“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.”
In this verse, God blesses humanity — as he blessed the animals in verse 22 — but the blessing here carries a fuller and more complex mandate: be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it, ruling over every living creature. The word 'subdue' (Hebrew: kabash) is strong and active; it implies bringing order to something that requires effort, not passive oversight. This cultural mandate — to fill and order creation — is an extension of God's own creative work, delegated to image-bearers. It is not a license for exploitation; the word 'rule' (Hebrew: radah) elsewhere describes a shepherd-king's care for those under his charge. Psalm 8:6–8 celebrates this delegated dominion, and Revelation 5:10 pictures redeemed humanity ruling as priests in the new creation — the mandate fulfilled in Christ. Today, consider the specific sphere of influence God has given you — a family, a team, a neighborhood — and ask yourself whether you are exercising the active, caring, ordered stewardship this mandate envisions.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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