seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
a. Genesis 1:26 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth
I imagine God and Jesus working together on the "earth" project together. Just like a father and son working on a project for school or a lego project or putting together a model earth. Of course God's spirit was present in the project as well. They were enjoying themselves. They were being creative and crafty.
God made man at the top of the food chain. He gave man something special. The enduringword.com commentary lists the special aspects.
- Man alone has a natural countenance looking upward
- Man alone has such a variety of facial expressions
- Man alone has a sense of shame expressing itself in a blush
- Man alone speaks
- Man alone possesses personality, morality, and spirituality
- It means humans possess personality: knowledge, feelings, and a will. This sets man apart from all animals and plants
- It means humans possess morality: we are able to make moral judgments and have a conscience
- It means humans possess spirituality: man is made for communion with God. It is on the level of spirit we communicate with God
Man is the crowning touch on the work that God and Jesus did together. Man is the most complex creation on earth.
The phrase "you are special" has almost become in insult in some circles. The truth is, we are set apart from every other living thing on earth. We truly are special in the eyes of God. He gave us work to do. We are to rule. He didn't tell the guppy, whale, tree frog, or eagle to rule. He told us to rule over the animals.
