Genesis 2: 18 - 25

 

18 The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’

¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 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 then 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 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

²⁵ Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Companions and Community.

“It is not good for the man to be alone.” God spoke these words, and they were true then and remain true today. When God created mankind he made us to be social creatures and to live in community. He also made us in his own image. And when we look at God, the Three-in-One, we see the perfect example of community. The Lord our God is one God, and he exists in three co-equal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They live in absolutely perfect community.

So this statement that it is not good for the man to be alone illustrates for us the truth of the Trinity in the Godhead, and it also works the other way and reminds us that we also were made to live in community and in relationships.

God brought the animals to Adam for him to name (and towards the end of the day, when Adam was getting weary, and God showed him an animal that eats ants, he was reduced to the obvious…). But none of these animals was a suitable companion for him. Adam needed a companion – Eve. Men and women need one another, and, as it says in verse 24, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

Not only is this a lesson about marriage, but it is also a lesson for all of us in all areas of life. We are not created to live in isolation. We are here to care for one another and support one another. We are here to live in community.

In Leviticus 19: 18 there is a command to ‘love your neighbour as yourself.’ And when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, he said that there were two – first of all to love the Lord your God, and secondly to love your neighbour as yourself. We all have a duty of care to our neighbour, and we are called to love one another. Especially at a time like we are currently living in, where the need to show love to our neighbour is more important than ever. Community is always important, but during this pandemic it is probably the most important thing. Following rules to avoid the spread of the virus in our community is one thing, but also ensuring that we all get through it safely – keeping an eye on one another’s mental health, as well as ensuring that everyone has all the provisions they need. And who better than the church to play the central role in this?

 

Prayer

Lord God, Heavenly Father, Jesus our Saviour, Holy Spirit – we thank you for the perfect model of community that you give. We thank you for creating families, friends, companions and communities for us. May we truly seek to follow you by living in community and loving our neighbours. Please show us how we as church can do more in this area, and to help our whole community during this pandemic. Amen.