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“Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:18 (NLT)

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Eve is arguably the most well-known woman in the Bible. She had a distinct time, place, and role in creation. First, the earth was established according to God’s purposes and commands as detailed in Genesis 1 and 2. Then, man, Adam, was created from the dust of that earth. The perfect environment of Eden was created as the setting for this human pageant to unfold. But all was not complete until Eve’s creation. As I Corinthians 11:9 tells us, “Man was not created for woman, but woman for man.”

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But why did God need to create a woman and why was she not created until after what seems like the “big work” was completed? At the end of each of the six days of creation, God solemnly proclaimed His work of that day to be “Good.” But after watching Adam, his crown jewel of creation, obediently follow his instructions to tend to his work, it was then for the first time God took note of something that was “NOT good”: loneliness. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely just as there is a difference between being wet and being drowned. Adam was alone in the Garden at the end of creation, and that was “good.” But for Adam to be lonely – to long unfulfilled for companionship, for someone to share in his work and leisure, to communicate his thoughts and feelings, to share in fellowship with his Creator – was “not good.”

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To solve this dilemma, God created the feminine in human form. This crafting took time and careful attention to detail in a manner similar to, but, yet, wholly unique from that of the man. Eve is the universal woman. Everything we have in common as women – our unique personalities, characteristics, hopes, fears, dreams – have a direct connection to her. In fact, all people on the face of the earth are direct descendants of these two original human beings. Thus, when Adam awoke from his deep sleep to find the woman of his dreams awaiting him, he proclaimed her Eve, the “Mother of All Who Have Life.”

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This new dynamic duo got along splendidly, which isn’t surprising in a perfect world. But this is why Adam and Eve’s relationship and the divine precedent which it sets is so imperative. Adam already had a home and a purpose, yet was still incomplete until Eve fulfilled a uniquely human spiritual need and longing beyond any ordinary desire. Theirs was the first marriage, and it was this model that Christ chose to embody the relationship He has with His Church. Thus, marriage extends beyond mere convenience, or friendship, or a physical relationship, but is an image of the divine. This is why marriages are still celebrated to this day and the families they establish serve as the cornerstone of a healthy society. As Proverbs 18:22 tells us, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Eve was not less than Adam nor greater than Adam. She was unique and necessary and a very, very “good thing.”

 

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