Mensa Otabil - Everyone Needs a Helper (09/29/2025)
We’re still in Genesis chapter 2, and we’re looking at verse 20. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam, there was not found a helper comparable to him. Yesterday, we saw that God was the one who recognized this need in Adam. Now the passage links this need to Adam, suggesting that he himself discovered that there was no helper comparable to him in fulfilling the work God had given him—in naming the animals, as God had instructed him.
Adam sees a need in his life; he recognizes that need. He felt the need for companionship, and the Bible describes what he felt with two words. The first is «helper.» The word used in Hebrew describes someone who assists or offers help. Interestingly, it is through the process of naming the animals that Adam discovers he needs a helper. So what is it about this work that made him feel he needed assistance? Was the work too much for him? Was it too large? I don’t think so. I have an idea as to why he felt the need for a helper, found in the second word used: «comparable.» Comparable is a loaded word; it means one opposite of you or one like you but who is not you. Adam saw the need for someone like himself, but not himself—in other words, he was not looking for a clone, a robot, or a duplicate of himself. He was looking for someone comparable, like him, but not him.
Why did Adam feel this need? I believe he felt it while naming the animals. In naming them, he had to use speech; he had to make statements and call them names. Soon, he discovered that speech doesn’t have to be one way; he didn’t just want to talk without a response. He would talk to the animals, but they would not talk back to him. Adam felt the need for someone with speech who could also communicate with him. The need he felt was for someone who could reciprocate—somebody with the ability of speech who could talk back to him so they could exchange ideas and build a relationship of equals. He desired someone to speak to, someone to listen to, and someone to engage in a relationship with. He was not looking for someone to control, like the animals, but for something deeper.
Adam shows us that each one of us needs a helper. However, the helper we need is not just somebody above us. Adam had God above him and the animals below him. We need a true companion who is at our level, who is equal with us, and whom we can share our lives with. At its core, that is what marriage is about, but it goes beyond marriage. Any truly good relationship that enriches our lives is a relationship with people who are comparable to us. I pray that God will give you those kinds of helpers—not just those above you or below you, but those who are comparable to you at home, in the office, and in every area of your life.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank you for the assignment you’ve given me. Please give me the help I need for my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.» Well, my friend, I believe God has a helper waiting for you, and may He give you a helper comparable to you. Pastor Mensa Otabil, shalom—peace and life to you.