Genesis 1-29 "The Gift"

^{KJV 28}And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.


^{NIV 28} God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."


So we all know God spent 7 days creating things. Almost everyone knows the story whether you're Christian or not. Lights, plants, animals, people, the whole kit-n-kabootle.


However, it is what happens afterwards that effects us and our roll and ultimate responseabilities as humans.


The first thing we have to do, is imagine what the earth must have looked like during these beginning stages of our planet and the life forms on our planet. At this point there was day, night, and some other plants and animals. Not a lot, as God gave them the same command to fill the earth as he did with humans.  God is also extremely happy with the entire earth at this point. He sees all these things as good. In fact in the first chapter of Genesis, God states that his creations are good, no less than 6 times. In the final verse God states,


¹And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.


This is very significant, and often overlooked. God was looking at the same things we see now. The feeling you get when you step into beautiful wilderness or and amazing beautiful day at the beach. This was the same thing God was feeling. God was witnessing the beginnings of everything, every step of the way. 


So, now we know that God spent time on this creation and stated how good it was over and over again. The next part is vital. After all this glorious creation God gives it all to his human creation. Not only that, God commands that, humans have dominion over everything. 


KJV - subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.


The webster dictionary for dominion is,
Main Entry: do·min·ion 

Pronunciation: \də-ˈmi-nyən\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English dominioun, from Middle French dominion, modification of Latin dominium, from dominus

Date: 14th century

1 : domain
2 : supreme authority : sovereignty
3 plural : an order of angels — see celestial hierarchy
4 often capitalized : a self-governing nation of the Commonwealth of Nations other than the United Kingdom that acknowledges the British monarch as chief of state
5 : absolute ownership

Absolute ownership, and supreme authority. The question has to rise as to why God would have given this opportunity to His human creation. We can be pretty certain that if all humans were to die today, the planet would be just fine. In fact, it would probably be better. So then, why would God have to make a point to give humans this gift.

1. For one, we and God know that humans are on the top of the food chain. God created us that way. 
2. God created us to have choices. Something that none of his other creations were given.
3. Third, because we are on the top of the food chain, God is able to predict our abilities, our outcome. By giving it to us as a gift, God is letting us know, that it is our responsibility to protect and preserve it and not destroy it. God knows he will not be able to save everything every time we make a mistake. 

So, imagine something you have supreme authority over and absolute ownership. Take your car for example. This is something that most people take good care of. You know you own it, and are responsible for it. Therefore you clean it, take it in when its not running, keep gas in it. This car is also linked to your survival. It gets you to work, the grocery store to buy food. It also will bring you to the hospital when you get hurt. You also know a new one will cost a lot of money. For many, a new one may not even be an option. This was the intention God gave us.

So it is safe to say, the first and main command God gave us was to take care of His creation, His Gift.

When talking about ruling and having authority, one can't go far without bringing up examples of great leaders of our time. Many great rulers have ruled with an iron fist, fear and destruction. This was their personal interpretation and method of leading. Stalin and Hitler. Alexander the Great whom had all his rivals murdered, and then went on a selfish quest to take over everything and everyone.  That does not go to say we have not gone without our more rightious leaders, I just want to show that interpretations of dominion, and supreme authority can have devestating results.

Which of course has to bring us to the conclusion of how to define supreme ownership and authority given to us by God. What was God talking about when he handed us this amazing gift?

Christians luckily don't have to look any further than the New Testament. God gave Christians a leader made of flesh and blood. Jesus came as a testament (a tangible proof or tribute) to what it means to have dominion. Jesus was the King of the Jews, a living testament to Gods word. So what does that mean. It means we can look at the way Jesus ruled and use that as our guide to the Gift God gave us. 


The first and most notable thing that happens with Jesus, is he is born in a manger among the animals. This is our first indication that God referred to the fact, that if Jesus deserves no better than the animals of the manger, than humans in general are also no better. We can therefore conclude that when God gave us dominion and Supreme authority, that did not make us better in any way. 


Jesus also uses animals in many of his teachings. While his child years included being born among animals, in his later years he is remarkably relating back to animals. 


John 10:
¹¹I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.


This is also a perfect example of Jesus' supreme guide to leadership. Jesus states that a true leader gives his life to those he leads. 


Another notable moment, is when Jesus is baptized and a dove appears. Most presumably the voice of God speaking to Jesus in the form of an animal. 


At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰As Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
        Mark 1:9-11




Once again Jesus was found with the animals when he was in the wilderness for 40 days. The only ones at his side and support were the wild beasts and angels. 


KJV-¹³And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

In Psalm 23 we can listen to the words of David as he explains the leadership of Jesus. 

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Only a leader of pure heart and soul can offer comfort with a rod and staff. To fear nothing, to know that you have complete protection and preservation. This is not the same as a leader that rules with fear. Jesus taught that leading should be done with protection, safety, and support. With the ultimate goal of preservation.

With these examples from a leader that directly refers to himself as a gate to heaven, we can only conclude that God gave us this Gift with a command (to subdue and have dominion over) means to protect it, save it, and treat it as a part of God. Everything must be done in our power to make this happen.

Now with this understanding and knowledge, what can we do to fulfill this command by God?

1) Make the changes in our lives to help protect and preserve The Gift.

2) Teach others to protect and preserve this Gift

Its that simple. Whether you believe in global warming or not, it makes not consequence. The truth of the matter is, God commanded us to protect and preserve the earth and everything on it.


Sign up to become a part of The Church Of Green Leaders in order to learn more ways to fulfill this command.


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Thanks,
The Church Of Green Leaders