Day 6: Hello You
That time God made people
Maybe it’s because I’ve been around people my whole life, but it’s not very often I find myself totally in awe of the miracle of a person. I’ve never said, “Wow, look at that human person! They have a face! They’re walking around! Whoa, sounds are coming out of their mouths.” Yeah, I mean, people are…people. Different shapes and sizes, sure. But nothing extraordinary.
I felt this way my whole life…until I experienced childbirth.
I’ve brought two girls into this world and both experiences were surreal in their own ways. To be totally honest, I was a bit of a whiner through both pregnancies and was more than happy to get them out of my body. (We should talk about the weirdness and miracle of carrying a human life inside of a body sometime). As per my usual way of moving through the world, I went into labor pretty much ignorant of the process. I like surprises.
I’ll never forget the birth of my first daughter. After several harrowing hours, some rather uncomfortable and disgusting moments, my little girl burst into this world in all her glory. My first thought:
“Oh my gosh, she looks like me.”
Honestly, what did I expect? Well, I expected a baby. I wasn’t prepared to see an image of myself staring back up at me.
Now that we’ve been studying the creation account in Genesis 1, I wonder if my response might actually resonate with God’s response on day six. Let’s take a look.
It’s a boy! And a girl!
Our first major observation at this point in the poem is this: The world is pretty crowded. God has made the elephants and rhinos and flamingos and crocodiles…you know, every animal. He’s wrestled with the playful sea monsters. He threw some birds up into the air. He’s got sky rulers doing their thing in the heavens.
You’d think it would be enough. Yet our God is not yet satisfied.
Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.Genesis 1:26-27
If you’re paying attention, these verses might surprise you. You might be expecting to read about how God formed man out of the dust of the earth, but you’re one chapter too early. In fact, Genesis 2 is another creation account, meant to be read alongside, yet separately, from the Genesis 1 poem.
In our verses today, we see that God created male and female, both in his own image.
For the first time, God made something that mirrors Himself. The creation of humanity reflects something of God’s nature—rationality, morality, relationality, and authority.
Assigned with Mission
Unlike the other creatures that make up the sea and sky realms, humans are given a specific task:
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.”
-Genesis 1:28
Let’s make some observations from this verse:
This is the first time in God’s creative work that He blesses. The blessing is in the following instructions.
Humanity is tasked to fill the earth with more humanity. God’s desires to load up the world with more of His image. This reflects His primary concern for His glory.
Man and woman are to work together to subdue and possess dominion over the rest of creation. Everything from the tigers and bears to the sea monsters. Man is given the authority to rule and reign over creation as kings and queens.
Remember, we’re not yet at the story of creation and humanity’s fall into sin. So, as we read this blessing, we are to remember that this gift to humans is still true for us today.
Did you wake up this morning feeling like a lion tamer? You are!
Everything You Need
It’s pretty amazing that God would call us to reign alongside of Him. But God doesn’t stop at the blessing. He also provides:
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
-Genesis 1:29-30
God never does anything half-way. In these two verses alone, the word “every” and “everything” is used a collective seven times. The Hebrew people thought of “seven” as the number for completion. What does God give to humanity so completely? Everything they need to flourish in this world. God never intended for His creation to live a single day in want or lack.
One horrific aspect of the fall in Genesis 3 is the contrast set in Genesis 1—Adam and Eve take for themselves when God has given them everything already.
It’s Very Good
The conclusion to this day of creation is unique:
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
-Genesis 1:31
We can almost picture God standing back, the way an artist stands back from the canvas, marveling at the result. The end of the creative work isn’t just good…it’s very good.
The truth is, we have only ever known life in a broken world. But the grace of God is this: The goodness still has moments of breaking through. Everything from sailing a vessel across the chaotic waters, the wonder of cultivating plants, to birthing children and watching them grow—this world is full of very good.
What does the God of the universe decide to do after six days of creative labors? Let’s look at day seven next.