“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, AND CLOSED UP THE FLESH INSTEAD THEREOF;” Genesis 2:21
The Hebrew word used here for “closed” is sagar, which means to shut, to seal, to make inaccessible, or to bring to completion. It is the same word used when God shut Noah into the ark; thereby sealing him safely inside before the flood came. It is the same word used when God closes the womb or opens it, by which He exercises His sovereign control over life and death, barrenness and fruitfulness. It is also a word that ensures what God has done is complete, protected, and finished.
When God made Eve from Adam’s rib, He could have left Adam with a gaping hole in his side. He could have also taken what He needed and moved on to the next phase of creation, and leave Adam to deal with the consequences of the subtraction. But He did not. He closed up the flesh and sealed the wound. He made Adam whole again – not the same kind of whole he was before but a new kind of whole. A wholeness that carried the mark of divine surgery, that bore the scar of sacrificial love and testified to the fact that something had been taken, yes, but also that the One who took it had faithfully completed the work.
From here, we discover a principle that every discipler, spiritual father, or mentor, who has allowed God to take a rib from their life in order to make a disciple, must understand: God never leaves you with an open wound. He never takes from you and abandons you in the vulnerability of the removal. He never performs surgery on your life and walks away before the work is complete. He opens, He takes, and then He closes. And that closing is just as intentional, just as necessary, and just as much a part of the discipleship process as the opening and the taking.
“… and CLOSED UP the flesh instead thereof;”
But what does it mean for God to close the wound in the life of a discipler? What does this divine closure actually look like in the practical, everyday experience of someone who has poured themselves out to make a disciple? Because the closing is not instantaneous, and is not a magic moment where the pain disappears and everything is suddenly fine. Rather, the closing is a process. It is a work that God does over time, layer by layer, until the wound that was opened is fully sealed and the scar that remains is a testimony rather than a torment.
God closes the wound by giving you new strength. The rib that was taken was not replaced and it did not grow back. Adam did not wake up with a new rib in the place where the old one had been, but he woke up with strength. He woke up with the ability to function, to move, to breathe, and to fulfill his calling. The absence of the rib did not diminish his capacity. It did not reduce his effectiveness. And it did not leave him crippled or incomplete in his ability to carry out the mandate God had given him in the garden. Because God, in closing the wound, gave him new strength to function without what he had lost.
This is the promise for every discipler. The rib you gave is not coming back. The time you invested, the energy you poured out, and the piece of your heart that you released into the life of your disciple – you will not get those things back in the same form, but God will give you new strength. He will give you new grace. He will give you new capacity to continue the mission, to keep making disciples, and to keep pouring out your life. And that new strength is not a replacement for what was taken. It is a supernatural empowerment that comes from the God who seals what He opens, who restores what He removes, and who ensures that you are able to continue the work even after the cost has been paid.
Also, God closes the wound by giving you new fruitfulness. The rib that was taken from Adam became Eve, which showed that the cost was not wasted. The sacrifice was not in vain. Instead, the subtraction produced multiplication. And this is always God’s pattern. When He takes from you to make a disciple, He does not leave you with less. He gives you more. Not more of the same thing, but more fruit, more impact and more legacy. The disciple you made is now making other disciples. The wisdom you poured out is now being poured into others. The DNA you released is now multiplying, spreading, and filling the earth with the image of God. And that multiplication is the proof that the wound was worth it. That the cost was justified. That the rib you gave has produced a harvest that far exceeds what it could have produced if it had remained inside you.
This is why God closes the wound. Not just to protect you, and not just to heal you, but to prepare you for the joy of seeing the fruit of your sacrifice. If the wound remained open, if you were still bleeding, still in pain, still consumed by the loss, you would not be able to celebrate the disciple. You would be too focused on what you lost to see what God made. But because God closes the wound, because He seals the flesh, and because He completes the work of healing, you are able to look at the disciple standing before you and say, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This is the fruit of my sacrifice. This is the testimony of God’s faithfulness. And it was worth it.”
“… and closed up THE FLESH instead thereof;”
But notice what the text does not say. It does not say that God erased the wound. It does not say that He made it as though nothing had ever happened. It does not say that Adam woke up with no evidence that surgery had been performed. The wound was closed, yes. The flesh was sealed, yes. But the SCAR REMAINED. And that scar was not a flaw or a failure. It was not something to be ashamed of or hidden. It was a testimony and proof that something significant had happened. It was evidence that God had used Adam to create something eternal.
Here this; Every faithful discipler carries scars. Not wounds—God closes those. But scars; the marks of the investments they have made, the evidence of the ribs they have given, and the testimony of the disciples they have made. Those scars are not something to regret but something to be honoured, because they tell a story. They tell the story of a God who opened you, took from you, and then faithfully closed you. They tell the story of a disciple who exists because you were willing to be opened. They tell the story of a legacy that will outlive you, outlast you, and continue to bear fruit long after you are gone.
Think of the woman who bore her child through cesarean section. She wears a scar across her abdomen–a permanent mark where the surgeon’s blade opened her body to bring forth the life that could not come any other way. And that scar is a testimony. It is the evidence that she was willing to be opened so that life could come forth. Every time she sees it, she is reminded not of the pain of the surgery, but of the joy of the child. Not of what was taken from her, but of what was given through her. The scar does not diminish her; it dignifies her. It marks her as a mother who paid the price to bring life into the world.
This is what the discipler’s scar represents. You were opened and a rib was taken. A piece of your life, your time, your heart, and your wisdom were invested in making someone else. And yes, it cost you something. Yes, it left a mark. Yes, there is a place in you that will never be the same because of what you gave. But that scar is not your shame. It is your glory. It is the proof that you did not live for yourself. It is the testimony that you were willing to be cut open so that spiritual life could come forth in someone else. And every time you see the disciple who carries your DNA, who walks in your footsteps, and who multiplies your legacy, you are not thinking about what you lost but celebrating what was born. The scar remains but so does the child. And that is the beauty of discipleship.
So, do not despise the scar. Do not wish it away. Do not spend your life trying to hide it or pretend it does not exist. The scar is your glory. It is the proof that you are a discipler. It is the mark of someone who did not live for themselves but poured out their life to make someone else. And when the disciples see your scars, they will know that discipleship is costly. They will also know that it worths it, because you bear the marks, and you are still standing. You carry the scars, and you are still fruitful. You gave the rib, and God closed the wound. And that is the testimony that will inspire the next generation to do the same.
Written by: Sunday Adeoye