God’s Good Creation (Part 2) || Deeper Creation || Week 8

Welcome back! This series is “Deeper Creation,” We’re taking a deeper look at Genesis 1 and 2 to see how the Creation story gets told throughout the Bible!

Last week, we looked deeper at part of the Day 6 creation story. We discussed the creation of the land animals and then focused on the good work God reflected on and how we can reflect on it. We also discussed how God created humans in his image and what the Trinity is about. We discussed why the penalty for killing humans feels so extreme. We discussed the importance of God creating both man and woman and how God created everything within the spectrum. We ended with discussing God’s provision he gave to all he created. 

This week, we’re continuing our deep dive by discussing three crucial points: genealogies, authority, and blessings. These topics will consistently appear throughout the rest of the Bible and are something we must remember as we read and study scripture. Let’s jump into it.

Genealogies are a Must

Genealogies are a common thing seen in the Bible. Joseph’s story at the end of Genesis contains constant references to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Gospel of Matthew opens up with the genealogy of Jesus. Why are they important? Let’s begin our discussion in Genesis 5:1 

1 This is the written account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself. 

A common way that people told the stories of past generations was oral, meaning by voice. Grandparents tell their grandkids about their lives, who tell their kids about their lives, and the cycle continues. Genealogies gave a skeletal outline to help people remember the stories of the past. It’s a snippet of the whole story that allows people to remember how they got to where they are today. 

Genealogies also confirmed God’s promise of the coming Messiah, Jesus. Jesus would be born into the line of Abraham. We can open the Gospel of Matthew and read the lineage that connects Abraham to David to Jehoiachin from the Babylonian exile to Jesus. Each generation is 40 years, showing us how much history exists from the beginning to the time of Jesus. Can things get lost in translation? Yep. Can things get misunderstood? Absolutely. Can things get left out? Mhm. We’re looking at over 2,100 years of history between when Abraham was born and when Jesus was born. It’s probably the giant game of “Telephone” that ever existed. These were human authors that penned these books, people who were inspired by God, as Paul tells Timothy, but humans nonetheless. The same humans that God created. People tell these stories with a purpose, and we must read, study, and reflect on these scriptures to understand that purpose. 

Genealogies also remind us that people are essential to God as individuals. When we look at the genealogy of Jesus, we see some interesting names, like Rahab, the prostitute that sheltered two of the tribes from death. Why would a prostitute be connected to Jesus? Why keep David, who committed adultery, connected to Jesus? God saw value in the people, not because they only did terrible things, but because their hearts belonged to God. We must remember that God values us as a human, not by our works and who we know, but because we are his creation set out to fulfill his purpose for us.

Humans have Authority 

Humans are the first living being whom God gave authority. Humans reign over fish, birds, land, and wild animals. The psalmist of Psalm 8 says it this way in Psalm 8:6-8

6 You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority – 

7 the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, 

8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. 

God gave humans much authority – to be in charge of the entire earth. With great authority comes great responsibility. We see this downfall come in Genesis 3 with the snake tempting Eve, who tempts Adam with the fruit of the tree of knowing Good and Evil. This tree was the one tree that God said not to eat from, and they still did it, knowing God provided plenty of other food. 

Humans are to use their resources wisely. We should use what God has given us to fulfill the purpose of why we have these resources in the first place. It’s a way to keep us accountable. If we’re not using our resources and gifts wisely, we’ll know it and deal with its consequences. If we are, we’ll also know it and see its response. 

Do you know what your gifts are? Great! Pray and ask God how you can use them in a way that honors him. One of my gifts is writing, and I’ve used these gifts over the last three years to write about how God has impacted my life and how I can share my testimony with others. It’s been a massive blessing to me, and I know it’s been a blessing to others. Watching my writing style and ability grow and adapt over the years has been fun and leaves me super hopeful for the future.

Do you need help finding out your gifts? That’s okay. I encourage you to pray. Find spiritual gifts test online to gain an idea of what your gifts are. Once you have completed it, see what areas you can impact your community. You don’t have to use your gifts in the church only, but in the community you’re a part of. Maybe you use your gifts at your office or the local coffee shop you visit daily. Maybe you use your gifts within your family somehow. All of it is between you and God. 

God’s Blessing is a Biggie

The blessing from God is something that we don’t think about in our day-to-day lives. At least, I don’t. Let’s look at it closely. We find this blessing in Genesis 1:28

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and the animals that scurry along the ground.”

God gave these three commands to humanity: 

• Be fruitful and multiply
•  Fill the earth and govern it
•  Reign over the living creatures. 

Being fruitful in this sense is to have an abundance of productive work or bear an abundance of children. God wants humans to fill the earth with people. We’re to fill it and govern it. The Hebrew word for govern here is interesting because it could change how we understand it. The word is kabash (kaw-bash’) which means to subdue or to bring into bondage. For our Genesis 1:28 context, it means to subdue or dominate the earth. The only other place this word gets used is in Zechariah 9:15 in the context of winning a battle. Here’s my best shot at sharing my perception of this given our context: humans are to fill the earth and keep it under control from influences that aren’t from God. This understanding comes from how I’m interpreting Zechariah 9:15 because that talks about how God’s army will protect his people and defeat their enemies. For me, it’s sharing how we’re to make sure that the enemies of the world don’t come in and cause chaos. Then we are to rule over the rest of the living creatures. Making sure that they operate in the manner that God created them for. For me, it’s ensuring that their environments are safe and healthy for them to live in, having enough healthy food and water to survive with, and doing what’s needed to protect them from predators, hunters, etc. It’s ensuring that we care for the ecosystem God created so that all living creatures can survive and thrive according to God’s intended purpose. 

Let’s wrap this up here. I’m glad I broke this into two messages because this would have been a lot to soak in combined with the last. We talked about the value of genealogies in how it shares the stories of our past, connects us to Jesus, and shows our value to God as a human. We talked about the authority God gave humanity and how we can use our gifts wisely to honor God and follow his purpose and promise for the world. We then discussed how the blessing God gives us is a huge responsibility to take care of the ecosystem that God created not only for us but for all living creatures. 

Next week, explore the last day of creation and the use of the Sabbath as God intended. Until then, stay blessed!