The Whole Christmas StorySýnishorn

Day 4 | Two Into One

If I’m having a bad day, one thing that’s almost guaranteed to cheer me up is a Twitter/X account that posts clips of heartwarming animal interactions: the horse pulling her upset owner into a comforting embrace, the goofy dog joining in her human’s snuggle on the sofa, the parrot stroking a man’s face with such apparent affection he’s brought to tears. Human-animal relationships are possible and can run deep.

But as God well knew when he made us, people need other people. Adam had God and animals – but he was still quite fundamentally alone. So God provided him with a woman: someone like him, but different. A helper, or eyzer in Hebrew.

The word eyzer is most often used in the Old Testament in reference to God’s powerful help to his people – Eve is not a subordinate, an assistant, or a background support. In marriage, two beings become so united it’s as if they were "one flesh" (verse 24). God’s intention is for this relationship to be so strong it serves as a picture of his eventual union with the church (see Revelation 19:7 among others), and so robust it enables people to provide hospitality, care, and support to those who need it. This is particularly important at Christmas, as loneliness is all the more painful when the cultural expectation is large family gatherings. Likewise, whenever people work together relationally and sacrificially, God’s character is shown.

As with all that God made "very good," marriage often falls short of his original intention at creation. Even at its best, it doesn’t fully meet our craving for connection, belonging, and love. For those who have always been single or who are single through bereavement or divorce, there is comfort to be had in remembering even "smug marrieds" haven’t found perfection – marriage in this life is a pale reflection of what is to come. And more seriously, Jesus – the most fulfilled, joyful human who ever existed – was a lifelong bachelor. Married or not, we can look ahead to life in the new heaven and new earth knowing isolation and loneliness have no place there.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord God, for making us for each other. I pray for the ability to hope in your promise that one day I will be united with you even more closely than a married couple, especially at times when I’m lonely and sad.