Our First Job

God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals.” And God said, “Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food.” And so it was.
--Genesis 1:28-30

This passage, given that it takes us back to the beginning of the story, necessarily poses the question of purpose. What did God say for man to do? “Be fruitful and multiply (possibly the only command of God that people have never been upset about following), fill the earth, subdue it and rule over it.” This is the job that God gave to humanity in the beginning. Now before we take this too far, consider for a minute exactly what there was to be done in the beginning? What jobs were available? Nothing needed to be planted, nothing needed to be fought, nothing needed to be rebuilt—there were no employees to manage, no checkbooks to balance, and no dinners to be made. There was only this new creation that needed to be overseen and looked out for—a job that previously had been solely the realm of God. But God comes to Adam and says, “I want you to help me manage this new creation. I’m giving it to you to feed and sustain you, and I want you to take charge of it.” Adam—who had been created in the image of God—is given the incredible opportunity to participate meaningfully in the work of God in the world. Adam got to be a part of what God was doing in the world.

So from the very beginning, we see that God intended for man to be a part of the work that He was doing. God did not create man and leave him to do his own thing. He did not create man and give him something meaningless to do. He created him and gave him the incredible opportunity to do the work of God in the world.

This, however, poses the question—what all are we supposed to be doing now, if we were designed to do the work of God in the world?

Comments

[Nate]

For me it all comes back to Micah 6:8 --

"Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God." That jibes nicely, of course, with the Greatest Commandment.

Where we as flawed, fallen human beings get confused is defining these things: what is justice? What is mercy? To whom are we supposed to do justice, to show mercy? We get bogged down in semantics and realize that the overarching principles here, compassion, humility, obedience, are what matter.

There aren't any seeds to plant now, for most of us; not literal seeds, anyway. But the greatest commandment is always relevant, always above us, always possible, and always true.