Genesis 2:4-25
Adam and Eve
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
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.
Adam, before Eve's creation, enjoyed a close relationship with God, walking and talking with Him in the garden...God gave Adam clear tasks and purpose, such as tending the garden and naming the animals....These could provide focus and fulfillment...This shows us the importance of love, learning, work, and getting knowledge and gaining wisdom are in our lives...Adam was surrounded by the beauty and wonder of creation, which could offer a sense of connection and purpose in life with God near Him and guiding him...But with all these Great Things, these experiences, and connections -something was missing...
With God's Great Connection with Adam, He sensed and knew something about and in Adam was missing...Scripture doesn't explicitly state how lonely Adam felt before Eve's creation...However, there are some clues that can help us believe that he might have been lonely...God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone."...This statement from God suggests that solitude might not be ideal for humans...Adam had no other human being to interact with, converse with, or share experiences with...Love is much, very much about sharing...While God entrusted Adam with naming the animals, they likely did not fulfill the need for a human connection or a friend or partner on the same level as Eve would and did...
God being all-knowing would have known Adam would need a partner...God is omniscience...The concept of God being omniscient means He possesses all knowledge, including knowledge of the future...So believers believe God created everything with a purpose, and creating a companion for Adam reflects His knowledge of human needs...God knew exactly how Adam felt and, of course, LOVED Adam...God Himself exists as a Trinity, a whole Community of LOVE, because God is LOVE...He creating humans for relationship with each other reflects this aspect of God's Nature...Adam would love Eve and they would create a family of love and create the world's family and first community would start...
As we learn from Jesus later that loving God and loving neighbor is the Great Commandment... So He teaches us that a healthy life involves Two Great Loves: love for God and love for our neighbor (which here takes the form of a spouse and Eve)...