The Dawn of Dawns - Mankind (Genesis 1)

Of all God’s creation, mankind has a special role.  The text makes this clear both explicitly and stylistically.

1.  “created” in the “image” of God

Verse 27 (NIV) states:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them”.

In one verse, the verb “created” appears three time.  Further, the term “image” appears twice, as “in his own image” and “in the image of God”.  This applies to both “male and female” of the species.

Jumping ahead slightly to Genesis 2, some things stand out.  First, there are no proper names for these people.  In Genesis 2, we meet Adam and Eve.  Here in Genesis, the emphasis is on Mankind without regard to specific individuals or specific genders.

I will return to this distinction between Genesis 1 and 2 later when I discuss the controversies about this very beautiful chapter.

2.  dominion over the earth

In verses 28-30, God gives Mankind over all the earth.  Again jumping slightly ahead to Genesis 2, the emphasis is on the “earth”, not Eden.

In verse 28, Mankind is instructed to do several things:

• “be fruitful” -

Since this paired with “multiply”, it has the connotation of childbearing, but it is not necessarily.  It could also mean agricultural development as Mankind is given plants for food (v. 29).  It could also mean develop “fruits”, such as spiritual fruits.

• “multiply” - this is commonly read to mean have children.  

Since the context of Genesis 1 applies to Mankind and not individuals, we should not read a requirement for every individual must have children.  For instance, the text is silent about many leaders not having children or even getting married - many of the prophets, the Apostles, and even Jesus.

Likewise, there is another way to “multiply” without having natural children.  One could adopt an orphan.

Also, the current population of humanity is roughly 7 billion people.  Thus, humanity has indeed multiplied.

• “fill the earth” 

Having children is necessary to fill the earth.  Currently, humanity has colonized every continent but Antarctica, humanity has filled the earth.  Even on Antarctica, there are many military and scientific bases.

• “subdue [the earth]”

This is a strange statement to make given the otherwise idealic conditions for Humanity at in Genesis 1.  Something around the world need to be “subdued”.  We find out what this is in Genesis 3.

Mankind is told to “rule” over the following:

• “the fish and the sea”
• “the birds of the air”
• “every living creature that moves on the ground”

“Rulership” does not mean autocratic tyrant.  There are rules and boundaries to proper rulership.   What are the boundaries?  Genesis 1 contains an implied boundary to not kill or eat animals, since plants are given to humanity for food, not animals.

A harmonious relationship between man and nature does not mean over-exploitation or that man should drive species extinct.  

To say that there are no boundaries and Mankind can do as he pleases with regard to nature would be dishonest.  For starters, we cannot rule something that is extinct.  I would posit that we get a better sense of the boundaries of balance later with the establishment of Israel.  Later, we see clean and unclean meats, which actually protects species.  Likewise, we also see the institution of “land-Sabbaths”.  

In verse 29, God gives Mankind the following:

• “every seed-bearing plant” and “every tree that has fruit with seed in it” for food

Note, Mankind is not given food from animals.  In verse 30, God gives the same thing to all animals.  Thus, they were originally meant to be vegetarian. 

This always stands out to me.  I think most people overlook the implications of this.

If we take this literally, this would require a massive physiological changes in animals and humans.  Just as a quick example, predator animals like dogs and cats have large sharp teeth for tearing into flesh.  Further, the facial muscles of predators are very different than those of herbivores.  Herbivores (horses, deer) have larger cheek muscles for the grinding action needed to eat plants.  In contrast, carnivores have greater muscles higher in their skull, particularly the temporalis muscle.  This allows a very strong bite.

We could also consider other differences in digestive anatomy and physiology between carnivores and herbivores.  Did predators ruminate?  

If we really consider this, then the animals we know today are not the animals that were created in Genesis 1.

This is just one example in which the world of Genesis 1-11 looks very, very different than our own.  

3.  The finality of Genesis 1

The importance of humanity as God's creation is emphasized because it is the last thing God creates in Genesis 1.  God creates all the heavens and the earth all other life, and after all this, God creates humanity, and chapter 1 ends.

Jumping ahead slightly to Genesis 2, we see that Creation Week still continues and God rests on the Seventh Day.  For some reason, the organizer of Genesis put it at beginning of Chapter 2 as opposed to the end of Chapter 1.  The placement of this in Genesis 2 makes the first Sabbath an afterthought in comparison to creation of Mankind.   Thus, the creative element of God culminates in the Creation of man, not in the culmination of the Sabbath. 

We get a sense of this dichotomy later in Mark 2:27 when Jesus states that “The Sabbath was made for man, not. man for the Sabbath.”