There is a concept in Scripture that I don’t hear people talk about very much. I believe it is one of the most important ideas in the Bible and, unfortunately, one of the most neglected as well. It is the idea that we as humans were created to rule and reign over all that God has made. The very first thing spoken about human beings is when God says, “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, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Gen. 1:26, NIV). We then have the very famous verse about God making humans in His image, male and female (vs. 27), and then it says that 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” (vs. 28). We were made to rule.
In the last chapter of the Bible, we have a picture of the final state of creation, when God has put everything to right and reversed the effects of the fall and curse. In this passage we read, “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:3-5). Did you catch that? We will reign for ever and ever.
In the first chapter of the Bible, we are told that humans were created to rule. In the last chapter of the Bible, we are told that our final destiny is to rule. This must be a pretty important concept, but I don’t think I have ever heard a sermon about what this means. And I think I know why.
Just about every example of authority … no wait … every single example of authority we have ever known has been corrupt. Every ruler, every king, every president, every boss, every parent, every person in any position of authority that we have ever known has in some way disappointed us. World history seems to be litany of examples of people in authority who use their power to exploit others for the benefit of their self or their tribe. And so we have come to accept as true the axiom: power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believe this causes Bible teachers to recoil from exploring and teaching this concept that we are created and destined to rule and reign. But suppose it is not power that corrupts. What if it is not power that corrupts people, but corruption present in people that causes them to abuse their power? What if our understanding of power and authority has been so colored by our experience in a fallen world that we no longer have a sense of what God intended when He created us to rule and reign?
Consider the following fish story. Suppose a friend calls you and says, “Can you take care of my fish?” You tell him, “Sure, no problem,” and you agree that he will bring it over the next day. When he arrives, he has a fish tank with a fish in it, and a small box with several other items. You open the box and find a frying pan, a filet knife, some butter, lemon and parsley. What did he mean by “take care of my fish”?
Now suppose another friend calls you up and also asks, “Can you take care of my fish?” You tell him, “I would love to,” and you agree that he will bring it over the next day. When he arrives, he brings a tank with a fish in it, and a bag of supplies. In the bag you discover some fish food, some water conditioner solution, and a water filter replacement cartridge. You realize at once what he meant by the question, “Can you take care of my fish?”
We all interpret the meaning of words by the context in which they are spoken. But that includes more than just the surrounding words or sentence, it also includes the situational context. In each of the scenarios above, the words were exactly the same, but the meaning was not only different, they were the exact opposite! How do you know what is meant by the question, “Can you take care of my fish?” How do you know if your friend expects you to kill and eat the fish or to keep the fish alive? You know what he means by the supplies he provides.
I believe this is why we see so little teaching about what it means for humans to rule over creation. Because we define the word rule by our own experience rather than the context of the Genesis passage. Our minds are so locked into our understanding of power and authority based on our experience, that we miss the very words on the page. When we take a closer look, we can see that God’s definition of rule is the exact opposite of ours.
Immediately following God’s command to rule (Gen. 1:28), we read,
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 in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
In other words, God is asking us to take care of His fish. And we only know what He means when we look at the supplies that He gives us to do it.