Fill the earth: Check

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”  Genesis 1.28a  NIV

We seem to have done quite well at fulfilling this mandate at least.

Check out this fascinating video from worldpopulationhistory.org.

For the fast version, click on the arrow at the bottom right hand of the page and watch what happens on the earth as time passes.

For the almost 6-minute version with explanation, click Menu on the right and from the drop-down click Watch the Video.

Link

Why did the earth need to be subjugated?

26 ... and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.”  28 And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.”  Genesis 1.26, 28  Amplified Bible

Today's Burning Question:  Why did the earth need to be subjugated and the other creatures dominated?

Nature does get pretty wild.  Does God like seeing dense forests turned into parks and grasslands into cultivated fields?

How have we influenced the animal kingdom, the fish, the birds?

Maybe word choice in the translations is too strong.  Compare have authority over to dominate and subjugate.

Some postulate that the world in Genesis 1:26 and 28 is not the world created in Genesis 1:1.  They say an enormous gap exists between verses 1 and 2 and that during this gap Satan fell and evil began.  They say that this threw the creation of verse 1 into the tohu wabohu (see March 5 entry) of verse 2.

My True Love suggests that maybe God just wanted to give humans something to do--an idea not out of line the conclusion of the previous entry.  :-]

Once again we have more questions than answers.

For God? For animals? For mankind? Why the rule mandate?

26 Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.”  Genesis 1.26-28  Amplified Bible

--switching to the Amplified Bible for a different voice--  

In other creation stories of the Ancient Near East, man is created to serve the gods and provide for their needs.  Not so Genesis.  In the Hebrew account, God makes humans in his own image so that they can rule, have authority over the other creatures.  Rather than assert his rule over them (as their creator), God shares the responsibility to rule with them.  He gives them the power to affect and change their world.

We are not given a reason for this divine choice.  Did God give humanity this mandate to save himself work?  Given that he creates the world with a word, that makes no sense.  Perhaps he gave this rule to the man for the benefit of the animals and the earth?  Does man provide better care than God?  

Can we say then that it's possible God gave man the authority to rule for man's benefit?  Through the successes and failures of ruling, man can learn and grow, be influenced and change, better glimpse the heart of his ruling God?

How many?

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”  Genesis 1.26-28

My intention is to try hard to look at early Genesis without the preconceptions and worldview glasses through which I have read it over the decades of my lifetime.  It's a challenging and fascinating task and I'm thankful for the many others who have made their observations and thoughts easily available.  Each one helps me to see in a new light.

So  let me ask this of anyone else who, like me, has been reading this text for one hundred years.  How many people does Genesis 1 report are being formed here?  And, by the way, where does this action take place?

Us: Hebrew or Christian Interpretation?

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness . . . . "Genesis 1.26  NIV

Blogger Paul Sumner has a studied opinion on this use of the plural.  I quote from his website  hebrew-streams.org.

"Historically, most Jewish commentators have said the Creator is here speaking to the angels of the heavenly assembly, his divine court. Most Christian interpreters have said the texts allude to interaction within the Triune Godhead.

"In the last century, there has been a marked opinion shift among Christian commentators toward the traditional Jewish interpretation. The reason for this shift has not been due to ecumenical feelings but to a different approach in reading the Hebrew Bible ("Old Testament" in Christian terms).

"Most commentators now believe the Bible should be interpreted on its own terms, without imposing later theological beliefs or agendas, either Jewish or Christian.

"In other words, these verses in Genesis (and passages like Isaiah 41:21-23 ...) need be viewed in light of their own contexts without biased interpretation. The desire is to understand what Moses or Isaiah, Jeremiah or the Chronicler understood by what they themselves wrote, in their own times.

"This doesn't mean the original meanings cannot have implications beyond their contexts. Later biblical writers often appropriate and extend earlier texts to their own time or into the future. But, in my view, those 'implications' should not contradict or turn the original words upsidedown."

Just so you know . . . .

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness . . . . "Genesis 1.26  NIV

Just so you know, there are theories out there that the "us" refers to God and space aliens.

The Council of Heaven

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness . . . . "Genesis 1.26  NIV

Who is us?
God speaking in the royal plural?

It is generally understood to refer to the trinity.  That the Holy Spirit was present too is stated in Genesis 1.2.  Verses like Psalm 104:30 add support:  "You send forth your spirit, they (all creatures) are created; and you renew the face of the ground."  How about Jesus?  The New Testament teaches that he was present at creation too.  Colossians 1:16 "For by [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through him and for him."  And John 1 "the world was made through [Jesus]" (verse 10).

Here is an idea I would not have thought of except for reading Robin A Parry's book the Biblical Cosmos: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Weird and Wonderful World of the Bible.  The Divine Council.  Huh?  Surprisingly, says Parry, we have scriptural evidence to believe that some biblical authors may have considered the sun, moon, and stars to be associated with deities, perhaps members of the heavenly council.  Not that they were polytheistic.  Clearly Jehovah alone was accepted as ruler over all!  But there are references to "sons of God Most High" (Psalm 82.6, Job 38.4-7), "holy ones" (Psalm 89.6-7), "the host of heaven" (Isaiah 24:21).  And how to explain Deuteronomy 10:17's assurance that the Lord your God is God of gods?

Another mystery to ponder.