A Helper is Not Enough
It’s not enought to have a helper. You need something more.
I wrote previously about how important it is to have a good understanding of what God wants to do with your life (and be active in it) before you start a romantic relationship. I argued from Genesis how I believe this to be a wise practice and God’s intent from the beginning. You can read that article if you want to understand where I am coming from here.
I Genesis 1:18 God says, “I will make him a helper suitable for him.” A suitable helper is the kind of helper that actually helps. She was to compliment him.
One of my favorite foods is the potato. I do not know what I would do without it. I also love hamburgers but I can’t imagine eating one without French fries on the side. Why? Because french fries complement a burger in a way nothing else can. They are the perfect complement. I just don’t get how someone can eat a burger without fried or some form of a fried potato on the side. They just go great together.
In the same way, Eve was the perfect complement to Adam. Adam already had a mission from God. God saw that in order for Adam to fulfill that mission, he needed someone who would be able to help him by bringing to the table ideas, insights and abilities Adam did not have.
It’s not enough just to have a helper. God’s design is that we have a suitable helper. Please note that there is no way Adam could know if she was suitable if he did not know his mission. There is a serious danger in dating/courting then marrying someone when you do not know God’s mission for your life.
How tragic would it be for you wake up one day only to realize that the person you’ve been sleeping next to is not the person you should have married? Even worse, imagine you have been married a few years. You discover God’s plan for your life only to realize that you cannot fulfill it because your spouse is not cut out for it. God did not make him/her to have the same desire for missions as you. I promise you this would not be a fun experience. You will have to live the rest of your life knowing that you can never fulfill your life’s passion.
I do not believe it was random that the author of Genesis chose to use the word suitable. This was a deliberately chosen word because God wants us to understand that a helper is not enough.
Robert
I love theology and the challenge of making deep teachings non-boring. Let's face it, most of the time we hear theological teaching, it really is boring. Does it really have to be that way? Nope.
