3. Fill the Earth and Subdue It

Introduction

Man and woman, God's most glorious creation. The only creatures the Lord made in His image and likeness. For the rest of creation, God spoke and it was so; only for this special creation did He form and sculpt them. After He created these image bearers, the Lord placed them in a marvelous garden and there He gave them this blessing and charge.

This is what has become known as the creation mandate. God gave Adam and Eve the task of having children to fill the earth and ruling over His creation. This was not just the responsibility of our first parents Adam and Eve, but also our responsibility. It is our job to take dominion of the earth and rule over it for our King. We are also to be fruitful and produce worshippers for the King and train them to rule over creation.

A Blessing

In our rebellion against God, we have forgotten the goodness of His design and how it is to our benefit. We view this charge to have children and to take dominion of the earth as a curse. But we shouldn't. God does not give us work to make our lives difficult, but rather for our good. When God gave the creation mandate, Scripture says He blessed them.

Consider the flow of this passage. God did not say, "Do this work then receive the blessings," but rather, "I am giving you this gift of working in this creation I made." Even in the next couple of verses, God gives them the plants, trees, and animals to use and care for. Our work is a gift. Our charge to multiply and subdue the earth is a blessing.

This idea of work being a blessing is a foreign idea to us. We lazily seek a life of ease, but, dear friend, the Lord has prepared great things for us to accomplish. We were created to bring glory to God, and He is pleased to appoint us as stewards of His creation. This stewardship is an honorable calling. We are not peasants that the Lord has imprisoned to forced labor in His field; rather, we have been placed in a position of authority as caretakers. Praise the Lord that He has lifted us to such a high estate.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

Sex was not given for pleasure alone. Sex is not a mere recreational activity but a glorious, purposeful act that results in the creation of a new image bearer. This does not mean that the sole purpose of sex is pregnancy and that it is sinful to have pleasure in sex. God designed sex to be pleasurable and has also limited how often women can get pregnant in their biology. That being said, we cannot separate the act from its natural results.

God commanded us to reproduce. We were made to reproduce. In fact, women are specifically designed for bearing children, from a womb to carry a child to breasts to feed that child.

We are to multiply and fill the earth. It glorifies God to have His image bearers produce more image bearers. It is the Lord's will to have the earth filled with His image bearers and for them to worship Him.

Christian couples should not view children as an optional addition but a fruitful blessing to be desired. Psalm 127 tells us children are a gift from the Lord that we should desire like a precious treasure. Having children and raising them to love the Lord richly blesses Christian marriages, for it gives them aid in the work of taking dominion of the earth. You are on a mission to subdue the earth for the Lord, and children are essential for carrying on that mission. You rule over God's creation as His steward and you are raising your children to rule after you.

Subdue the Earth

Everything we do is ruling over creation. We have been given authority by God to be the rulers of creation and we are held responsible for what we do with that authority. Matthew 25:14-30 tells the parable of a master who entrusted his property to his servants. The master gives five talents (units of money) to one servant, two talents to a second servant, and one talent to another servant. The servant with five talents and the servant with two talents go out and double their money, but the servant with one talent does nothing with it and instead buries it in the ground.

The creation mandate can be compared to this parable. God is the master and we are the servants. Everything He has given us are the talents. He has entrusted us with His property and we can either turn a profit on it, do nothing with it, or do damage to it.

Everything you do is an exercise of your authority over creation. You can do damage to it by overhunting or carelessly littering. You can do nothing with your authority and let chaos take over, such as by sitting idly on the couch all day watching YouTube videos and letting weeds overrun the flowerbed. God will hold us accountable for how we cared for His world.

Beloved, now is the time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Subduing the earth may look different for each of us. God has gifted each of us in different ways and has entrusted us with different things. Whether that be keeping a garden, building cabins, creating pottery, keeping chickens, hunting wild game, mowing grass, keeping bees, making maple syrup, planting trees, building bonfires, walking dogs, fishing streams, or tanning leather. Use the gifts God has given you to take dominion over all that God has entrusted you with and know that you are doing this all to the glory of God alone.

Work Cited

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved