Genesis 2:21-23
Most people go through life wanting someone to have their back. Think back to your childhood fights, you probably always had a group of friends that said, don’t worry we got your back. These were people, for the most part who are on your side. They agree with you. But how do you really know they are on your side?
In this portion of scripture Adam was put into a deep sleep so that God could make [from Adam’s rib] a help mate, one suitable for him. Adam was no ordinary man so it was going to take and extraordinary woman to suit him. God recognized that the woman would have to come from the man in order for it to be a match. This woman would stand by her man. She would help him in times of need or in times of trouble. She would defend his honor. She would bear his children; and she would boast of his achievements (sounds a lot like the Proverbs 31 woman).. Adam knew instinctively that the woman was for him. He knew that she would complete him. Men, do you want to know if the woman is the “one” for you? Trust your instincts. Think about it, Adam was sleep so how did he know that Eve was “bone of my bones”? The Bible lets us know that God caused the man to go into a deep sleep. Now think about that for a minute. When you are sleep I am sure you would feel if someone cut you open and removed your rib and I am certain that if you felt the pinch in your side you would wake up. So I believe that Adam was placed in a coma in order for God to perform the surgery (but that’s a whole other message). Either way, Adam did not know what had happened to him so it had to be his instinct that told him that Eve was, “flesh of my flesh”.
Adam knew that Eve was on his side. They worked together to tend to the garden and it was not until the serpent was overtaken by satan that Eve changed. Yes I said it. The serpent got a raw deal in the fall story. Remember that satan is crafty and he will use anything to bring division in the family. He knows the value of the woman to the man therefore he will do whatever he can to break their bond. What we have to remember is that God gave Adam dominion over the garden and since Eve came from Adam she too had dominion. We must never lose our power and/or our right (again, a message for another time). We cannot walk away when things get a little rough, we must stand by our man. And that even includes our male children. Eve was able to recognize her mistake, made amends and continued to support her husband. Even after the fall Eve stayed by Adam’s side. When they were homeless and their children were running wild and killing each other, she was by his side. Through it all, and they went through a lot, Eve was on Adam’s side. Tammy Wynette had a song back in 1968 called, Stand by Your Man. The lyrics to the song would probably be a message that Eve would say to her friends who were telling her to walk away.
Sometimes its hard to be a woman! Giving all your love to just one man; you'll have bad times and he'll have good times doing things that you don't understand. But if you love him you'll forgive him, even though he's hard to understand. And if you love him, oh be proud of him, because after all he's just a man. Stand by your man! Give him two arms to cling to and something warm to come to when nights are cold and lonely, stand by your man. And tell the world you love him. Keep giving all the love you can, stand by your man. Stand by your man! And show the world you love him. Keep giving all the love you can, stand by your man
