Podcast Episode 31: We can learn a lot from Genesis 1:28. It is one of the core ideas about history! We explore passages across the Bible to understand God’s extraordinary plan for us, and Jesus. Then we get to lighten up with an intro to furry foxes.
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The First Commands
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28
Fill the Earth
Be fruitful and multiply is pretty clear: have lots of children!
Some people get odd ideas about “replenish” though.
Replenish, Hebrew: מלא [maw-lay’] 1) to fill, be full
1a1) to be full
1a1a) fulness, abundance (participle)
1a1b) to be full, be accomplished, be ended
1a2) to consecrate, fill the hand
There is an old earth compromise position called the Gap Theory that uses the “re-” in the KJV translation “replenish” as one of its keystones. They think Adam and Eve were to replace the fullness the earth had already lost on Day 6 of Creation Week.
You can learn more about this:
- Institute for Creation Research: Replenishing the Earth
- Creation Ministries International: Replenish the earth Were Adam and Eve supposed to fill the planet with their descendants—or to refill it?
- Answers in Genesis: Closing the Gap
Subdue and Have Dominion
Crown Jewels of Poland
Dominion, Hebrew: רדה radah raw-daw’ to rule, have dominion, dominate, tread down
Here comes one of the most important principles in the world. The command to subdue and especially have dominion over the earth tells us a huge amount of Adam’s position at the Creation.
Before sin, there was no danger of Adam “treading down” the rest of creation, but as the world soon discovered, things could change really fast. We aren’t told if Adam had any idea what he was doing when he chose to eat the fruit against God’s orders, but it happened anyway. And everything and everyone has been suffering the consequences ever since.
The New Testament tells us what was going on:
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses,
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Death and Sin began right then in and there to reign instead of Adam.
And, in case you think this just affected Adam’s family, the Apostle Paul added this:
Romans 8:20 Easy to Read Version Everything God made was allowed to become like something that cannot fulfill its purpose. That was not its choice, but God made it happen with this hope in view:
Adam lost his kingship over the whole of creation. The Sin he had obeyed took over and brought its companion Death along.
The. Whole. Thing. Got Messed Up.
I can’t help hoping God didn’t let Adam completely recognize this because the weight of guilt would have been unbearable.
Jesus to the Rescue
Why did Jesus have to be born as a human being, just without sin? Because it gave him the right to buy back what his family had lost.
Leviticus 25:47-49 And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family:
After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.
We call this idea the Kinsman Redeemer and the Bible gives us a beautiful picture of this in the book of Ruth.
None of us could redeem ourselves let alone our family, but Jesus could. His goodness and righteousness is so powerful he not only redeemed one person, he can redeem everyone who wants him to!
I Corinthians 15:22-25 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
Romans 8:21Easy-to-Read Version That the creation would be made free from ruin—that everything God made would have the same freedom and glory that belong to God’s children.
See how it’s one of the most amazing ideas in the universe?!!
Foxes
We used one of the best indepth books on animals I’ve run into for our research on foxes, RSPB Spotlight: Foxes
Article I mention talking about fox domestication in Russia: Animal Domestication: Taming Wild Animals
Oh, yes, our examples of humanity ‘subduing’ the earth:
Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. Revelation 11:17
