In the beginning God creates the earth, all living things, and Adam & Eve. His instructions to them struck me today...
"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth'" (Gen. 1:28).
As we all know, Adam & Eve sin, are removed from the garden, and cursed. But God's instruction or his will for his people remains. He repeats it to Noah when he instructs him to leave the ark (8:16-17). He blesses Noah and his sons, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth..." (9:1). Then again, he communicates to "be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it" (9:7).
So what does it really mean to "be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it?"
I think literally it means to have babies, grow crops, and conquer the land. But what about for today?
In
order to discover the depth of this meaning it would be good to answer
this question according to what it meant in the Old Testament and New
Testament, and then apply it to today. (I intend to do so soon). Until
then I believe it simply means to invest the resources you have (time,
gifts, skills, monetary resources, etc.) in the people you live with and
near. When you sow good seed a good crop is produced and can be shared.
It also produces seeds of its own. When this continues growth will
naturally take place.
I don't think God's initial instruction for humanity has changed. It still applies today.
Let's make this practical. Today
I will see a couple of friends. In my time with them I will encourage and support them. Hopefully (maybe not right away) they will
reciprocate this and go on to encourage and support someone in their
life.
Consider the fruit your life is producing right now. Is there any? Is it
good? Has it provided for others and reproduced itself?
I am noticing a pattern with the first families. God blesses them and then instructs them. The instruction is the same for Adam & Eve, Noah and his kids, and their kids...and us!
It is interesting (not surprising) that they (Noah's descendants) do the opposite. Chapter 11 tells of the gathering of the people to build a city. They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth" (11:4). Their purpose for this was to "make a name" for themselves. The result, the Lord dispersed them over the face of the earth (11:8, 9).
The story continues with one of Noah's sons, Shem. Shem goes on to have kids, who have kids, and so on. Down the line is born, Terah, who then fathers Abram. God repeats his initial instructions, but in a slightly different way. "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you" (12:1). Essentially God is saying, "Disperse!" "Go!" And then he says/promises, "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (12:1-3).
God instructed Abram to leave what he knew, what was familiar, and trade it for the unknown and unfamiliar. Go FROM the familiar, TO the unknown. If he was willing to take incredible steps of obedience he would become a great nation, be blessed, and bless others.
I would like to compare these two stories. With the Tower of Babel the people they took matters into their own hands and made a name for themselves. With Abram God promises to make a name for him. HE not only would have favor among the people, he would not have to worry about provision, because he was blessed. The purpose of him being blessed was to bless others.
You might be thinking, "What's so bad with wanting to make a name for yourself?" The problem with this it is out of pride and disobedience. How does one even make a name for themselves? In chapter 11 they set out to build something recognizable. They wanted to impress. They wanted to make a statement. By staying in the same location they could build their own kingdom higher and higher. They could gain prominence and respect.
Instead, God's ideal for us is not that we would build our own kingdom but his. By "going" one is forced to rely on the Lord. They no longer have their connections, reputation, education, or wealth to fall back on. "Going" can look differently for each of us. For some it might mean moving to an unfamiliar city to share the Gospel, for another it might mean knocking on their next door neighbor's door and getting to know them better. Instead of building our kingdom up we extend HIS kingdom out. We do not do so by our own effort, rather the Lord's favor and provision. (He blessed Abram. Abram blessed others. Share!). We simply share the salvation, forgiveness, love, joy, and peace we have been blessed with through Christ!
Nothing has changed. We want to make a name for ourselves. We want to be recognized, acknowledged...to be great. But instead of build our own kingdom God builds his kingdom through us, and establishes his reign and rule on earth.His kingdom looks a lot different then the one we presently reside. In his kingdom just about everything is reversed; the least will be the greatest, the poor will be acknowledged and cared for, righteousness is required rather then a long resume... he uses the weak to shame the wise, the marginalized to lead, to lead is to serve... It is counter to our culture and the society in which we live. Yet it is our challenge today- to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and (then) all these thing (food, drink, clothing) will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33).
Consider which kingdom you are building. Your own? or His?
The initial instructions God gave Adam, Eve, Noah, and Abram to be fruitful and multiply are the same instructions for us today. Will we multiply and build our own kingdom or His?
