PURPOSEFUL PORPOISES
- Key Verse
- "And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 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.' The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" (Genesis 2:16-18)
READ THE CHAPTER
Central Truth
God created relationships to help us get through tough times.
Reflections
When I learned I was writing about Genesis 2, the creation of Adam and Eve, I wasn't exactly ecstatic. Quite frankly, commenting about how women were created to be man's "helpmate" gave me night sweats. After envisioning myself writing something that would get me locked out of my house indefinitely, I read the chapter and stumbled on a pretty cool truth that I never realized dated back to the creation of man.In verses 16-17, God lays out for Adam all the ground rules associated with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (i.e., Eat. Die.). Immediately after doing so, God basically says in verse 18, "This guy doesn't stand a chance on his own -- he's going to need some serious help." In other words, friendships weren't created for good times, but because we need all the help we can get to make it through the tough times. I have to confess this hasn't been my primary (and by "primary" I mean "not at all") motivation for pursuing friendships.
Aristotle said that people "love those who are like themselves." Plato said "similarity begets friendship." A recent study reported in Scientific American suggests a "new" model of friendship. A six-year study of porpoises living in Shark Bay, Australia, revealed that "friendship is generated . . . to assemble a support group for potential conflicts." While contemplating how I might be able to leave my office job to do research in Shark Bay, Australia, it dawned on me that these findings are anything but new. This is exactly God's design from the very beginning of the world. It's spelled out pretty clearly in Genesis 2:18.
Over the centuries, some people have used this passage to support the notion that women were created to serve men. What God is telling me through this passage is that we absolutely, positively can't survive alone. We need to surround ourselves with meaningful relationships to have any hope of living according to His plan.
I always knew porpoises were kinda smart. I never realized that they understand God's plan much better than some of us humans.
Discussion Questions
1. What are some of the key characteristics of the friends I have in my life right now?2. Are these the characteristics that would help me survive the tough trials of life?
3. If the answer is "no," then how can I get more connected to people who could help me survive a tough trial?
Comments
The views expressed under “Comments” are solely
those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Hill Country Bible Church NW.
Ted Davenport
January 3, 2012 07:18 AM
Good morning Tod. I loved your take on this passage, and I agree with you that we certainly need each other in the Kingdom to survive and live according to God's plan. In fact, I'm so much in agreement, I thought I'd take this opportunity to shamelessly plug Small Groups at HCBC. In a church the size of ours, we do need smaller venues to live out the one-anothers of Scripture. Thanks Brother.
Heather
January 3, 2012 07:40 AM
Spot on, Tod! Thanks for listening and sharing what God revealed to you. His plan is SO GOOD. It makes me so grateful for the people in my small group.
Ron Hunt
January 3, 2012 07:47 AM
We are to relate to others...for just as you said they support us. Bring hope and challenge to us (truth will set us free even when it hits me right between the eyes). God just thinks of everything! Surprised? No encurraged. Praise God for His Son Jesus the Christ.
Kim G
January 3, 2012 07:55 AM
Awesome insight, Todd. Porpoises are brilliant!
Val Dugone
January 3, 2012 09:22 AM
Thanks for bringing an interesting insight to this passage - I'm still pondering it. I believe God was speaking to you to encourage/challenge each of us. I also appreciate that you were struggling with it (night sweats? ha!) - love that you persevered and allowed God to reveal something new (yet old!) from His Word.
Terri
January 3, 2012 09:27 AM
Great truth you unearthed from this well known scripture. Thank you for digging it up and sharing it with all of us. As parents we worry about negative peer pressure for our kids, but the opposite - positive peer pressure is just as life changing.
Greg Moerbe
January 3, 2012 05:08 PM
Tod, Thanks for the message today! Our spouses are a gift from God. In addition to our spouses, God calls us to walk alongside other Christian men (As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another - Prov. 27:17), and he calls us to regularly meet with and encourage other Christians (Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as we see the Day approcahing - Heb 10:25). I'm going to chime in to Ted Davenport's comment and extend an invitation to you and your wife to come visit the Small Group that my wife Diann and I shepherd. We're in the same neighborhood as you, and we'd love the opportunity to meet. Drop me a note at gmoerbe@austin.rr.com.