Day 6: Land Ceatures and Man
1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
5 creative 24 hour days, 120 hours, have now lapsed, and on this 6th day land animals will be brought into being filling up the terrestrial biosphere to be topped off by Mankind in God's image. There is a Judgement of "good" as the animal kinds came into existence, and there is a "very good" pronounced after mankind is created, charged with rule over all these works, provisioned with food, and charged to be fruitful. This is all accomplished within earth hours 121 to 144. That last hour of the 6th day is interesting, as at that number, 144 hour, the work of creation is ended, completed. 12 x 12 also being 144 it reminds me of the tribes of Israel and the disciples, the 12 foundations to the wall of the city of lights and its 12 gates of pearl. To say nothing of the 144,000 composed of 12,000 of each of the 12 tribes in the book of Revelations. The next 24 hours will be a day of rest.
If we take the creation of man, both male and female, as finished on this day, then the detailed events of chapter 2: vs 5-25 are a closer look at the day 6 events. There, the naming of the animals and Adams deep sleep, out of which the woman was made, happened within this 6th period. If so, and it seems it was, that was a busy day. But before man, their caretaker, the land animals are created.
Gen 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
The periodic table of elements and physical chemistry are set in motion on days 1-3, and out of that chemistry there was added another layer of complexity making biochemistry, an intelligence controlled operation: establishing the "after its kind" living-organism realm. Thus there is a continuity of inanimate matter with in animate vegetative matter. Day 5 and 6 brought another layer of complexity to the biosystem nephesh, breathing, living kinds, that will use the vegetative kinds for food. That symbiotic relationship was designed and its completion brings forth a "very good" pronouncement. Cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and metabolism show forth the wisdom and power of the creator. The information driven DNA/RNA molecular systems drive the realities of "after their kinds". These facts make it inexcuseable for any man not to recognise the Creator God. His works are obvious.
Gen 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Living cells and cell products come from preexisting cells and cell products. The amount of time it takes to assemble a living cell can not exceed the shelf life of the shortest lived part involved in its construction. Some of these essential parts last only milli- seconds before they are no longer viable outside of a finished living cell. So, deep time is excluded, by the very necessity of the enterprise. Living things shout out loud, "God made this by fiat decree in a nanosecond of time."
Lastly, might there be a rudimentary classification system hinted at in "beast of the earth...cattle...creeping thing"?
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
In day one, verse 1, the verb, to create, a singular verb, had a plural subject, Elohim. It was noted there: that the 3 persons of the Godhead: the Father, the Word and the Spirit was suggested there. Here in v26 we have plural pronouns, "us" and "our": And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: these observations only have one explanation: in the personal nature of God there exists some form of plurality making love, purpose, fidelity, affection, moral and aesthetic judgement, and much else that makes persons objective persons in relations with each other; Thus, that image and likeness, tells us much about mankind: for men and women are certainly persons.
Here, also, a purpose and calling is decreed for mankind: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. The breadth of this charge is sweeping, covering all the physical, biological, cultural, managerial, governmental aspects of terrestrial life on earth. And that government is explicitly elaborated by the words: in our image and after our likeness, the personal aspects of mankind's unique creation. The personal obligations and relationships, joys and pleasures mankind has in families, societies, occupations and fellowships, all get their reflected light from the glory of their creator. We can be skilled, wise, knowing, loving, and responsible as we receive life from Him. This world and its systematic order were meant for mankind's use and development of it in godliness.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
In v26 Divine council is witnessed in Let us make and in let them have. Here, in v27 "God created", we have effective results proclaimed which in that council were purposed and which in that decree were provided for. The express image of God is the Incarnate Son of God, The LORD Jesus Christ. Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; so then, the incarnation was the life/light that was to be reflected and shaped in mankind. Joh 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Notice that man (Adam) is singular in the image: created He him, and also plural: created He them. Mankind singularly is created in the image as a kind, and both the male and the female, both persons, are also equally created in the image. It will take persons, families, children, cities, societies and nations of persons to fill up the creation mandate being fruitful and filling up the earth, all reflecting the glory and forming out the holiness of their creator. How unique in creation are persons? How high and responsible are mankind's callings?
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Such is mankind in the image of God, that He blesses them. The blessing functions in the equipping and the establishing of them in the personal and sociological realities of which that very wide charge will require: Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill out and up the earth. Faithful, diligent, intelligent, crafty, loving, and righteous persons, strong and wise, having children and families, is what it will take to realize this calling. They will have to utilize the power God gives to them to understand and subdue this wide creation and rule over it. God's power holds it together and mankind will have to understand how that works and employ that understanding to flourish in it. This is evident where the apostle Paul speaks to the Athenian philosophers: Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Act 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
This creation mandate, this calling and charge, is the foundation of natural philosophy and science, all the intellectual and physical disciplines that it will take to fulfill it. All the creativity, engineering, and work, all the planning, social collaborations and government, art and intuition, all of life is involved in this responsible stewardship. Mans basic fuel in this effort, his meat, is provided for in the next verse as well as meat for the living forms that are under mans dominion.
Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Behold, is a command to notice and study a thing. I have given you, is a declaration of provision. That thing to be studied is the providence of "meat"; both for the man and the animals. Agriculture and animal husbandry are large complex employments; all are involved with "meat", food. These callings will take not just the realms of horticultural and agriculture but also botany, physiology and chemistry. To say nothing of medicine, nutrition, and manufacturing. A basic principal here is: work requires energy. And a second is like unto it: systems require feeding and cultivation.
All that said, the day ends with a superlative judgement of good: Very good.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Again notice: God sees everything He had made, and then bids mankind "behold". And what mankind is to observe and consider is Gods own evaluation of His finished product as well as the 6 day process of fiat (verbal decrees) that creation rests upon. That evaluation is a divine judgement announcing: Very good. 144 hours now past, God reiterates the 6th ordinal passage of Day-ones original 24 hour period.
Truths: 1 Living things were created in seconds; 2 Man is to have dominion over creation; 3 Mankind is male and female;
4 Purpose and meaning are real; 5 Human life is sacred, murder a crime; 6 Work is mans creative calling;
7 Providence supplies mans needs; 8 The word of God upholds all reality; 9 Science engineering manufacturing=blessing;
10 Honor fidelity loyalty and love are callings; 11 The universe took 6 days to create; 12 The earth and space are young;
13 Man was created with standard language; 14 Man is created inherently intelligent; 15 True truth exists;
16 Lies exist; 17 Mankind will face a final judgement before God
Lies: 1 Living things evolve in deep time; 2 Man is not distinct from the creation; 3 Mankind is whatever they want to be;
4 Purpose and meaning are illusion; 5 Human life is arbitrary, death irrelevant; 6 Work is mans slavery to his stomach;
7 Man must claw and war for his needs; 8 Mater upholds itself reality is irrational; 9 Work is curse, make others do it=slaves;
10 Pride utility trickery and sex are drives; 11 Billions of years makes a universe; 12 The earth and space are very old;
13 language is random arbitrary symbols; 14 Man is inherently beast like; 15 True truth can never exist;
16 Lie is a meaningless arbitrary category; 17 As to judgement, Man is the only god
DGB
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