Genesis 1:28-31 Blessed, Directed and Fed

"God blessed them and said to them,

'Be fruitful and increase in number;

fill the earth and subdue it.

Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air

and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'

Then God said,

'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth

and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.

They will be yours for food.

And to all the beasts of the earth

and all the birds of the air

and all the creatures that move on the ground --

everything that has the breath of life in it --

I give every green plant for food.'

And it was so.

God saw all that he had made,

and it was very good.

And there was evening and there was morning --

the sixth day."

Genesis 1:28-31 (NIV)

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As we've already covered in the previous section, God created man and woman on the sixth day of creation.  Both are created in the image of God, and both receive the blessing which occurs in this section.

God directs Adam and Eve to be fruitful and increase in number.  They are to fill the earth and exercise dominion over it.  As God's representatives in this earthly realm, this implies that they are not to exploit the resources given to them, or the creatures over which they rule, but to manage them effectively for the good of creature and mankind alike, for the glory of God.

Apparently mankind was originally vegetarian, for God gives Adam and Eve every seed-bearing plant and every tree that has fruit with seed in it for their food.  The other creatures are given every green plant for food. 

I found it interesting, but don't know if it is significant, that God specified the seed-bearing aspect of the plants and fruit which were to be food for humans.  In contrast, the beasts, birds and creatures which move on the ground seemed to have been given every green plant for food, with no mention of whether these had seeds or not.

[After all the effort to grow seedless watermelons and other fruit, wouldn't it be ironic if there was something in the seeds which was actually especially good for us?!]

Several times during the discussion of God's work of creation on specific days, God declares His work "good". (Genesis 1:10; 1:12; 1:18; 1:21; 1:25)   At the end of this passage, though, "...God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."  Just sayin'.  [This is probably partly why I get a little testy when people say that men and women are just another form of animal, instead of acknowledging that humans are made in God's image.]