Woe-man

And the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him." Genesis 2:18 KJV

Sometimes it is remarkable how much can be said in a couple short phrases. This single verse tells us about man, woman and their relationship to each other. Who woulda thunk it?

Let's start at the beginning; "It is not good that the man should be alone" seems pretty straightforward. It seems obvious that God doesn't want the man to be lonely, right? Well, yes but there's more.

In the creation story when God was done with something He said "it is good," Now we see that man alone is not good. Man, by himself, is not as he should be. Man alone is incomplete. The sentences are short and should be pretty clear. Man is not self-sufficient. Man is not all that.

Because man is not good alone God says, "I will make him a help meet for him." This is woman. Notice the things that it does not say; woman is not a servant to man and woman is not better than man. God quite clearly says that woman is a "help meet for man."

As a "help" woman "meets" the needs of man. Generally, when I need help it is because I cannot do something alone. Additionally, I don't ask for help from somebody who is not up to the task. God specifically created woman complementary to man; an equal with skills and needs that are other than man's.

It's amazing how out of whack society has become; men who believe that women are inferior; women who believe that they can be anything a man can. This need to dismiss and devalue represents a sorry state of affairs. The attempt to find superiority in either gender is similar to trying to decide which is more valuable, a hammer or a spare tire. Men and women are different. If they were the same, one would be unnecessary.

Without woman, man is alone, solitary. In this state man cannot fulfill his function as a reflection of God (more in a minute). Without man, woman is unnecessary. Who does woman complete without man? This is not sexist, merely a recognition of the differences between the two genders.

Man was created as a reflection of God, His image. Man was created to be god on earth, His likeness. God manifested a large part of His character in the garden that is represented in three words; creation, education, commission.

Man without woman and woman without man cannot create; cannot reproduce after their kind. Man without woman and woman without man cannot educate their offspring. Man without woman and woman without man cannot commission to replenish. Both sides of the equation are necessary for a solution.

Man must stop devaluing woman. Woman must recognize her need of man. The difference exists and should be encouraged and nutured.