“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’ … The man 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.’ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:18, 23-24).
The description of Adam’s first encounter with Eve is, to put it in modern terms, incredibly romantic. Adam’s first recorded words in the Bible (v. 23) are poetic in original Hebrew. Having been alone ever so briefly in the newly created world (vv. 19-20), Adam is now celebrating the fact that he no longer needs to attempt to accomplish the divine calling on his life alone futilely. That is why God calls Eve a “suitable helper” (v. 18). Help with what? To fulfill the blessing of the creation mandate by being fruitful and subduing the land (1:26, 28) to the glory of God.
Marriage is not presented in the Bible as a mutually beneficial agreement. Rather, it is a partnership forged by God and designed specifically for the purpose of accomplishing his will in the world. And what is God’s will for followers of Yeshua in the world today? To go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20). Therefore, when seeking a spouse, a suitable partner’s top priority is his or her commitment to the Great Commission. If he or she is not a disciple of Yeshua or just a warm body filling a pew, then this person is definitely not the right choice. But, if this person motivates, encourages, and inspires us to “make disciples in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” then we know we’ve found a truly suitable helper.
And on this day that I celebrate my wife’s 50th birthday, I am incredibly thankful for 25 years of gospel partnership, and I am so incredibly thankful to God I didn’t have to obey the Great Commission alone. And how I praise God that he didn’t give me just any partner, but a loving, godly, and talented partner who is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, my best friend, and the reason my house feels like home!
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” (Prov 18:22).
