THE second chapter of Genesis, no less than the first, is the story of creation. The second chapter gives facts and particulars that the first chapter does not give; so that the study of both chapters is essential in order to know the story of creation.MEDM May 20, 1908, page 413.1

Note the fourth verse: “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew.” This refers directly to Genesis 1:11, that tells of the creation of vegetation: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so.”MEDM May 20, 1908, page 413.2

It is plain upon the face of the statement that the first vegetation, did not grow, but was created full-formed. For herb “yielding seed” is nothing less than full-standing, ripe, seed-bearing herbage. Fruit tree “yielding fruit” is nothing less than a tree standing complete, with the fruit upon it. And fruit “whose seed is in itself” is only fruit that is ripe with the seed there. And all this makes perfectly plain the truth of the statement in Genesis 2:4, that the first vegetation did not grow, but was made “before it grew;” that is, that it was created.MEDM May 20, 1908, page 413.3

Again Genesis 1:27 tells that God created man, male and female, on the sixth day. Genesis 2:7, 18-22 tells how the man, male and female, was made: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And the Lord God said: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.’”MEDM May 20, 1908, page 413.4

Please note that the Lord does not say a “helpmeet.” There is no such thing as a “helpmeet.” Rightly there is not even any such word as “helpmeet.” No, the word and thought of the Lord is, “I will make him an help” that is meet, fit, for him; that is adapted to him; that is the mate of him; a companion for him.MEDM May 20, 1908, page 413.5

The man was alone. It was not good for him that he should be alone. But the man did not yet realize that he was alone. Therefore in order that the man might know how completely he was alone, the Lord brought “every beast of the field and every fowl of the air” unto Adam to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name of it, ... but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.”MEDM May 20, 1908, page 413.6

As each creature after its kind passed before Adam, and by the light and wisdom of the Spirit of God he read the inmost nature of each, he saw that of every kind there was a pair, male and female, that each was adapted to the other, that each was meet, fit, for the other and the complement of the other, that they were perfectly mated; and that of every kind there were these perfect mates.MEDM May 20, 1908, page 413.7

And when all creatures of earth had thus passed before him, each kind in mates perfectly meet, fitted and adapted each to the other, lo! he saw that there was nowhere one that was a mate for him; nowhere one that was adapted to him; nowhere one that was a meet, that was a companion for him; nowhere one that was congenial to him. Then the man knew that he was alone, and that of all the creatures in the world he was the only one that was alone. This then caused hint to know that he was alone indeed; and to know for himself that it was “not good for him to be alone.”MEDM May 20, 1908, page 414.1

Then the Lord made the woman “and brought her unto the man;” and instantly the man knew that he was no longer alone; that he now had his mate, one meet for him, one adapted to him; and in rapture he exclaimed, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”MEDM May 20, 1908, page 414.2

And this teaches always that if the man will allow the Lord to bring to him the woman who is his mate, meet for him, and adapted to him, there will be always that true unity and its attending happiness in marriage that belongs there, and that the Lord intends shall always be found there. But instead of this, it is far more often that both the man and the woman, moved only by the fancy of a day, plunge into a relationship that is for life, and presently find that instead of the joyous blessedness that makes a lifetime all too short, they have put themselves into a galling bondage that makes each day only all too long. And then anything, anything, for relief, and at last divorce for release.MEDM May 20, 1908, page 414.3

No, no, none of that; but sober thoughtfulness in the blessed sanctions that God has provided, and noble respect for the divine relationship of which God is the author. Then will there ever be found in that relationship only, the dear delights and sacred joys with which God has filled it. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Here is another piece of instruction that was written for always: that a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall stand full and free with and for his wife. When a man takes a wife, he is to take her to himself, not to his parents; he is to take her to himself and to their homes, not into somebody’s else home—not even into the home of his own father and mother. No: “a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.”MEDM May 20, 1908, page 414.4

For love of him she has willingly and without question left her own home: and all else. To her now life and all that is of it is utterly new and strange—except only her husband. In everything of life she must now deal with new environments, and find new adaptations; and he must do all to make all this easiest and most pleasant. He must not think of having her pass through this in places and surroundings that are not her own, or where there shall be any but her and her husband.MEDM May 20, 1908, page 414.5

See how carefully the Lord instructed his people of old on this. Every newly married man was forbidden to go out with the armies, and was not to be charged with any public business, nor with any business that might take him from home, for a whole year. And this in order that he might be “free at home” to “cheer up his wife.”MEDM May 20, 1908, page 414.6

Read it, for it is as good to-day as ever: “When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be c with any business, but a shall at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.” Deuteronomy 24:5.MEDM May 20, 1908, page 414.7

O, if the Bible were really learned and followed, how far, far different even this world would be? Even as the days of heaven on earth. Deuteronomy 11:21.MEDM May 20, 1908, page 414.8

May 13, 1908

May 27, 1908