Genesis 2:18-24 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 2:18-24 on biblegateway.com
Verse 18Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." Verse 19So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. Verse 20The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner.
Verse 21So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. Verse 22And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Verse 23Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." Verse 24Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Devotion
In our reading we hear how God’s good creation of a human is incomplete without a partner. In seminary we learned that here for the first time gendered words were used in Genesis to describe humans—along with a good natured wordplay showing how intertwined human relationship is: “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Human community thrives best when we rely on one another. Loneliness, fear, and challenges can be less burdensome and joys more pleasant when we have partners to share them with.
Several years ago, while recovering from joint replacement surgery that took much longer than planned, I recall especially my wife sharing with me that during the long hours of surgery she had found the hospital chapel and prayed for me. What a joy to live in the gift of human relationship. Thanks be to God for the gift of community!
Prayer
Creator God, thank you for providing friends and partners for us. You have created us to live in community. Bless relationships in which hardship and joys may be shared. Amen.
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