Love Your Coworkersনমুনা

God Created Coworkers

Our study starts with the first two human co-workers, Adam and Eve. God put Adam in the garden of Eden with a job: to till the garden and keep it productive. But soon God saw that working alone was not good for Adam. So God made another person to be Adam’s helper and partner.

The phrase in Hebrew that is used to describe the first woman is ezer k’negdo. Ezer is used in the Old Testament to mean one who helps, not as an apprentice or assistant, but as a competent ally. The word ezer is also used to describe God as our help, as in Exodus 18:4 “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

The word k’negdo means “comparable to him” or “suitable to him.” Put together, the phrase indicates that Eve was created with comparable or complementary gifts to Adam, with the purpose of joining Adam in the work God had asked him to do.

Adam and Eve had the distinction of being the first couple too, but before that they were the first human coworkers. What lesson can we take from their story for our modern (nonromantic) working relationships?

One way that we can love our coworkers is by being an ezer k’negdo at work. A helper delivers others from distress. Is there a coworker struggling with a new task who could use your expertise? The second half of the phrase implies that God intended his first human coworkers to share the load with each other.

Being an ezer k’negdo to your coworkers means approaching work-related problems with a shared vision. This means forgetting phrases such as “that’s not in my job description” and partnering with your coworkers to achieve a shared vision.

Prayer

Lord help me love my coworkers today, as you originally designed in creation. Let me be a helper to those I work with, and bless them to be helpers to me.

Further Exploration

To learn more about God’s intention for relationships as shown in creation, see the Theology of Work Commentary on Genesis .