It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. Says the Lord. Until now, in the Bible, God uses the word “not good.” God has regarded everything he has created up to this point, including the first man, as good or extremely good. Until now, the constructed world has been flawless in form, function, and potential. Something had to be fixed now.
The fact that God is now solely accountable for the status of the world makes this statement particularly intriguing. However, His angels and the demons were around while He created the universe. This occurs before, not after, the fall of man.
For what reason is anything that God made deemed “not good?” And not less by God Himself? To put it briefly, only God is flawless. Therefore, nothing that is not God can be perfect. It is not good for man to be alone. He was right.
In Genesis 1:9–12, we previously see God’s decision to create through creation and modification. Given that God is “perfect,” it is not only theoretically reasonable but also unavoidable that some aspects of God’s creation will be imperfect.
God’s intention was clear from the beginning. He did not create humans to live alone, even though the woman inside the man was not physically visible. His design for humanity is a marriage between a man and a woman, a divine union predating sin.
God says He “corresponds to” the man or will provide an appropriate helper. In other words, He will create a human being similar to the man, designed to be his buddy and helper. Some people find it degrading that the first woman was described as the first man’s assistant. They believe this indicates she has a lower status or goal.
It is not good for man to be alone, meaning He will make a suitable helper.
However, the same root word employed here for the helper, “ezer,” is frequently used by God to denote Himself (Psalm 33:20; Psalm 70:5; Psalm 115:9). The woman will be given to the male for his benefit. As he will be to her, she is part of God’s provision for him. God intends for a man and woman to live, work, and walk together.
God’s desire for His people is clear. He wants us to view one another as equals and devoted friends, not as animals. Adam’s ability to name the creatures God creates and his realisation that none fit him well further illustrates that It is not good for man to be alone.
We all know living examples of “a woman of Proverbs 31” in the Bible: devoted, conscientious, hardworking, clever, and giving. And like every wife of noble character, we know, they, like Sarah, submit themselves to their husbands. And she calls her hubby lord, and whoever is fortunate enough to be their husband will look good in their eyes.
When we talk of suitable helpers as per God’s will for humans, we talk about women of immense worth in God’s sight. The holy women who were successful in marriage placed their trust in God. God values and empowers women in His divine plan, from Sarah, the epitome of a faithful woman, to outstanding women like Ruth and Rahab.
The story of Rahab in the Book of Joshua tells of a great woman of faith, a Canaanite who profoundly loved God. She ended up helping the people of God, Yahweh, worship in the line of the Messiah through Salmon because it is not good for man to be alone.
Likewise, it is not by accident that the Hebrew liturgical canon immediately follows Proverbs 31 with the book of Ruth, written by Samuel, to prove King David’s God’s approval over Saul, which uses Ruth as an example.
Are you a woman of Proverbs 31, a noblewoman?
Ruth is like the woman in Proverbs 31: devoted, conscientious, giving, hardworking, and clever. And will anyone fortunate enough to be the husband of a worthy woman look good in her eyes? Boaz was what God intended when He said, “I will make a helper suitable for him.” For It is not good for man to be alone.
The Lord could match Ruth with a more suitable partner for a happy marriage. Ruth 2:1 presents Boaz as a “worthy man” in the beginning. Gibber hail is a Hebrew phrase that can signify wealth, strength, power, and virtue. Do see as Boaz now refers to Ruth as his equal and a “worthy woman.” Proverbs 31 heads the portion that describes a noblewoman as “Ezeth hail.”
The story of Ruth is an excellent example of someone groomed by the Almighty to fulfil Go’s purpose, as every marriage ought to be divine. We must remember that famine is one of the many possible curses God forewarned the Israelites about in case they disobeyed Him (Leviticus 26:18–20). This Bible hints at an underlying cultural motif of that period: the strength and safety of the family depend on the children and grandchildren.
The Lord commands us to increase and procreate. However, we must determine if an Israelite man could marry a Moabite woman, especially if she started to worship Yahweh as Rahab and Ruth did. In this story, a young Moabite widow becomes a devoted carer for her Israelite mother-in-law. She is so loving that she dedicates her entire life to ensuring the mother receives compensation for her loss.
The lesson is God’s mercy in divinely uniting partners, which extends to widows. In addition to meeting their needs, knowing it is not good for man to be alone. God incorporates Ruth into the royal lineage of King David and the Messiah, Jesus, a practice He consistently applies to particularly deserving women of faith.
Jehovah Jireh provides and blesses, for it is not good for man to be alone.
Similar to Esther, the narrator of Ruth rarely mentions God despite the characters’ frequent requests for God’s blessings (Ruth 1:9; 2:4, 12, 20; 3:10) and accusations against Him for their misfortunes (Ruth 1:20). Furthermore, the narrator seldom describes God acting directly. Ruth 4:13 provides an exception: “And the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.”
After providing food for the Israelites, God blessed Ruth with a son, who in turn brought about the reign of King David and the birth of the world’s saviour (Matthew 1:5–16). This illustrates that God is the driving force behind the events in these books and every suitable marriage. Bear in mind that it is not good for man to be alone.
Today, society values the individual more than the clan, making it more challenging to comprehend the close bond between a woman and her husband’s family in ancient cultures. Hesed, often translated as “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness,” is a prominent theme in Ruth’s story.
Ruth will soon observe that Boaz has likewise shown kindness (Ruth 2:13), Naomi acknowledges that God has demonstrated generosity (Ruth 2:20), and Boaz thanks Ruth for her kindness to Naomi (Ruth 3:10). This suggests that compatible partners reciprocate each other. God shows His love and covenant faithfulness through the goodness of those who fear Him.
Psalm 25:14 states, “The Lord confides in those who fear Him. He reveals to them the intent of his promise.” As the Good News Translation rightly puts it, “The LORD is the friend of those who obey him, and he affirms his covenant with them.” Ruth embodies these qualities, deserving God’s promise, which will occur in every suitable marriage because we know God is the only hope for blessing the woman who loves Him.
A woman of faith will invariably be God’s friend.
Ruth is steadfast in her devotion to Naomi; Ruth is incredibly admirable for her unwavering dedication to Naomi and her beliefs. And any help of a man with the characteristic of a woman of faith will invariably be God’s friend.
God provided food for the Israelites. Naomi went back to Bethlehem. Ruth decided to accompany her and arrange for her care. Boaz decided to work beside Ruth. God gave them a son to finish the task. That son produced King David, who made Jesus the Messiah through human decision-making and divine intervention (Matthew 1:1–16).
We wouldn’t have this story about self-sacrifice, family loyalty, lovingkindness, and a Moabite woman descended from the world’s Saviour if God hadn’t asked Ruth to join His work. So, God works in every suitable marriage that way.
The last chapter, Ruth 4:22, finally covers the Hittite Bathsheba, whom David exploits. Solomon, the monarch, was born to her (2 Samuel 11:1–12:25). All four, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, started as non-Israelites. They assimilated into Israelite culture in questionable ways.
Furthermore, according to Matthew 1:3–6, they are the only women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy, except Mary, his mother and are all worthy women of noble character suitable for their hubbies.
The stories also demonstrate that there is no sin that God cannot pardon, no loss that He cannot save, and no adversity that He cannot see us through. He asks us to be a part of His plan to help others, especially our spouses; fundamentally, it is not good for man to be alone, and He will bless us in return.
