So I am reading Donald Miller’s “Searching for God Knows What” and I was reading the chapter about naming the animals. Miller mentions that Adam’s naming of all the animals probably took a great period of time (think maybe years) and I got to thinking “I wonder where – in relation to Adam completing the task – Eve fits in? So I pulled out my bible and opened to Gen.2. Read with me:
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 of it you will surely die."
18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
Then notice that even after this observation God sets out a task for Adam to complete – even though God knows that it is not good for Adam to be alone. I don’t know if I am reading too much into the chronology of the text....BUT I think this is very significant.
19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. 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 of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam [h] 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 [i] and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib [j] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
So it was only after Adam had finished his task of naming all the animals that God gave him a wife. God kept Adam alone so that he could complete the work that God wanted him to – without the distractions of wife and home. Or as Paul puts it “An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs- how he can please the Lord...And unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.” (1 Cor.7)
So to all you single people out there: don’t be fooled into thinking that being single is a sort-of “default mode” that we are in if we are not in a relationship. Chose to be a man or woman who is solely dedicated to the tasks God has appointed you for this time in your life! Even God's first human creation had a task to complete alone. What is yours?
\manda
3 comments:
Oh Don. Always challenging to higher standards and rocking boats. (Rick does the same thing--they must go to the same church and be friends or something) Thanks for the reminder.
How're you doing, Amanda?
I have followed God to Honduras and am settled here - does that mean I can have a husband now? I've been waiting a while!
Las cosas que hemos de hacer cuando estamos en soltería son cosas específicas que Dios quiere que las hagamos para el. Por eso Pablo nos llama a que no nos apresuremos a casarnos. Pero creo que el disfrutar una vida de solteria pero que es entregada a Dios y que nuestre vida es una ofrenda de servicio a Dios en cada cosa que hago Dios lo ve con buenos ojos, Pero Dios conoce nuestras debilidades, nuestras necesidades y a largo plazo sabe lo que quiere de nosotros y hasta entonces nos dara un empujoncito o una pequeña ayuda que piede venir de una persoan aparte de El, no mejor que el pero una persona que Dios tiene preparada para nosotros, ya sea una esposa o un esposo.
Dios controla cada movimiento de las ojas y la caida de cada gota de lluvia, sabe hacia donde va el viento y sabe cual es mi debilidad y necesidad. y es mi deseo que su soberania controle esas necesidades y debilidades.
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