Prayer
Reading
Gen 1:24-31.
“And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 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.”
Meditation
Let’s read Gen 1:28 again: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it 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.” This call to multiply is of central importance when it comes to the image of God in man. The blessing of God here is anchored in the gift of multiplication. These two facts tie together to reveal to us three significant insights.
First, multiplying expands God’s rule. We’ve been talking about dominion in our recent studies, and we’ve seen that dominion is about the rule of God being expanded and realised in the creation. One of the great blessings of multiplying is that it is the means of God’s rule expanding. All the potential of creation and all the things that could be achieved would not be possible if it were only ever Adam and Eve who existed. God has designed dominion so that multiplying is a requirement. For all the earth to be subdued and for God’s rule to be expanded multiplying was a necessity. Population control and reduction is not desirable!
Since the fall, however, mere multiplication is no longer enough. The gospel too must go forth, through which the kingdom rule of Christ is declared, and by which the spiritually dead hearts of men are awakened. As the gospel goes out, God’s blessings will flow far as the curse is found. Christ’s rule in the hearts of men, women, and children means that multiplying of children and multiplying of gospel ministry must come hand in hand.
A second insight here is that multiplying expands God’s people. In Genesis 2 we saw that God said it’s not good for man to be alone. To be in the image of God is to be made for relationships. God is love, he is a God of relationships. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have existed eternally in loving communion together, and when God made us in his image his design was to expand this community of love by bringing man into the divine communion (Jn 17:3,21). We are made for communion and fellowship with God and each other, and this communion comes with multiplying.
A third insight here is that multiplying expands God’s glory. In verse thirty one we read: “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.” As the culmination comes, and God sees all that he has made, there is a certain kind of completeness here. Everything has been put in place, all of God’s plans are now ready to unfold, and God enjoys what he has made. We need to see that a central aspect of God’s joy in his creation is centred in the blessing of multiplicaton, because as the image of God multiplies in creation the glory of God is more and more apparent. The image of God was never supposed to be limited to two people, it was designed to expand and fill the earth. As children came, the blessings of the womb, this blessing was a blessing precisely because more and more of God’s glory would be realised and seen in the lives of new people arriving in the image of God.
Allow me to expand on this for a moment. Every time a new life arrives, it’s a joy because we see more of the wonder and beauty of God incarnate in that person. It’s amazing to think of the possible combinations of people in the world, so many faces and personalities. I think that’s actually part of the nature of the image of God in man. God is an infinite being, and that infinitude is reflected in our never-ending genetic and personal diversity. We literally all have different finger prints, faces, and personalities! It’s all part of the infinite image of God. So then, as more and more people come into the world, more of God’s glory shines out. The blessing of multiplying is not firstly about the joy of an intimate relationship between husband and wife, nor is it primarily about the joy of a new child – though it’s all part of the picture. The great blessing of multiplying is that the image of God in creation itself multiplies. Every child born is an opportunity to expand the revelation of God’s glory in the world.
Now that potential was sadly broken at the fall. As we noted earlier, mere child bearing is no longer enough to realise the true blessing of multiplication. Again, the blessing of multiplying must now be renewed through the gospel. For this reason, we must disciple our children in the gospel, and we must seek continually to see new children of God being born again spiritually through the gospel ministry. The image of God and the multiplying of that image must now and can only come through Christ. This is why gospel preaching is so important, this is why the Apostle Paul took such pains to see to it that gospel ministry was not distorted in Galatia, because God’s purpose for creation is at stake. We cannot grow this blessing for ourselves. We cannot make it happen, it must be a work of the Spirit of God. This work of God is needed for conversion, and it’s needed daily that we and our children may constantly be renewed in the image of God.
Be ye doers of the word…
Now let me point out something important here following on from this. When we think about our purpose in life, we often think about our vocation and calling. That is certainly a significant part of the picture. God calls us to care for and cultivate his creation. But – just as significant – is this call to multiply. Family life is not just something that happens on the side of our vocations, family life and multiplying is a vocation in itself. We were made for relationships, and the family is designed to be the chief incubator of relationships and character development in the image of God. If we neglect family life for the sake of our vocation, then we are neglecting at least half of the dominion mandate. We must see our relationships, both in the family and in the Church. Multiplying, relationships, and family (both natural and spiritual) are at the heartbeat of what dominion is all about. A healthy, committed Church life is essential to the life of every family. If you have a family, are you committed to the regular worship and fellowship of the saints? If you do not yet have a family, settle in your mind now that you will be a family that consistently worships God, Sunday by Sunday.
One of the problems in today’s world is that we look down on domestic life. The responsibilities of marriage, raising children, these are seen as negative things that tie us down. In reality they are a central part of God’s purpose in our lives. Perhaps you’re a young person reading these words. Do you want to make your mark on the world? Do you want to do something great? Starting a family and raising up a new generation of children to the glory of God is one of the most significant things you can do. And these days it’s counter cultural too. For those of us who are older and already married, we must not neglect what is right under our noses. Our children grow up before we know it, and we easily take our spouse for granted. Dominion is a reminder to invest in family life. How are you investing in your family?
Finally, if this passage teaches us anything, surely it teaches us of the goodness and joy of sexual intimacy in marriage. Are you single and desiring to marry? Carefully study 1 Corinthians 7 to begin with. Pray for the provision of a spouse. This is a big topic to consider. I would recommend a careful study of Pastor Douglas Wilson’s book “Her hand in marriage.” Are you married? Is intimacy running smoothly in your marriage between you and your spouse? Are you falling into the anti-child mindset of the world? What can you do to ensure that intimacy in your marriage is growing and flourishing? Husbands – you are responsible for this. We are quickly moving in to an area well beyond the scope of this meditation, but these are practical questions that must be asked and answered if we are to fulfill the call to go forth and multiply. Apart from that, take Solomon’s counsel to heart: go and read Proverbs 5:15-23! SDG.
Prayer of Confession & Consecration
Day 36: We are called to multiply the image (Gen 1:24-31).