The First Words Spoken To Man

The Book of Genesis Day10 Ge 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Remember, chapter one of Genesis is an overview of creation. Chapter two gives the specifics of creation as related to man. When we read here of God creating male and female, Adam and Eve are meant and the details of their creation are given in chapter two. Here we read of the first charge given to man and wife, “Be fruitful and multiply: Fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over every living thing that moves on earth.” This command or charge is called a blessing! Procreation is a blessing! The psalmist affirms this when he writes in Ps 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Children are a blessing! And the first words spoken to a married couple on this earth were, “Be fruitful and multiply!” Have children! Be blessed! What happened? When did God’s children decide that having children was a curse and not a blessing? Most recently the population alarmists seem to have something to do with it. Their predictions of gloom and doom caused by overpopulation make headlines and strike fear into all who will listen to them. They continue to tell us that the earth is filled with people and we must slow down our rate of reproducing. But the truth is, as of this writing, the population of the world is at 7.3 billion people. That amount of people would fit shoulder to shoulder in Los Angeles. Want a little more room? If we were populated as densely as Manhattan, we would all fit into New Zealand. More room? If we were populated as densely as the state of New Jersey, we would all fit into Russia. The point is, even though we been at it since the birth of Cain, we still haven’t filled the earth. In fairness to the alarmists, we have not done a very good job of taking care of the people we have. But that is not an excuse for ignoring this first of all of God’s commands, and His first pronouncement of a blessing! Reflection: If you could pick any place in the world to live, where would it be? What’s the most crowded situation you have ever been in? If you were in charge, how would you change the way people are cared for in this world? The matter of marriage is brought up in Mal. 2:15, How do these words speak to you? But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Pray: Father, thank You for the blessing of children. Help us to see them through your eyes of love rather than the eyes of fear. Amen