26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
v.26-7
As if animals isn't enough, God creates man (or Adam, the Hebrew, generic term for mankind) to rule the earth. This is the final order He places over creation. Paralleling all the days with themes, He finishes the process by having the final pinnacle represented by mankind.
(.."Let us make man in our image and our likeness"..) This shows God in fellowship. Before the earth was born God was. And He was in fellowship, with Himself, and, probably, the whole heavenly host as well. To say 'let us' shows the inkling of and already complicated doctrine of the trinity. God as three persons is there, father (God), son (Word), and spirit all one in the beginning. It shows His Independence from creation, He does not need us to be, because before we were, He IS.
(...image...and...likeness...) Two similarities does man take with God. Physical appearance (image) and character (likeness). We appear similar to God, and we have similar character attributes to God.
(Let them have dominion over the fish...birds...livestock and...all the earth and over every creeping thing...) Why would God want man to rule if He is King of Kings? Quite simply He is showing us a relationship that He wants with us through our relationship with the earth. We, in a tenuous yet real way, are similar in image and likeness to all living things on the earth. We have basic physical similarities in our need for the atmosphere we live in, and in certain mammals, further likenesses in facial expressions and the like. We also have similar character attributes, in our instinct to reproduce (a blessing poured on by God to all animals and peoples), find food, shelter, live in community, etc. Just as man is higher than any beast in appearance and character, so God is so much more highly thought as fully beautiful in His appearance, and even more incomprehensible in character, and yet we are still like Him.27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
v.26-7
As if animals isn't enough, God creates man (or Adam, the Hebrew, generic term for mankind) to rule the earth. This is the final order He places over creation. Paralleling all the days with themes, He finishes the process by having the final pinnacle represented by mankind.
(.."Let us make man in our image and our likeness"..) This shows God in fellowship. Before the earth was born God was. And He was in fellowship, with Himself, and, probably, the whole heavenly host as well. To say 'let us' shows the inkling of and already complicated doctrine of the trinity. God as three persons is there, father (God), son (Word), and spirit all one in the beginning. It shows His Independence from creation, He does not need us to be, because before we were, He IS.
(...image...and...likeness...) Two similarities does man take with God. Physical appearance (image) and character (likeness). We appear similar to God, and we have similar character attributes to God.
v.28
God's first blessing on man is just that. Separate to that is a command to 'fill the earth' and subdue or rule the earth. The dominion offered over the animals is not that of hunting, but of naming and keeping them. God puts things in our charge so as to give us opportunities to be faithful with what we have, as God is faithful with us.
v.29
God shows that the plants of the earth are for food. Sustenance comes from the ground, where also man comes from. He gives anything which contains a seed, which is an interesting clarifying thing. Nowadays the idea of fruit is that of no pips, or seedless (grapes etc.) so to note that God wants us to eat those things with seeds is something to consider.
v.30
And every beast eats the same as that which man eats. Anything with the breath of life has the green plant for food. This shows a peace between the differing species. None of the animals were yet meat eaters, and they were no threat to man. It shows how God designed this earth as an planet of peace. All of heaven and earth in harmony. The lion and the lamb laying side by side.
v.31
(...very good...) God is pleased with His creation. From start to finish it has been 'good' but now, with the final touches, all the world set in motion, and the peaceful attitudes of man and beast alike the earth is very good and the full fellowship of heaven can be represented here on earth.
Bigger Picture - God has a peaceful, health planet in mind from day one. as it progresses the earth becomes more fruitful, but this image of creation is not something unattainable. Revelation is a book which talks about how the earth is groaning to return to how it once was. Before the fall God was in the earth, walking with Adam in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), the animals were all in union and the whole earth was a community that matched that of heaven. The earth will once again return to how it was and this is something to look forward to. Looking forward to the return of Jesus, and the return of peace and tranquility and unity and all these other things is an excellent motivation to push forward, and endure this life. God created man for the ruling of the earth, and, one day, we will correctly rule it under God, with all things in harmony. All this is an expression of God's outstanding love for the universes well being.
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