Reading for February 2nd

Read Genesis 2.15-25
In verse 15 the garden of Eden is not a paradise of luxury but a place for human work.
Humans will till the garden and keep it.
In verses 16-17 the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
carries a grace consequence, which in Hebrew reads literally: "you shall surely die."
In verse 18 the term helper does not imply an inferior assistant but a genuine partner
who comes to the aid of another.
God is often call a "helper" for those in need (Ps 10.14; 54.4).
In verses 19-20 God's first attempt to satisfy the human's loneliness (animals) fails.
God invites the human to participate in shaping the character of the animals by giving them names.
In verses 21-22 God tries a second strategy to satisfy the human's loneliness.
God fashions a woman from the rib of the sleeping man.
In verse 23 unlike the animals, the woman instantly evokes a joyous response from the man.
The man's brief poetic response plays on the Hebrew words "ish" (Man) and "ishshah" (Woman).
In verse 24 they become one flesh suggests not only sexual union but also a unity through a common household and the raising of children.
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