Portraits: Eve

What does it say? (Genesis 2:18-25)

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens 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. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

What does it mean?

People have differing opinions regarding value, submission and equality as it pertains to men and women.

THE WOMAN IS ONE WITH THE MAN AS CHRIST IS ONE WITH THE CHURCH. AUGUSTINE: Even in the beginning, when woman was made from a rib in the side of the sleeping man, that had no less a purpose than to symbolize prophetically the union of Christ and his church. Adam’s sleep was a mystical foreshadowing of Christ’s death, and when his dead body hanging from the cross was pierced by the lance, it was from his side that there issued forth that blood and water that, as we know, signifies the sacraments by which the church is built up. “Built” is the very word the Scripture uses in connection with Eve: “He built the rib into a woman.” … So too St. Paul speaks of “building up the body of Christ,” which is his church. Therefore woman is as much the creation of God as man is. If she was made from the man, this was to show her oneness with him; and if she was made in the way she was, this was to prefigure the oneness of Christ and the church. CITY OF GOD 22.17.

Equally valuable, equally loved, equally yoked.

Ambrose: ...woman was made out of the rib of Adam. She was not made of the same earth with which he was formed, in order that we might realize that the physical nature of both man and woman is identical and that there was one source for the propagation [creating more people from people] of the human race. For that reason, neither was man created together with a woman, nor were two men and two women created at the beginning, but first a man and after that a woman.

Woman as man’s helper - parallel to my work at UPS

Adam bears responsibility although not directly his fault. - But not looking after his wife and protecting her was his fault.

How should I respond?

3 points

Men and women are created for relationship with God and one another. -

Seek out healthy relationships that line up with how we are called to love

Men and women were created equal, complementary and different. -

Look for people that help demonstrate these factors and celebrate them!

God’s purposes are perfect and complete. -

Seek Jesus and look for ways to get to know Him better! Read your Bible! Connect with me on Youversion - Starting a new Devo soon!