|
Here it says man will
"let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the
air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the
creatures that move along the ground."
Everything listed in Day 5 and the 1st half of Day 6. Those things
which rule and fill the habitations of Day 2 and 3.
Even the Vegetation is listed in Day 3, is mentioned here in
v. 29
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face
of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in
it. They will be yours for food.
It's interesting that the Day 1 - 4 is not included.
But in day 4, it says specifically, the sun, and moon are to
govern the light and darkness.
So man does not govern that.
But still there is a sense of Climax.
Man is to rule over the Creation.
This is echoed elsewhere in the Scripture:
Psalm 8:3-9
3When I consider your heavens, the
work of your fingers, the moon and the
stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is
man that you are mindful of him, the
son of man that you care for him?
5 You made
him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honour.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your
hands; you put everything under his feet:
7
all flocks and herds, and the beasts
of the
field,
8 the birds of the air, and
the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths
of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how
majestic is your name in all the earth!
Who ruled over creation before man?
• God - he made it, he is master over it.
• Now, he has made man
in his image, and he will now rule over it.
• We are like God's
regents on earth.
• Then, in Genesis 2, God makes his dwelling with us.
Don't think of ruling as a bad thing. We live in a society terrified
of authority, and deeply distrustful.
Why? Because we fear the authority will harm us.
But actually, don't you love to be under
the authority of people:
• who care about you and love you?
• Who are looking out for
your best interests?
• Who are wiser, more intelligent, and know
better than you do?
• You are glad to have them rule over you!
• That is the sort of rule God had over creation, wasn't it.
• He made it, of course he cared for it. Who would make something
to have it be harmed?
• It would be like making a flower garden, then stamping your feet all over it.
That was the kind of benevolent rule man was to have over creation, to care for it as it's King.
So what? Let's close again with a So What Section.
This goes straight to the core of who we are.
This is how we were made and we are ultimately supposed to do.
The New Testament goes back to this very purpose of Man and three of these aspects
of Genesis 1:26 as central themes.
1) Plurality of God
John 1:1 starts off discussing this amazing plurality of God,
that manifests itself in the very beginning of the Scripture
and of Creation.
In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the
Word was God, He was with God in the beginning.
The very coming
of Y'shua was the ultimate revelation of
the nature of God.
2) To be in the image of God
The New Testament speaks of when we come to Y'shua, we are now
being remade in to his image, the image of that we were always
intended to be.
2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror
the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image
from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Ro 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to become]
conformed to the image of His Son,
Col 3:10 (We are told to) put on the new self, which is being
renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
In fact, it says Satan's big plan is to blind us to this.
2Co 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds
of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the
gospel of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of God.
It is the plan of Satan to Blind us so that we don't come to Y'shua, the image of God.
And, as we behold Y'shua, we are being transformed into his image: Our true image!
3) Ultimate destiny - to reign.
This may sound wild, but this is still our ultimate job.
Some of the obvious references are in Revelation.
Rev. 20:6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first
resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they
will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him
for a thousand years.
But Paul makes reference of it as well.
2Tim 2:11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him,
we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign
with him.
And he asks the Corinthians.
1Cor. 6:2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge
trivial cases?
1Cor. 6:3 Do you not know that we will
judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
He says essentially, Corinthians, don't you realize what it is
all about. You are going to Judge, we are to reign with Messiah.
And should it surprise us? We were created for this very thing. That is why now, we live to
be not conformed to this world, but be transformed into the image of God; that we may be
like God in all we do, that we may think like him, act like him.
Thus, we are to Begin to care for this world as he does; To love him, and to
love the things he does; To love our neighbor; To love our enemies; To
be just and righteous in all we do; To live in this world, in
preparation for our ultimate destinies in the world to come.
As John wrote:
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared
as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall
be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone
who has this hope [fixed] on Him purifies himself, just as He
is pure.1
|