It’s not easy for me to know what to do with the creation account in Genesis 2, partly because of how Paul uses it in 1 Timothy 2. That passage in Timothy becomes complicated since it has become one of the main focal points of the battle over gender in our churches. I’ll discuss Paul’s words later, but want to focus on Genesis 2.

Adam is created first, then Eve. As I said, Paul finds significance in that; because he does, it’s hard for me to say that there is no importance there. Yet I don’t want to overplay that, for the animals were created before Eve as well. Hopefully no one would argue that animals therefore have more value or more authority than women.

As for God making a helper for Adam, a few comments:

• Remember that “help meet” in the KJV is a noun followed by an adjective. “Meet,” as an adjective means “precisely adapted to a particular situation, need, or circumstance” according to Merriam-Webster. People often referred to the woman as a “help meet” without knowing what they are saying.
• The word for “help” in Hebrew is a word that is most often applied to God in the Old Testament. It in no way implies inferiority.
• Man’s problem was being alone. God’s solution for that was woman.

I find Genesis 3 to have much more to say to the discussion of men and women in the church. I’ll take that up next. For now, what observations would you want to make about Genesis 2. (And no, I’m not going through the Bible chapter by chapter on this; it’s just that the first chapters of Genesis are quite important when discussing men and women)