Creation Days: The Sixth Day (evening)

 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion..."

Genesis 1:26

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The heavens gave light and the waters brought forth life, so too does the sixth day begin with a multitude of creatures manifested on land. They are made many, each endowed with distinct attributes by a mindful Creator to imitate God's deeds in type. The jealousy of a she-bear for her cubs, the adornment of the butterfly bursting from entombment, the regal ferocity of a lion or the humble tenderness of the lamb. All a complex mosaic of images that manifest how God will interact with His creation. Each unique domain is given a multitude of creatures, the earth's void finally satisfied with life. God's act of filling the earth is seized.

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Finally, mankind is made as crown of the creation. Formed in the image and likeness of God, he is both a part of the creation and above it, over which he is to have dominion.

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Man's dominion over creation is to be threefold: as preist, king and prophet. As priest, he is to hear the Word of the Lord, establish boundaries and guard against transgressors by dividing them from his flock. In this sense, man is to keep the earth pure- a task which Adam failed by allowing the serpent to remain in the garden and persuade Eve. As king, he is to perceive the world in wisdom and perform aesthetic transformation, bringing the world from glory to glory. For Adam, this involved giving names to the creatures and tending the garden, forming it in beauty to become the perfect image of its heavenly archetype. As prophet, he is to ascend into heaven as mediator for the creation, to speak before God as a divine councilor, then distribute the blessings of the Lord to all that are in his fold. Mankind is to grow into this final role, and while paradise was lost before Adam attains this task himself, the saints achieve this work throughout history by the power of the Spirit. Made in His image, man is to do all things God does: to establish, divide, perceive, name and form the creation that all may be blessed and transfigured, thus fulfilling his purpose as royal mediator over the cosmos.

Part 9 of 12 of the Creation Days series