And the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him.”
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“At last!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called ‘woman’ because she was taken out of a man.” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife. and the two are united into one.
Genesis 2:18,23-24Genesis 2:18,23-24
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
18 The Lord God said, “It isn't good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him.” 23 and the man exclaimed, “Here is someone like me! She is part of my body, my own flesh and bones. She came from me, a man. So I will name her Woman!” i a man ... woman: In Hebrew the words “man” and “woman” are similar. 24 ; That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.
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I will make a companion who will help him. “Companion”, here, has been translated in so many ways, and used in so many various frameworks for the “right way” to do marriage. The word here is more than just a guest in life’s journey. Other translations give “suitable helper” or something similar. Understandably, this rendering is irksome to many who want to make sure women are not treated as second-class, less important in creation. But a wife is by design a helper, something God uniquely designed to fill man’s need, a blessing of the highest proportion.
The Hebrew word used is used of God, in both Psalms and Hosea. In Ezekiel it indicates a military ally. Clearly, what we have here is not just a subservient companion, but a needed and worthy ally!
However, a companion is most commonly what our world is looking for. In a world where instant communication is an expectation, we have lives that sometimes seem more isolated. Less open and shared with community. The union between husband and wife has not gone unscathed. If we are not careful, we can live lives that are separate and even lonely.
We may see each other daily, but our lives can be lived as trade-off: you do this, I’ll do that, we’ll meet in the middle. Rather than sacrifice, it is mutual selfishness. The only sacrifice offered is the one that is for our own interest in the end. It is a sad way to live life, and completely out of touch with God’s heart.
To be married is more than just being friends, even close ones. There is a deeper sense of commitment, of love – and mutual need. God knew this, and so didn’t stop with just making Adam a companion. He made woman in such a way that Adam recognized a bond, an attachment, a sense of belonging to something new.
Above all this, God wanted to share with us the kind of love he would show us. This came to full expression in the person of Jesus, who calls us his bride. Using the same marriage metaphor, we see Jesus telling us that we are a suitable helper, a companion, a valued ally. And that we , as his bride, are uniquely part of him – inseparable.
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