Genesis 1:26 let them have dominion (partial quote)

Yesterday in my devotional Bad Joke, I left off with the question; what value does food have to immortal creatures? It gets worse. I could not just leave it go at that. I had to go one step further.

I had to ask myself, what purpose is there in dominion over things that cannot die? You do not need to care for them because they will neither need to eat nor die.

Dominion without purpose is meaningless. Dominion without purpose becomes work and work is a four letter word. Work without purpose is tedious, unfulfilling, and will eventually feel like a trap akin to slavery. Man needs to have purpose. Purpose inspires performance.

Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

In this God gave Adam purpose. Eve? Nope sorry, do not jump ahead.

Genesis 2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

Every creature had others of their kind but Adam was alone in his kind. If in this you see that Adam needed someone to populate the earth, you miss the point. God create Eve to cure Adam’s loneliness.

Don’t we all seek to end the loneliness? Dominion and purpose without companionship is an empty bottomless pit that can never be filled. You will never feel fulfilled without relationship.

Here in the origins of creation we find the reason God created all the works of His hands, relationship. God’s intent is to end loneliness. 

Genesis 1:26-30 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. 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.” 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. (ESV)

Our Youth Pastor took a turn at the pulpit Sunday and after quoting this verse said in effect; “This sounds like we were meant to be Vegan. I don’t know if I can handle that. I love me some good bar-b-que.”

After the service I pulled him aside and said to him, “Nothing died until sin entered in. No death, no bar-b-que.” We laughed uneasily. It was a bad joke. What I pondered later was even more disturbing. What value is there in food to immortal creatures? You cannot die, so where is the value in food?