GOD'S CALL TO FATHERS

INTRODUCTION

Genesis 1:26 NLT

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

Person = Adam

132 I. אָדָם (ʾā·ḏām): Str 120; 1. person, human, i.e., a single human being of either sex; 2. humankind, mankind, a class of being created by God without regard to sex, with a focus as a class of creature, distinct from animals, plants, or even spiritual beings; 3. unit: בֵּן אָדָם (bēn ʾā·ḏām) 1 low class person, formally, son of man, i.e., a person of low status, implying poverty; 4. בֵּן אָדָם (bēn ʾā·ḏām) human, formally, son of man, i.e., a person who is in the class of humanity, as contrasted to other classes of supernatural beings

Since the “great enlightenment” period of civilization, man has sought an alternative to creation by a loving Father to find meaning and value.

Since Karl Marx, there has been a school of thought that is not defined by right and wrong - good and evil, as was the prevailing sentiment throughout history. This new stream of thought separates based on wealth, skin color, power, gender, class, etc. It is divisive in nature, as is good and evil. But wherein division by morality produces peace, order and increase, division by any other standard produces nothing but division, suffering, chaos, and destruction.

Genesis 1:27–28 NLT

27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 2:15 NLT

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.

Tend =

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) 6268 עָבַד

6268 עָבַד (ʿā·ḇǎḏ): v.; ≡ Str 5647; TWOT 1553—1. LN 42.7–42.28 (qal) work, labor, do, i.e., expend considerable energy and intensity in a task or function (Ge 2:5; Ex 5:18), note: this is highly generic term for almost any activity; (pual) be worked (Dt 21:3+); (hif) work (Ex 1:13; 2Ch 2:17[EB 18]; Eze 29:18+); 2. LN 35.19–35.30 (qal) serve, be a slave, be indentured, i.e., give considerable energy and intensity to give aid to another, often in a social arrangement of having lower status than free (Lev 25:46; 2Sa 16:19); (pual) be made a slave or indentured servant (Isa 14:3+); (hif) reduce to servitude, enslave (Ex 6:5; Jer 17:4+), note: for a focus on possession and low status, see also domain LN 87.76–87.86; 3. LN 53.53–53.64 (qal) worship, serve, minister, work in ministry, i.e., give energy and devotion to God or a god, including ceremonies (Ex 23:24, 25); (hof) be made to serve (Ex 20:5+); 4. LN 22.21–22.28 (hif) burden, i.e., cause an unfavorable circumstance or hardship to another (Isa 43:23, 24+); 5. LN 43 (qal) cultivate, plow, i.e., work soil (with or without an animal) as part of the agricultural process (Ge 4:2; Isa 30:24); (nif) plowed, be cultivated (Dt 21:4; Ecc 5:8[EB 9]; Eze 36:9, 34+), note: for MT text in Ge 47:21; Isa 23:10; Jer 15:14, see 6296; note: further study may yield more domains; 6. LN 43 unit: אִישׁ עָבַד אֲדָמָה (ʾîš ʿā·ḇǎḏ ʾǎḏā·mā(h))1 farmer, formally, man working soil (Zec 13:5+)

Watch over =

1) keep, i.e., cause a state or condition to remain; be kept, set aside; keep oneself; 2. guard, watch, i.e., limit access and movement of persons or objects in and out of an area, implying protection to or from the object being guarded; be secured; 3. observe, keep, i.e., obey a command with diligence and in detail observe for oneself 4. be careful, beware, pay attention, make sure, watch oneself, guard oneself, i.e., learn or remember information and take care to watch for dangers be careful; 5. care for, tend, keep, attend to, take care of an object, implying concern for the objects cared for this can be animals or other objects; cared for revere, cling to, i.e., have a worshipful trust and reliance on an object of deity, as an extension of carefully guarding or caring for an object; cling to, revere, care for.

Man is at his best when he serves and protects.

Before you plant a garden, build a fence.

Later in the chapter, in vs. 19 - 20 God creates animals and lets Adam name them.

We were, and still are, co-workers with the Father in His creation of the universe and humanity.

In a beautiful illustration of God’s heart for fruitfulness, we see Adam unable to find someone with whom he could have true unity and purpose from among all of creation.

I used to think that God looked at Adam and Said: “I can do better than that,” so He made woman.

But in reality, God could not express His true nature in one gender; thus He said to create us in His image He must make us male and female. But before He built the place of fruitfulness, He built the fence.

When people don’t fulfill their God-given purpose, everyone suffers.

Mark Twain said this:

The two most important days in your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why.

John Donne [1572-1631] was born in London, England.

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