Genesis 2:21

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;

1. The LORD God, apparently a skilled anesthesiologist and surgeon, put Adam into a deep sleep (not simply asleep), removed one of his ribs, and then closed him back up again.
2. This seems to say something about God's approach to things. Many people believe He simply spoke words and, poof, the world and everything in it was created. If so, why did He use such a primitive method, relatively speaking, to remove Adam's rib? Why not remove it instantly with the wave of His hand or by command? Besides that, why did He create Adam with that rib to begin with - why not initially create Adam with one less rib? Assuming the LORD God knew exactly what He was doing from the beginning, why did He do things this way?
3. I can understand why some regard this account as merely symbolic - it raises difficult and interesting questions. To dismiss it as merely symbolic, however, blurs the line between symbolic and real for the whole creation story or anything else in the Bible that seems strange or fantastic. No, the account identifies 3 specific steps involved in surgery, so I have to believe it occurred as it is described here, or conclude that my analysis is a waste of time and that I can know nothing about God for certain.