It Is Not Good For Man To Be Alone

It is Not Good for the Man to be Alone

Genesis 1:26-28 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 2:4-25 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. …. 7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust  of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. …. 18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him”. …. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, ‘for she was taken out of man.” 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

In Genesis 1-2 we find two accounts of creation. The first is general; it speaks of the universe being spoken into existence and the filling of the earth with vegetation and life, culminating in humankind. The second is more specific; it relates in detail the creation of Adam and Eve, their relationship, and placement in the garden.

In this more detailed account we learn that Adam was created before Eve and made to see that he was alone. Adam was male, but had no female counterpart as did all the animals. This is where we find God exclaiming, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Herein, we find the first mention of humanity’s need for connection and companionship. While this certainly can be generalized to the need we all have for each other, this account is much more  fundamental and specific. It speaks of our need for a “helper suitable.” Maleness was not adequate for God’s ultimate creation; maleness must have its counterpart, femaleness, to accomplish  God’s grand plan. This binary arrangement features both the sameness of male & female (bone of my bone), but also the differences (she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man, Genesis 2:23-24).

We’ll discuss the implications of this on Sunday.

— Joey