Man's Companion

"The LORD God then built up the rib, which he had taken out of the man, into a woman" (Genesis 2:22).

Main Point: Eve was created to be Adam's close and unforgettable companion.

Objects Needed: flower(s)

realistic looking stuffed animal(s)

candy (enough for everyone) in the picnic basket

The children's story this morning needs two volunteers. Who would like to help? Your job will be to hold onto these flowers, and your job will be to hold onto these animals. Now hold them tight! Cherish them! Protect them! Enjoy them!

Once upon a time, there were some well-behaved children sitting at the front of the church. One of the children was holding onto some beautiful flowers. And then, the teacher came up to that child and said, "If you leave your flowers on the table over there, then I'll let you see what interesting thing I have in the picnic basket." 

The child quickly put aside the flowers, and went off to see what was hidden in the basket. (Have the child take a candy.)

Later on, the teacher said to the child with the animals, "If you put the animals over there with the flowers, then you too may have a candy." Guess what that child did?!

When something more interesting came along, it was the easiest thing in the world for the children to put aside the flowers and put aside the animais. It was no problem to forget them, and go and make friends with the candy bag!

 

Then the teacher said to his child, "[Child's name], you may have a candy too...as soon as you put your rib on the table over there." Needless to say, for some inexplicable reason, the child didn't immediately forget his rib and go after the candy! He couldn't put aside his rib as easily as he could put aside a flower or an animal. 

When God created the heavens and the earth, He filled them with beautiful and interesting things. Then He put Adam, the first man, in the Garden of Eden and told him that it was his to enjoy. But God wanted man to have a companion. And in spite of all the wonderful things in the garden, there was no one who was a fit partner for him. 

A man could hold and cherish and protect the plants and the animals. (Pick up the plants and animals.) He could also easily put them aside (put them back on the table)as soon as there was something more interesting to see. No, God wanted Adam to have a companion that he could not easily put aside.

And so God made Eve out of Adam's side. She was not from his head to be over him, and not from his feet to be beneath him, but from his side to be his partner and his companion. Eve was bone from Adam's bone, and flesh from Adam's flesh. She was a fit companion for him, and he, for his part, was to love and cherish her the same way that he cared for and protected his own body. For even if Adam could ignore or put aside a plant or an animal, he couldn't so easily forget his very own rib!