Genesis 1:24-31 • Day 6 • Animals and Man

Gen 1:24-31 → 24Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

• As promised on Day 3, another twofer. Verses 24-25 are about God creating the land animals; verses 26-30 are about God creating man.

• Day 3 - part 1 - animals...

► short and sweet, God put all the animals in place, leaving the best for last.

► I'm wondering when things like the dinosaurs, and wooly mammoths, and ticks, and mosquitos were all created. I'm assuming it was at this time. He doesn't go into a lot of detail. It's important that He did it, but maybe not important enough to give significant detail.

• Day 3 - part 2 - man...

► lots of detail here.

► When the text says "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;" a few things need to be explained.

1st → remember that the name/word "God" in Hebrew is Elohim, which is plural.

• This is further demonstrated where it says "Us" and "Our".

• Some try to explain the plurality as either being a case of using the "royal we", where an individual monarch will refer to himself in the 1st person plural.

• Others will try to say that God was including angels in the creative process, but that just doesn't make sense. We're nothing like angels.

• The most logical take on this, while being almost totally non-understandable from a human perspective, would be to attribute this plurality to the Trinity. While the word "Trinity" is never used in the Scriptures, the concept is clearly presented throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Father, Son, and Spirit, all co-existing, one God expressed in 3 persons. I like to think of this dynamic this way. The Father is everywhere present at all times. The Son is locally present; whenever we see the Lord, we are seeing the Son. The Spirit indwells humans, leading, guiding, and convicting us, conditional of course on our willingness to let Him lead.

• While God is expressed in a plurality, so is man, or should I say mankind. When God created man, in His image, "male and female He created them." From the very start, humans are to be paired male and female. That's the original design; that's how God intended it to work. No judgements, just sayin.

2nd → when it talks about "image" or "likeness", it's not talking about physical appearance, but rather the idea of being able to reason or to be able to reflect on the spiritual dimension. The ability to consider that there is something more beyond the dimensions we can touch or feel. This would include our moral sensibilities, intellectual abilities, will, and emotions.

► Ponder on the phrases "let them rule over" and "subdue it, and rule over". These phrases help us to understand that we aren't supposed to be spectators, but rather players in this game.

• It has the connotation that we are in charge! And we are, but I see this as more of a stewardship job, rather than a ruler. I see that we are to care for the earth and all of it's inhabitants.

► Looks like our original selves were supposed to be vegetarians. Or vegans, Or whatever it is that eats only plants. The text clearly says, when talking about plants "it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth". Eating meat doesn't come into the picture until after the fall of man.

► God also charged us (male and female), after blessing us, to be "fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth,...". In our male and female roles we are supposed to procreate. I think we've figured that one out!

► Lastly, while at the end of each of the preceding 5 days God said "it is good", today it says that "God saw ALL (emphasis mine) that He had made, and behold, it was VERY (emphasis mine) good." He's done with His creative work. Before He puts his tools back in the shed, He looks at all the work He has done and takes great pleasure in it.

• Remember that YOU are a part of what God created. He created you specifically to have a relationship with Him. Seek Him, seek to know Him, seek to serve Him, seek to worship Him. Because He is worthy.

Photo → sometime around 1980 • Me the Missus • Wichita, KS