Genesis 1:26-31

February 15, 2022

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

Genesis 1:26-31 NLT

What does this teach us about God?
- God is our creator (v26)
- God the Father was not alone when creating (v26) [John 1:1-3]
- God gave mankind dominion over the earth (v26, 28)
- God gave mankind two commands (v28)
1. Be fruitful and multily, fill the earth, govern it
2. Reign over all creation
- God shows his intentionality in design by providing all things for all things (v29)
- God said that all His creation was good, but after creating mankind he said we are "very good" (v31)
- God rested at the end of the day (v31)
What does this teach us about people/ourselves?
- We are created in the image of God (v26)
- Though we are unique in creation we are still created beings (v26)
- We have been given dominion over the earth (v26)
- Male and female were both created in the image of God (v27)
- We have been given two commands (v28)
- We are not autonomous or self-sustaining (v29-30)
By God's grace, how will you obey?
- Just as God existed and created in community, Father, Son, and Spirit, we are to seek, embrace, and operate in community.
- God's first directive to mankind is "be fruitful and multiply". We ought to be disciples who make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20)
- God's second directive to mankind is to "reign over" the rest of His creation. We ought to seek the inheritance promised to us (Matthew 6:19-21, John 14:1-4)
- As image bearers of God we ought to give ourselves first to God before submitting ourselves to any other (Mark 12:16-17)

Prayer: Dear God, creator of heaven and earth and all things on the earth, we submit ourselves to you. We believe that we are unique in creation, we believe that you have given us purpose, we believe that you love us and that you make no mistakes. We also recognize that we are not living on that side of Eden anymore. We recognize that the sin of Adam and Eve separated us from you, but because you love us you made a way for us to get back to you through Jesus. We are not autonomous. We are not self-sustaining. We are in need of saving and we believe that Jesus, who died and resurrected, is that savior. We pray that we would be obedient disciples who are fruitful and multiply according to the great commission. We pray that we would fixate our eyes on things unseen, our heavenly dwelling, our inheritance as co-heirs with Christ. We pray that we would see ourselves and others as you see us, as your image-bearer's on earth. We pray that through all these things you would grow us in wisdom and faith so that your light might shine through us so that everyone would know you are the Lord God who created and loves each and every one of us. Amen.

OVERTIME

All throughout the old testament we see an emphasis on three things to the Israelites, God's chosen people. We find that all three of these things have made themselves apparent in the creation story in Genesis.

Community

Genesis 1:26 says, "Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us." Who was God talking to? When studying for a final exam alone in my room I've never once said out loud, "Let us get started on this study guide so that we can be prepared for the test!" That is, however, something I might say if I find myself studying with others.

God was not alone when creating. The Bible tells us that God the Father was in triune community with the Holy Spirit and with Jesus before anything else ever was.

The Holy Spirit is introduced in Genesis 1:2 "And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." This is the same Spirit we see in Isaiah 11:2.

"And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."

Jesus may have not been name dropped in Genesis 1 in the same way the Spirit was, but he is accredited with being present during creation in John 1:1-4.

1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.

In fact, he's not just accredited with being present, the Bible tells us that everything was created through Jesus!
Family

One of the major cultural pillars for the Israelites we see all throughout the old testament is an emphasis on the family, or (more specifically) the bloodline. We see the root of this in God's first directive for mankind in Genesis 1:26. "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it."

Lineage was critical to the Israelite people. The fear of one's bloodline being ended led to some seemingly suspect decisions by a few key figures in the old testament (ex. Genesis 16:1-2).

We also see this reflected in old testament law in Deutoronomy 25:5-6.

“If two brothers are living together on the same property and one of them dies without a son, his widow may not be married to anyone from outside the family. Instead, her husband’s brother should marry her and have intercourse with her to fulfill the duties of a brother-in-law. The first son she bears to him will be considered the son of the dead brother, so that his name will not be forgotten in Israel."

If you find yourself reading this and wincing a little bit that's OK! The good news is that we are no longer bound by this law. Why? *Here comes the ultimate Sunday school answer* Because Jesus!

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he says:

"God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. ... He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins." (1:5a, 7)

We are freed from the bondage of our genealogical bloodline because we have been adopted by God and are now connected through the blood of Jesus. Which means you no longer have to think about marrying your in-laws. Praise God!
Land

The second directive God gives to mankind is to, "Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground." This directive of reigning over creation reveals another imperative cultural pillar to the Israelites: the possession of land. The target, however, was never for conquest or mass acquisition, but the fulfillment of a promise.

That promise was made later in the book of Genesis when God makes His covenant with Abraham. Right after God extended the 99-year old man the seemingly radical promise of "I will make you extremely fruitful" (satisfying the family need) God adds, "And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God" (17:8).

The possesion of land was so important to the Israelites that there were laws put in place to assure that land would never be permanently lost. God spoke through Moses on Mt. Sinai (Leviticus 25:23-24):

"The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me. With every purchase of land you must grant the seller the right to buy it back."

But what happens if seller can NEVER afford to buy it back? God has a plan for that too!

"But if the original owner cannot afford to buy back the land, it will remain with the new owner until the next Year of Jubilee. In the jubilee year, the land must be returned to the original owners so they can return to their family land" (Leviticus 25:28).

God makes it clear that we cannot lose what was not ours to give in the first place. Wow!

Imagine your grandparents sold a large piece of property that eventually becomes the site of a new skyscraper. On the year of Jubilee, you walk in the front door and say, "I've come to redeem my family's property!" It sure would be nice if the owner signed the deed over and tossed you the keys on their way out, but I wouldn't hold my breath!

What changed? *Don't think about it too hard because you already know the answer is...* Jesus!

"The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian." Galatians 3:24-25

Christ did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets, but to accomplish their purpose (Matthew 5:17). God told Abraham "it will be their posession forever", and Jesus fulfills the promise by offering a new, heavenly dwelling place.

"There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." John 14:2-3

What an incredible invitation! An invitation that is extended to EVERYONE! An invitation that you can accept by confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!