Genesis Revised – Day 6 v28-31 “Dominion”

From all the life forms that lived on Earth, God chose one to rule all the others at the end of the sixth season.  Without the overburden of unbiblical “perfectionism,” the ancient text matches the evidence perfectly.

Genesis 1

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.” (NIV)

Well, we surely obeyed this command… sort of.

For most of our existence, we simply moved nature over, subjugated it, or helped it into extinction.  We are entering a new season of awareness.  To “rule” effectively we must understand nature but not just the parts we can domesticate.  This poet says God made everything then called everything “good.”  “Good” is not perfect, or passive, or unproblematic.  Everything means everything.  God made pathogens and tsunamis good for something.  We must learn to appreciate that something.  No other force or deity produced these things.  God is in control, always.  We should not condemn natural events as “natural evils.”  They were not given a choice to be anything different then what they are.  Only our choices include evil.

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. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (NIV)

This passage feels not quite scientific.  Some plants are poisonous or indigestible.  However, as in Days 3, 4, and 5, this list contains human perspective.  We are quite fond of grains and fruits.  Every culture has collected, cultivated, and domesticated multiple forms.  It is a hereditary obsession.  It is possible, that we simply do not understand how to process those poisonous plants into food or medicine.  Plus, animals eat more types of plants than humans.  That includes microorganism that decompose plant material.  Therefore, since all plants are “eaten” by something, the passage does not contradict science.

These verses do not insist humans were exclusively vegetarian.  They just do not mention eating animals.  Nor does the text, or any in the Bible, say there were no carnivorous life forms on Earth.  It just does not mention them outside of calling them “wild.”  The poet simply said God created plants for animals and humans to eat.

Poetically, this passage continues the intertwining of humans and nature started in Day 4.  We are part of nature, not separate, not an abomination.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (NIV)

God considered creation good, never perfect, even His imperfect humans.  He has given us time to tame our animal instincts, distinguish good from evil, and accumulate knowledge.  That shows the everlasting love, mercy, and forgiveness of our Creator.  We must strive to be one as our Creator is one.

To be continued:

[Lessons from Creation’s Parables: Genesis and Standard Science, Sung as One, by Jo Helen Cox.]

Also in this series:

Genesis Revised – Introduction + Day 1, The Big Bang

Genesis Revised – Day 2, Opening Sky and Ocean

Genesis Revised – Day 3, Opening Land

Genesis Revised – Day 4, Filling the Universe

Genesis Revised – Day 5, the Evolution of Life

Genesis Revised – Day 6 v24-25, the Land Animals

Genesis Revised – Day 6 v26-27 and “God’s Image”

Genesis Revised – Day 7

Genesis Revised – The Second Genesis

Also see series:

Genesis Revisited

Eden Revisited