which the Bible emphasizes can be God-honoring, [7] God calls each one who marries to value his or her spouse. Their "other" is precious, made of the same "stuff" but made to be different from them. God has made each for the other, to be complements so that being one, they are more than they could have been alone. [8] They must learn to love, value, submit to, care for, encourage, and complement each other and remain faithful to their marriage partner. They must learn to share the dance of being one just as God is one as Father, Son, and Spirit; together, the male and female make one and reflect this part of the nature of their Creator.

[1] Genesis 2:18.
[2] Genesis 2:19-20.
[3] Genesis 2:21-22.
[4] Genesis 2:25.
[5] Ephesians 5:25-33; Genesis 1:26-27, 2:23-24.
[6] Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19; Ephesians 5:31.
[7] Matthew 19:10-12; 1 Corinthians 7:7.
[8] Genesis 1:26-27, 2:24; Ephesians 5:31.

Today's Prayer

Dear Father, thank You for revealing the importance of marriage and why You made us male and female — to be different from each other so we can bring to each other what we would never have without that other person. Thank you that You value husbands and wives equally and call them to love and value each other as they seek to honor you in building a life together. And for those who are single, please bless them as they honor You in their relationships. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew 19:4-6
  • 1 Corinthians 11:11-12; Galatians 3:26-29

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Illustration

Illustration of Genesis 2:18, 21-23 NLT — Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him." . . . So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. "At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken from 'man.'"

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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