September 17

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18
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​Memorize this Verse:
18. A T L G S I I N G T T M S B A I W M H A H M F H

Notes on verse:

“Not good”: When God saw His creation as very good (1:31), He viewed it as being to that point the perfect outcome to His creative plan. However, in observing man’s state as not good, He was commenting on his incompleteness before the end of the sixth day because the woman, Adam’s counterpart, had not yet been created.

The words of this verse emphasize man’s need for a companion, a helper and an equal. He was incomplete without someone to complement him in fulfilling the task of filling, multiplying and taking dominion over the earth. This points to Adam’s inadequacy, not Eve’s insufficiency (1 Cor. 11:9). Woman was made by God to meet man’s deficiency (1 Tim. 2:14).

The negative is extremely emphatic. It is not the construction for expressing a mere negative preference. In the context of chapters 1 and 2, it is the only thing “not good.” After man and woman are completed, God says (in 1:31), it was “very [exceedingly] good.” God’s plan for man was less than ideal and not complete without woman, the emphasis being on “alone”.

“Help” is a word frequently used in reference to the Lord in the Psalms (10:14; 22:11; 28:7; 46:1; 54:4; 72:12; 86:17; 119:173, 175; 121:1-2). Thus, it is not a degrading position for the woman. The verb form basically means to aid or supply that which the individual cannot provide for himself.

The Septuagint translates it “boethos”, a word the New Testament uses in the sense of “physician” (Matt. 15:25; Mark 9:22, 24; Acts 16:9; Rev. 12:16). It conveys the idea of aiding someone in need, such as the oppressed. Certainly, a godly woman meets this need of man.

“Meet” Comes from the Hebrew word meaning “opposite.” Literally it is “according to the opposite of him,” meaning that she will compliment and correspond to him. The Septuagint has kat auton (“according to him”). This relates to a “norm” or “standard.” She is to be equal to and adequate for man and not on the animal level of being.

Notice why God made the woman as a help mate for the man. The wedding vows say, they two shall become one flesh.

You see, they (husband and wife) are one. They are to be in one accord. Notice they are not one spirit; they are one flesh. This order of man and woman is pertaining to the flesh. Woman’s flesh was flesh made for man; her spirit is for God, if she wills it.

TODAY'S BIBLE READING

September 17
Today's Bible Reading Plan selections can be found below. If you don't have a Bible with you, just click the references to read each passage online:

Old Testament
Isaiah 44-45  —  8.0 minutes
Proverbs 26:17-28  —  2.0 minutes

New Testament
Luke 23:32-37  —  1.5 minutes
Hebrews 10:1-18  —  4.0 minutes

Total Average Read Time — 15.5 minutes