Adam and Eve, the story all of us know, or so we thought. Here is the story told in a way that might expose some things you've never been aware of.
On the sixth day, God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
When God created Adam, meaning man in Hebrew, He formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and Adam became living. God placed Adam in the garden of Eden.
God told Adam to work the ground and eat from every tree in the garden, EXCEPT the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Lord even said to him, that he would die if he ate from it. At this point, there had been no death. Adam did not know exactly what death was, but he knew enough that it was a severe consequence for eating from this tree.
God knew that it was not good for Adam to be alone, and wanted to make a "helper suitable for him". God uses the word helper in this verse for a significant purpose. There are some women that would be offended at the fact that God created us to be a helper to our husbands. Some think that this term is demeaning and makes women inferior to men. This is not the case. There are so many references to God being a helper. Here are a few:
These verses should be evidential that God does not use the word helper to make a women's role of less importance or to make women inferior to men. This term is simply used as is- a helper, one who complements. In chaper 1 verse 26, God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Then in verse 27, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. Notice it doesn't say, God created the man in his own image and then made woman in the image of the man. It says, in the image of God he created them.
When God created the woman, He didn't create her from the dust of the ground like He did Adam, but made her from one of Adam's ribs. This is important because it implies oneness between the man and the woman. It is also important to realize that God only made one woman for Adam- He didn't create a few to let him pick which one he fancied. And, God didn't make another man for Adam. He made a man and a woman. This shows that God intended for heterosexual monogamy as the divine pattern for marriage. In verse 22, we see that God brought the woman to the man and after he met her, Adam said, "This at last is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh..." When God brought the woman to Adam, He united them- as husband and wife. This was the first mention of marriage in the Bible. The reason we know that God united them as husband and wife is because in verse 24 it says, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. In those times, a man often stayed in the area he was raised to inherit his father's land. This verse does not imply that a man needs to move to where his wife was raised, but rather make her a priority over his parents. To hold fast to his wife means to love, cherish, provide for, and show faithfulness to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh..In 1 Corinthians 6:16 talks about the sexual immorality of being joined with a prostitute. It says, Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, " The two will become one flesh." This verse in 1 Corinthians implies that becoming one flesh means having sexual intercourse. We then can also speculate that in the story of Adam and Eve, when they were joined together by God as husband and wife, they were also joined through sexual intimacy.
It is important also to see that there is a intentional statement in verse 25: And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. In other words, they were running around naked, without insecurities or shame and loved it.
There is a lot to understand in this chapter, and I would like you to reread the chapter again, after seeing the points made here in my article. You will probably see things differently as you read this story then what you once understood. I have heard and read this story many times, but only until a year or so ago, came to realize all the things specified in it.
I will be writing part two of Adam and Eve's story when sin entered the world in a couple days... stay tuned!
~Leanne
On the sixth day, God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
When God created Adam, meaning man in Hebrew, He formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and Adam became living. God placed Adam in the garden of Eden.
God told Adam to work the ground and eat from every tree in the garden, EXCEPT the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Lord even said to him, that he would die if he ate from it. At this point, there had been no death. Adam did not know exactly what death was, but he knew enough that it was a severe consequence for eating from this tree.
God knew that it was not good for Adam to be alone, and wanted to make a "helper suitable for him". God uses the word helper in this verse for a significant purpose. There are some women that would be offended at the fact that God created us to be a helper to our husbands. Some think that this term is demeaning and makes women inferior to men. This is not the case. There are so many references to God being a helper. Here are a few:
- Deuternomy 33:29 Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper...
- Psalm 10:14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
- Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is my helper...
- John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name..."
- Hebrews 13:6 So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear..."
These verses should be evidential that God does not use the word helper to make a women's role of less importance or to make women inferior to men. This term is simply used as is- a helper, one who complements. In chaper 1 verse 26, God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Then in verse 27, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. Notice it doesn't say, God created the man in his own image and then made woman in the image of the man. It says, in the image of God he created them.
When God created the woman, He didn't create her from the dust of the ground like He did Adam, but made her from one of Adam's ribs. This is important because it implies oneness between the man and the woman. It is also important to realize that God only made one woman for Adam- He didn't create a few to let him pick which one he fancied. And, God didn't make another man for Adam. He made a man and a woman. This shows that God intended for heterosexual monogamy as the divine pattern for marriage. In verse 22, we see that God brought the woman to the man and after he met her, Adam said, "This at last is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh..." When God brought the woman to Adam, He united them- as husband and wife. This was the first mention of marriage in the Bible. The reason we know that God united them as husband and wife is because in verse 24 it says, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. In those times, a man often stayed in the area he was raised to inherit his father's land. This verse does not imply that a man needs to move to where his wife was raised, but rather make her a priority over his parents. To hold fast to his wife means to love, cherish, provide for, and show faithfulness to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh..In 1 Corinthians 6:16 talks about the sexual immorality of being joined with a prostitute. It says, Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, " The two will become one flesh." This verse in 1 Corinthians implies that becoming one flesh means having sexual intercourse. We then can also speculate that in the story of Adam and Eve, when they were joined together by God as husband and wife, they were also joined through sexual intimacy.
It is important also to see that there is a intentional statement in verse 25: And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. In other words, they were running around naked, without insecurities or shame and loved it.
There is a lot to understand in this chapter, and I would like you to reread the chapter again, after seeing the points made here in my article. You will probably see things differently as you read this story then what you once understood. I have heard and read this story many times, but only until a year or so ago, came to realize all the things specified in it.
I will be writing part two of Adam and Eve's story when sin entered the world in a couple days... stay tuned!
~Leanne
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