A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of April 17-21, 2023
MONDAY
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28
The Lord makes the decision to make man. From the beginning He made them male and female. God blessed the man and the woman and said that they should be fruitful and multiply and subdue and replenish the earth. Subduing and replenishing imply dominion, which was given from the beginning to the man and woman. How they were to relate to one another came as a result of the order in which they were created. Since the man was created first, he was given headship over the woman. Headship is different than dominion. God never gave people dominion over one another. God sets up a family structure with one person as the head, and the others in submission to the head. The male was given headship over the family, with the woman as helper, they have dominion over the earth and other created beings.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: 1 John 3:8b ~ For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
April 17: Leviticus 21, Psalms 26-27, Ecclesiastes 4, 1 Timothy 6
April 18: Leviticus 22, Psalms 28-29, Ecclesiastes 5, 2 Timothy 1
April 19: Leviticus 23, Psalms 30, Ecclesiastes 6, 2 Timothy 2
April 20: Leviticus 24, Psalms 31, Ecclesiastes 7, 2 Timothy 3
April 21: Leviticus 25, Psalms 32, Ecclesiastes 8, 2 Timothy 4
April 22: Leviticus 26, Psalms 33, Ecclesiastes 9, Titus 1
April 23: Leviticus 27, Psalms 34, Ecclesiastes 10, Titus 2
TUESDAY
And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
Genesis 2:18
God decides to make a helper for man after he allows him to live in the garden for a while. Why did God not make the woman at the same time that He made the man? I think there is some wisdom here in God’s plan to form a relationship between the man and the woman. The relationship between the man and the woman forms the foundation of family life. The woman was created out of a perceived need in the man. To be alone was not good for the man…period. God allowed the man to know this. Out of this “not good” situation came the foundation for the marriage relationship.
WEDNESDAY
Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
Genesis 2:19
In order to prove the man’s need for the woman, God created every other living creature and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. He never called any of them “woman”. He called the dog a dog, the cat a cat, and so forth. Since Adam was made in God’s image, I believe there was a “God knowledge” about these animals that allowed Adam to name them as God would call them. Also the dominion that God gave to man allowed the names that Adam gave each animal to be that animals name forever. God did not go back and rename the animals. Adam’s words had staying power before the curse. Because there was no animal brought to him that he could name “woman” there was no one compatible with him. God creates a need in the man for the woman in this way.
THURSDAY
So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
Genesis 2:20
Adam names all the animals, but still there is not found someone compatible with him. There is no helper “meet” for him. What was he looking for? Perhaps someone with the same interests, abilities, who could think, resemble, and interact with him. None of the other created beings fit the need that Adam had for like companionship. Since God has a family (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), then Adam must have one as well. Since God is perfect, He has a perfect relationship with all three members of the Godhead. Adam had his relationship established with the woman out of a need to alleviate his aloneness and need for someone to help him to be all that God called him to be.
FRIDAY
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:21-25
God performs the first surgery with anesthetic. In fact it is the first recorded bone marrow transplant. From the seed of life that was already in the man, God created the woman, man’s sufficient helper. The intention of God and man is in the creation of the woman. The man has the need, desire and longing for companionship, and God has the solution. This need is the foundation of the family relationship. The family is held together by two people, male and female, legally married who know that they will have a better life being together instead of apart. This bond of need is necessary to build a healthy family. The family of man is held together by the knowledge that being alone is not good. It is this motive that keeps families together.