The Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
-- Genesis 2:18 NIV
When God saw it was not good for a man to be alone, he did not merely make a companion for him. Companionship with its mutual comforts and pleasures is good, but God planned something more - a helper. This implies that the man and his companion had a task.
What was the task? The context mentions two related tasks. First, mankind was given the task of ruling God's creation (Genesis 1:26) as stewards in submission to God's sovereignty (Genesis 2:15-17). Second, as a means to that end, mankind was to increase in number and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). In short, their task was to produce, train, and equip children to rule God's creation as God's stewards.
This was no small task. It could not be accomplished by one person alone. Furthermore, two people could not accomplish it in one night alone. It would take two people working together for years to raise children to a level of maturity sufficient to continue the task God assigned mankind.
Too often, contemporary debate about marriage, divorce, and homosexual partnerships has ignored God's intention and purpose. God's primary intention was not to provide for an individual's right to happiness and satisfaction, but to provide for giving life and nurture to children who would carry on responsible stewardship over God's creation.
Great thoughts.
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