God Created the Family
Adult 1 Sunday School Class Genesis 2:18-24, 4:1-2 September 23, 2018
Theme: Humans often wonder what their purpose is in life and how they relate to all that is around them. What is our purpose and where do we fit in ? God created families to support and care for one another and to care for all of God’s creation.
Please interpret the meaning of the following verses.
The interpretation of the verses are in bold print which follows the original verse in regular print.
* Genesis 2:18 “ And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” In prior verses, God stated that everything created was good. However, in verse 18 he says that it is not good that man should be alone. To correct this, God created woman to meet man’s deficiency. The words here illustrates man’s need for a companion, a helper, and an equal. He is incomplete without someone to complement him in fulfilling the task of multiplying, and taking dominion over the earth.
* v.19 and 20, “ And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof, 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” This verse confirms that God created the beast of the field on the fifth and sixth day (1:20-25). They were created out of the ground as was Adam. Thus when created, Adam was given the responsibility to name all of the animals demonstrating man’s rule over the animals and God’s respect for man. Still, Adam had no companion, for the animals were not the equal of man, and that was not good. There was no one to challenge him spiritually or intellectually.
* v.21 and 22, “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22. And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” These verses describe the creation of women from the rib and surrounding flesh (“flesh of my flesh”) of Adam. It is said that God brought the woman to Adam, and the first relationship was formed.
*v. 23, “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” She is created from Adam, and she is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, that similarly resembles Adam. He calls her woman because she is taken from man. Later she will be named Eve (Genesis 3:20)
*24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” The marital relationship was established as the first human institution. The responsibility to honor one’s parents does not cease with leaving one’s parents after marriage, and the union of a husband with his wife. However, it does represent the beginning of a new and primary responsibility. In this verse, the man must loosen the parental relationship and begin to tighten up on his marital relationship.
*v. 4:1 and 2,: “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” These verses follow that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden for sinning against God. They brought sin into the world which lasted until Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection and man’s reconciliation back to God through Jesus Christ. The word “knew” is a euphemism for sex and followed by conception and child birth, first with Cain and then Abel. Cain and Abel were carrying out God’s plan for man, to be stewards of the land as farmers and shepherds. The introduction of sin into the world, did not change God’s plan, it only made things more difficult between God and man.