Quiet Time 9/3
What am I feeling today?
So grateful!! A year ago today I made Jesus Lord of my life and was baptized for the forgiveness of my sins! I can’t believe I’ve gotten to spend a whole year with God already and I’m just in awe of how much He has absolutely transformed my life!
Bible Plan: Rethinking Love and Romance
Let’s take a look at the first loving relationship in Scripture.
In Genesis 1, God speaks creation into existence. We are then transported to a garden filled with trees, rivers, and animals (Gen. 2). Over and over, the authors show God declaring his creation “good” (Hebrew: tov), that is, until he sees the human (Hebrew: adam) alone. Now the authors introduce a problem—an intentional literary design move—as they show God saying it is “not good” for the human to be alone (Gen. 2:18). But why?
God solves the problem by first dividing Adam in half (Gen. 2:21). We often talk about this as though God took a rib from Adam and created Eve with it, but the Hebrew word tsela (often translated as “rib”) is never used as an anatomical term in any other passage in Scripture. Outside of Genesis 2, the word is mainly used to describe the architecture of the tabernacle or temple (e.g., Exod. 25-38; 1 Kgs. 6-7; Ezek. 41). The biblical authors use tsela to refer to the two halves of the ark of the covenant, the two halves of the temple, and the two halves of the new Jerusalem. So God’s creation of Eve is a process of dividing Adam in half and then building Eve from one side of him. We get a portrait of two humans, each one half of a united whole, deeply dependent on the other. Adam's goodness and life depends on Eve, and hers depends on his.
Then God calls this woman an ‘ezer kenegdo. The Hebrew word ‘ezer might be translated as “help,” but it does not mean what we might assume. An ‘ezer is not a lesser “assistant” or “helper” as much as it is someone who plays the mutual role of an “indispensable other,” a strong and wise guide, without whom the intended good cannot happen. The only other character in the Bible given this title (‘ezer) is God himself. Not your average helper, right?
For the second Hebrew word, kenegdo, we might use a metaphor of mirroring to get to the core idea. A helpful paraphrase of Genesis 2:18 might be: “It is not good for the human to be solitary. I will make one who can deliver him from his inability to fulfill the divine commission alone, one who mirrors him.”
The biblical authors are presenting this bonded, united relationship between two people as God’s good design for humanity. The “one flesh” of Genesis 2:24 transcends the union of the sexual act (though that is one way the one flesh unity may be experienced). So how is this idea different from the “you complete me” sentiment?
Adam and Eve "complete" one another—not by satisfying each other’s personal desires but by becoming unbreakable partners who seek the other's well-being. Today’s popular understanding of romance rarely gets past the "satisfy my desires" sense of love. But the authors of Genesis describe this “unbreakable partners” sense of love as a foundation for human flourishing and tov—the goodness and right-functioning of creation itself.
In the final verse of Genesis 2, we discover that the man and woman were naked and unashamed—an image of pure trust, openness, vulnerability, and safety. When one is genuinely unified with another, there is no need for self-protection or projection of a false self. In their most vulnerable state, the man and woman were at rest. They had nothing to hide, no secrets or lies between them, no power grabs, hierarchies, or abuse. Instead, they had a portrait of love at peace.
In today’s video, explore God's plan for Adam and Eve (and all humanity) to serve as royal priests over all creation.
This is such an incredible explanation of our purposes as man and woman and how we are meant to equally help each other grow. Though men may be head of the household, as women we are not inferior to them or simply meant to fulfill their desires. The true purpose of their love and connection is to guide one another in the relationship with God.♥️
Genesis 1:26-28 NIV
“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.””
I always think about this in terms of “let us make mankind in our image” but then right after it says God created mankind in His own image. It’s just a little interesting nugget but regardless of what it means, we must see and acknowledge that God knew exactly what He was doing when He made us, He was very purposeful with it and He blessed us.
Genesis 2 NIV
Genesis 2:7 NIV
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Just a fun little reminder that God literally breathed life into us!!!
Genesis 2:8-9 NIV
“Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
It’s interesting to me that God first formed Adam and then placed him in the garden of Eden. Also that there were two trees by name in the middle of the garden!
Genesis 2:15-17 NIV
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.””
So important! But He never said anything about the tree of life and I have always been intrigued by that. What would have happened if they ate from that instead?
Genesis 2:18 NIV
“The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.””
From the previous context we know that helper means so much more than an assistant but a true partner and God is so intentional with the fact that we’re not meant to be alone!
Genesis 2:19 NIV
“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.”
This is actually so sweet to me. That God brought all the animals to Adam and just allowed him to name them whatever he wanted and that was that. It truly reminds me of something a father would do for their child and I find it so endearing🥹
Genesis 2:22-24 NIV
“Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 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.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
There is a purity to love and romance in the way that God intended! Our world and Satan has corrupted it so much since the beginning but we must be reminded that we are meant to be with each other and love each other (in terms of romance, please remember to keep things within the confines of a marriage!)
