The Act of Naming Things

The Book of Genesis Day 4 Ge 1:9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. We’re into day 3 of creation and God is still dividing and separating and giving form to the mass He began with. On this day He gathers the waters below the heavens into one place and allowed the dry land to appear. God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas. There is significance in the phrase “God called!” In the Semitic world the act of naming things is evidence of lordship. So we see and understand that God has lordship over all creation. If you read the Psalms you will see that the Psalmist very often ascribes all control of natural phenomena to God. God’s control, and the deity of Christ is made even more evident as Jesus stands up in the boat in the Sea of Galilee and exercises lordship over the stormy sea! God indeed is Lord of all! Yet, by His grace He also gave man lordship over some of His creation. In Gen 2:19 we read of Adam being given the responsibility of calling or naming each living creature. This is evidence of man’s lordship over animals. When God presented Eve to Adam, it was Adam who called her woman and man’s lordship over woman was assumed. But let’s be cautious here. Even though lordship is indicated here and scripture tells us that wives are to submit to the lordship of their husbands, lordship is not to be confused with dictatorship! Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Yes, God called or named, therefore God lords, but in that lordship, we see His perfect stewardship. Take in the fragile beauty of His creation, and how He sustains and cares for it faithfully! We ought to consider that same kind of stewardship as we carry out our responsibility of lordship on all that He has given to our charge. Whether its plants or animals, wife or children, our aim should be good care and by His aid and example we shall attain it. For reflection: If you have been blessed with children, how did you come up with their names? What are the names of pets you have owned? Have you ever named your car? Do you think naming your pet or car affected your care for that item or pet? Pray: Lord thank You for the awesome responsibility of lordship. Help us to be good stewards of all that you have places in our care.