“There he put the man whom He had formed”: And out of the ground made the LORD GOD to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is which compasseth the whole land of Havilah where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to [keep] it” (Genesis 2:9-15).
In addition to delight or enjoyment, Eden was also a place of restriction, where God’s instruction stood firm as apparent determinant for man’s further enjoyment. Here is what God instructed the man He placed in Paradise: “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).
[Clarification: The “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” is in nowise synonymous to “sex”, as some stand to believe. How could God, instructing Man to replenish the earth (via reproduction), forbid him to have sex? It’s absurd to think in this manner! This tree was literal and so were its fruits].
God gave Man absolute freedom to make choices when He erected the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" amidst the Garden of Eden, and told Adam His position.
This freedom to choose accompanied two major options: 1.) to obey, or 2.) not to obey-God. He was to choose whether the awesome privileges of Eden would continue to be his delight, or be cut off, rather, completely away from all of it via the choice of disobedience.
Eden was indeed God’s Paradise on earth prepared and furnished for Man’s absolute enjoyment. But, it came short of one thing: Man was lonely, and without a companion in paradise. Indeed, the rich also cry! Or, don’t they? The Creator took cognizance of this vital need and swung immediately back into action. Next, He made animals to compensate for Adam’s loss: “And the LORD God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 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 (the first mention of his name, or identity; just when he was privileged to give identity himself to other creatures. You must have a name in order to give a name, perhaps!) to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature that was the name thereof” (Genesis 2:18-19).
O, How Adam might have derived great pleasure in receiving those animals from God and having the privilege also of ascribing names to them, at their creation! However, when all was said and done, Adam still never had a suitable companion, or “help meet for him”, as seen further in verse 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”. F-i-n-a-l-l-y, God moved to settle this need once and for all: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and close up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man (Magnify the surgical process-uuh! Our God is not only the Creator; but a Surgeon of surgeons. Indeed, He’s round)!
BRACE : Until a man sleeps-“deep sleep” (leaving his choice totally to God), he will never receive a wife from God.
Adam was put to sleep (deep sleep) in order to receive a wife from God. Usually some of us don’t even sleep, little less, “deep sleep”. We set standards for ourselves and forge ahead with them, regardless of what God wants. Unfortunately, we barely get far with such rash decision before our live starts wallowing in endless misery.
Adam received a wife post when he allowed God put him to sleep. He subjected himself wholly under God’s divine control that he might obtain this “good thing” of the LORD. The Yoruba man describes marriage as “Oja okunkun” (Dark market)! You never truly know what you’ve got until you get home with him/her. Similar with used non-tested electronic items put out for sales to the public: “Pay now and do your findings later” is what they say, usually. And most times your finding is far from expectation. Most married people out there believed they married an “angel” on their wedding day but soon discovered the very opposite, sadly. Do I have a witness?
Youngsters: [let] God put you to sleep-“deep sleep”! Submit your choice for a life partner to His divine will, and He will find for you the “bone of your bones and flesh of your flesh” one who will truly love and adore you till death do you part, regardless even if situation changes. He/ she will stick like a magnet for the simply fact that she is all-yours! If Adam had refused to sleep when God needed him to have done so, he probably would have had “animals” for companionship all his life.
The Devil is at no other time more at work against the home then during the period of finding a life partner for marriage; at the stage of its inception. Pastors should be even more careful!
Apparently, it pays to really “sleep” and don’t get involve, when it comes to needing a partner in marriage. Let God do the job, absolutely! Some for various reasons rush the process and are soon a victim of their choice.
BRACE THYSELF: No matter how high or beautiful a building might be, that’s resting on a rather weak foundation, it’s doom for a fall!
Tolerance in marriage is never the antidote to realizing true peace in the home. Marriage is a relationship meant to be enjoyed, not endured, rather. The resort to endurance or tolerance in any marriage is on par with connubial bondage! What we need in our homes is a prevailing atmosphere of genuine love, peace, and joy brought about by simple compliance to the divine tenets of marriage; being: “wife submit to thy own husband (just as the Church submits to Christ, its Head), and “husband love thy wife (giving himself void of reservation whatsoever-Ephesians 5:22-25). Any home where endurance or tolerance is the equilibrium for peace there is obviously problem with the foundation of that home. Someone (the man in this case) refused to “sleep” at the inception of finding or choosing a life partner in marriage when he should have done so.
BRACE THYSELF: Marriage is God’s ordained Institution, however, He cannot be held accountable for the distinct individuals who contract it.
The person we choose to marry is purely the exercise of our own choice. God is becomes involves only when he is invited.Attempting most times to go to “sleep”, as some do, after the marriage deal is done merely give that home an outward look of indwelling peace that’s rattled with inward disorder. People notice the outward calm and say “O, that home experiences peace” when actually there is trouble within its four walls unnoticeable from the outside. The “smoke” is just isn’t allowed to go out for public view. Smart! “Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)” are mutually reserved which explains for the distant calmness. Great!
May God in His infinite mercy towards men guide every ambitious young person, seeking to find the "bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh" in marriage. And grants succor also to those who missed out on this, unfortunately.
BRASE THYSELF: True marital partners honours and support each other through thick and thin.
A crude, insubordinate wife will swiftly raise down the home simply because she doesn't feel as part of it. And so is a husband who can't love his wife though she be submissive and supportive to him. Apparently, that's a home built upon a rather frail foundation!
Adam rejoiced resoundingly at the sight of his suitable “help meet” when God presented her to him, finally: “And Adam said this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh (and how did he know this? God revealed it to him!): she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:23-24).
By now, Adam had everything going well for him: God for his Father; Dominion over earth; Wealth in gold; Knowledge supreme and Dwelling in paradise with a compatible wife. What a life of obvious delight and enjoyment for a man highly favoured!
Now notice the trend taken by God in perfecting Man’s need: Adam was created not in pair with a female but alone; not in the Garden rather outside of it; and in his moment of loneliness, God didn’t immediately provide him with a companion suitable for him, rather animals! Why exactly did God do all of this? Apparently, it’s just the same reason why children (or beginners) are taught by precept. God revealed Himself to Adam introducing the principle of “Gradual Perfection”, as regards meeting his needs. This precept of the Father is unfolded throughout pages of Scriptures.
Sighting two great instances of this are: 1. the coming of the Messiah to the world for the redemption of mankind. Christ was finally revealed to men after series of introductions of Himself in “shadows”, such as: Animals Sacrifice (Genesis 3: 21; 4:4); Noah’s Ark (Genesis chapters 6 and 7); the Cities of Refuge (Joshua 20); e.t.c. 2. The “Promised Land” delivered to the children of Israel eventually by God. There were better and faster routes to arrive the Land of Canaan. So, why the way of the desert, through toils and sufferings? The answers are given aptly in the book of Deuteronomy Chapter 8, precisely verses 1-5.
With God: everyday is a “surprise day”; doing something new every time, for those who would choose to walk with Him by faith. In most cases, He goes as far as burning our bridges in order that we may not flee from resulting challenges but follow His leading with singleness of purpose.
This is the lesson that God attempts sometimes to teach men: “Without me ye can do nothing”, or better still, “look up to Me”! And King David became rather apt in comprehending this divine principle, declaring: “I will life up my mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth” (Psalms 121:1-2). Little wonder God called him “a man after my own heart” (I Samuel 13:14; Psalms 89:19-20, 26; Acts 13: 22). But did Adam on his part look steadfastly to God, really?
What out for the next episode!
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