And so his challenge began to teach us literal Greek thinkers how to “think Hebrew”, to think in concepts and ideas rather than “facts”.

As we study these first twelve chapters of Genesis, it becomes our challenge as well. We are going to have to learn how to “think Hebrew”, and concentrate more on the ideas than the facts, to look beyond the words to God’s meaning for us.

And to understand that the writer or writers of Genesis were speaking to people who couldn’t read or write – Genesis was first told as stories around the campfire to people who’s world view consisted of their immediate area and what they could see and touch. They didn’t know about microorganisms or bacteria. As Doug McClure said last week at the evening service – to these people, God was right above the clouds, they had no concept of space or other planets or any of the scientific information we have today.

So we need to have a whole different mindset that has us look at this creation account with the question, “What is God trying to teach us?”, rather than “What are the facts?” Because if we are only looking at understanding how God did it, we’ll miss His point, His lesson for us.

So let’s begin with verse 7 in Chapter 2, where we see God as a Sculptor, a craftsman, taking a lump of clay and molding it, working it, creating with His hands, a man – Adam – which means humanity. Then God created a place for Adam to live – Eden, which means a paradise, a garden of abundance, with every kind of plant and tree imaginable. While some scholars have felt the mention of the four rivers helps to pinpoint where Eden actually was, we need, again, to “think Hebrew”, and realize that the authors of Genesis were speaking to desert people, who felt water was precious and rare. Paradise for them would certainly be a place of lots of water.

God gave Adam charge of the care of the garden. and then God created all the creatures of the earth, and allowed Adam to name them, which gave him authority over them, not to dominate them, but to care for them, to be a good steward of them.

But God saw that something wasn’t quite right. When God said that something was “good”, that meant it functioned as God wanted it to. When something was “not good”, it wasn’t working up to par. So verse 18 says, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for Him.’”

And then we come to the passage that has created great consternation down through the centuries: God causes Adam to fall asleep, removes one of his ribs and creates a companion for him, a woman. God doesn’t reveal her name in this passage, but we learn later that her name is “Eve” which means “life” or “living”. Eve “brings life” to Adam. (All you husbands know already that your wife brings life – living-enjoyment to you!)

There are several different translations for the word “rib”: one is that it wasn’t just a rib, but rather the flesh and muscle around the rib – which creates a “fleshline” between Adam and Eve, a strong bond that causes Adam to seek her out. Another translator says God took “a portion” from Adam, what we would consider today as a biopsy, which included all the necessary DNA to create Eve.

Eve was created to be a partner, a helpmeet, (a wonderful old-fashioned word which means she encouraged and supported Adam, she was a part of him but also a companion),a counterpart, to Adam, as he says in verse 23: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” And when they worked together, when they did what they were created to do, they enjoyed peace and harmony.

But, As Hugh Ross says in The Genesis Question, “together, Adam and Eve- men and women- can conquer; divided and embattled, they fail.” But that’s next week’s story!

What can you and I learn from this today? What is God trying to teach us through this passage? There are many things we could discuss, but

first of all, it speaks to all husbands and wives, and gives them some pointers on how to treat one another. When people in the Christian faith marry, the emphasis is on the idea of “two becoming one” and “What God has joined together no one should be able to tear apart.” The idea behind these statements is twofold: most people would not turn on themselves or do something to hurt themselves – when they marry, their spouse becomes a part of them – so any hurtful thing done to the one partner is felt by the other. And the second idea here is that in a Christian marriage, three persons are involved: God joins the wife, the husband and Himself together. If we allow God to have His say in our marriages, if we SUBMIT ourselves to God as well as to one another, and do what He asks of us, a lot of the issues of entitlement, selfishness and neglect can be dealt with in a setting of kindness and acceptance. One of the things I tell every bride and groom I counsel is to remember that it’s OK to not always like each other – but they have to remember that they are committing to love each other. Love is not merely a warm squiggly feeling – it is a rock hard commitment that, no matter what, I’ll stand with you. One of the most profound statements I have ever heard from a prospective groom is that love is a sacrifice, we sacrifice ourselves, our wills, for our loved one. Paul speaks of that in Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her . . .” We all know that Christ’s love for His church resulted in the ultimate sacrifice: He died for us. And then he goes on to say, “ . . . each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” I think it’s safe to do a bit of paraphrase here and also say that the wife must love her husband as she loves herself and the husband must respect his wife – I view it as a mutual thing.

Perhaps you find yourself in a troubled marriage – things just aren’t going like you’d like them to. Don’t give up the ship! Hang in there! Get help! And most of all PRAY! If abuse or addictions is involved, it’s essential that you go for professional help immediately. I highly recommend counseling, even if your spouse isn’t interested at this time. It will help you get a better understanding of what is happening with you and your marriage. There are wonderful counselors available to help you, if you need a name, please call Dr. Drake or me. Be willing to listen and truly hear what your spouse is trying to tell you. Make amends if you’ve been wrong – an “I’m sorry” goes a long way! So lower your shields and let yourself be vulnerable! And above all else keep your relationship with Christ and His people strong – He promises He will stand by us and help us, and He always delivers on that promise. You may not feel it, you just have to thrust that it’s there. Please remember that you don’t have to walk this path alone. Often at this time, people stop going to church because of embarrassment or shame – they feel they shouldn’t be among other Christians because they feel they’re not “as Christian” as others. Don’t buy into that – we all belong here because here we all can receive His help and guidance.

I know that there are people here today that have experienced the devastation of divorce, and that my words may be difficult to hear. I also encourage you to stay close to Christ and His church – it is only through Him that true healing for you can occur. The God we serve is a God of second chances – if we truly seek His forgiveness, He will give it, and will help us to move forward – with Christ’s guidance and direction. If it is possible for you to do, make amends for past mistakes, strive to make peace with and pray for your former spouse, so that your soul can heal. Don’t let anger and bitterness put up a barrier between you and God. There is a wonderful Christian class called “Divorce Care” that I highly recommend to anyone who has experienced divorce.

And for all of you who are not married, and are thinking “this has no application for me whatsoever, these words offer some guidance for you as well. It seems to me that all of our relationships need to be based on the idea that we are all connected to one another through our connection to God. He created all of us, and we should act accordingly. Things like love for one another and mutual respect for one another all come from Jesus’s teachings and His actions, and we should model ourselves after Him.

This passage of how we interact with the opposite sex is important for everyone. This passage of Genesis tells us that God created us – that we came from Him. We are created in His image and we belong to Him. We “ . . .can either work for God and find happiness and freedom in serving Him, or we can go our own way thinking we know everything there is to know and live with the inevitable consequences.” John C.L. Gibson p. 115

It is when we begin to live as if there was absolutely nothing but Him that life and our relationships begin to make sense. “When we try to live with God and walk with Jesus Christ, each day offers a spiritual adventure; and we decide anew each day whether the vision is worth the risk. This spiritual adventure calls for flexibility and openness to surprise. And patience. And trust, especially trust. At the end of each day’s journey, we silently kneel before our Lord. Overwhelmed with joy we pay Him homage and offer Him our gift . . .” of our lives, our relationships and our will so that we can truly become His people created in His image. Genesis says, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” Genesis also says, “On the seventh day, God rested.” That’s the key-that we rest in God. That we let Him have control of our lives and leave the navigating to Him.

We can only do that when we come to the cross of Jesus Christ – where we turn our hearts, our lives and our relationships over to Him.

May He guide you and direct you as you seek to do just that.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, You know our hearts and minds, you know each person’s individual pain. We ask that You work in our lives to bring Your healing, comfort and love to our relationships. Amen.