Old Stories for Young Ears – God Helps a Lonely Man

Since I have a little more free time than I’ve had in the past, I’m going to do something I thoroughly enjoy doing. I’m going to tell a few stories intended for children. And since I’m a minister, I believe some of the very best stories are from the Bible. That’s the reason I’ve entitled this series “Old Stories for Young Ears.” During each of these episodes, I’ll share a story that reflects God’s love for us all and some principle that might relate to life. Remember, these are stories with many different applications. I’m not suggesting that my take excludes all others nor that these should be taken as scientific or historical fact. Just like the parables Jesus told, these stories can help us better understand God, ourselves and the world within which we live.

In this particular video, my focus is on the creation of Adam and Eve from Genesis 2:4-25, with an emphasis on how giving Adam a companion demonstrated God's love. Both the passage and video are below. I hope both you and your children enjoy my retelling of the story and find it meaningful.

Genesis 2:4-25

The Garden of Eden

When the Lord God made the heavens and the earth, no grass or plants were growing anywhere. God had not yet sent any rain, and there was no one to work the land. But streams came up from the ground and watered the earth.

The Lord God took a handful of soil and made a man. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing. The Lord made a garden in a place called Eden, which was in the east, and he put the man there.

The Lord God placed all kinds of beautiful trees and fruit trees in the garden. Two other trees were in the middle of the garden. One of the trees gave life—the other gave the power to know the difference between right and wrong.

From Eden a river flowed out to water the garden, then it divided into four rivers. The first one is the Pishon River that flows through the land of Havilah, where pure gold, rare perfumes, and precious stones are found. The second is the Gihon River that winds through Ethiopia. The Tigris River that flows east of Assyria is the third, and the fourth is the Euphrates River.

The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. But the Lord told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!”

The Lord God said, “It isn’t good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him.” So the Lord took some soil and made animals and birds. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give each of them. Then the man named the tame animals and the birds and the wild animals. That’s how they got their names.

None of these was the right kind of partner for the man. So the Lord God made him fall into a deep sleep, and he took out one of the man’s ribs. Then after closing the man’s side, the Lord made a woman out of the rib.

The Lord God brought her to the man, and the man exclaimed,

“Here is someone like me!
She is part of my body,
    my own flesh and bones.
She came from me, a man.
    So I will name her Woman!”

That’s why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.

Although the man and his wife were both naked, they were not ashamed.