Read Genesis 2:18 NIV
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
In the creation account in Genesis it is recorded that God looks on all He has created and saw that it was good, seven different times. Yet a few verses later He recognizes that something is not good. It is not good for the man he created to be alone, and so God creates a helper and companion – a partner for the journey.
Certainly this verse refers to God’s creation of woman, but I think we can apply it to our relationships today – not just man and woman. Right from the beginning of time God’s intent was for us to live in community with each other.
The word helper in our verse today is translated from the Hebrew word “ezer.” But because we use the word helper in our translation I think we lose some of the power this word holds and the original intent of the author. We think of a helper as an assistant, maybe even someone of a lower rank. However, ezer is a word that is meant to imply someone who is an ally or a rescuer, someone who comes running when a cry for help goes out. They are a skilled person who is willing to drop everything to save those in need. An ezer is a person of strength. That’s a little different from what we might have originally thought – and it comes with great responsibility to each other. We are meant to be each other’s ally; a source of strength and rescue as we lean into really living as the body of Christ.
What would it look like for you to embrace your role as an ezer today as you think and pray about your part in the body of Christ?
