Genesis 1:14–31 · Day 2 of the Daily Devotion Series
"And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
— Genesis 1:26–27 (KJV)
After the foundation was laid on Days 1–3 — light, sky, and land — God now fills and governs His creation. Days 4–6 correspond beautifully to Days 1–3: the heavenly lights (Day 4) fill the day and night of Day 1; birds and fish (Day 5) fill the sky and sea of Day 2; land creatures and man (Day 6) fill the earth of Day 3. There is a magnificent, intentional order to creation.
But the crown of creation, the final act of Day 6, is something entirely different: the creation of man. God pauses. He deliberates — "Let us make man" — signaling a divine council, a Trinitarian consultation. What is about to be created is not merely another animal. It is an image-bearer. It is a representative of the Godhead in the created realm. It is you.
Critically: this dominion mandate, this grant of authority over creation, is given before the fall. Before sin. Before the enemy. Before any curse. God did not grant you dominion as a consolation prize — He designed you for it from the very beginning of your existence. You are not fighting for a victory — you are enforcing one already declared.
Genesis 1:14–19 — Day Four
"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years."
God creates the sun, moon, and stars on Day 4 — not as gods (as the surrounding nations worshipped them), but as instruments He made to serve His purposes. The Hebrew word for "seasons" (moadim) is the same word used for Israel's sacred feasts and appointed times with God. The very celestial calendar points to divine appointments. There is a time and season for everything in your life — and God set it up before you were born.
Genesis 1:20–23 — Day Five
"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth... And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply."
The first recorded blessing in Scripture is spoken over creatures. Before man is even created, God is already in the business of blessing. And notice the content of the blessing: fruitfulness and multiplication. This is not just biological reproduction — it is a divine principle embedded in creation. You were made by a God who blesses, and the nature of His blessing is to make you fruitful and cause you to multiply.
Genesis 1:24–25 — Day Six, Part One
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind... and God saw that it was good."
Land creatures fill the earth — but notice there is still no explicit blessing given to the animals here, no language of dominion or image-bearing. The animals are good. But something greater is coming. God is setting the stage for His masterpiece. The best is saved for last.
Genesis 1:26 — The Divine Council
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..."
This is the most significant sentence in the creation narrative. The plural "us" and "our" reveals the Trinitarian nature of God — Father, Son, and Spirit in perfect, loving communion — consulting, agreeing, purposing together. Man is not an afterthought. Man is the result of divine deliberation. And the decision: to make man in God's image (tselem) and after His likeness (demuth). Image suggests structural similarity — we are designed to reflect God. Likeness suggests functional similarity — we are designed to operate as God operates in the earth.
Genesis 1:26–28 — The Dominion Mandate
"...and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth... And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it."
Four action words define man's mandate: (1) Be fruitful — produce, create, generate; (2) Multiply — increase and expand; (3) Replenish the earth — fill it to capacity; (4) Subdue it — bring it under management. And over this, dominion — the Hebrew radah, meaning to rule, to govern, to administer. This is not exploitation — this is vice-regency. Man is God's representative government on earth. And this was established before the enemy ever showed up.
Genesis 1:31 — Very Good
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."
Every other day ended with "good." After man is created, it becomes "very good" — tov meod. Exceedingly, abundantly good. Man's presence in creation elevates the assessment. You are not a problem to be managed. You are the reason creation was completed. God looked at you — made in His image, mandated with dominion — and said: this is very good.
You are an image-bearer — act like one. You were not created to be dominated by fear, anxiety, sickness, sin, or circumstances. You were created to bear God's image and exercise His authority. When fear whispers "you have no power," remind it: "I am made in the image of the Almighty God, and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Your dominion mandate predates the enemy's attacks. The enemy did not show up until Chapter 3 — and by then, the dominion mandate was already established in Chapter 1. You are not playing catch-up with the devil. Your authority was established before he ever tried to usurp it. Walk in your pre-Fall identity, not your post-Fall fear.
Be fruitful in every sphere of your life. The mandate to "be fruitful and multiply" applies to every domain: your relationships, your gifts, your ministry, your work, your character. God's blessing is not passive — it is active. Fruitfulness requires planting, watering, tending. Cooperate with the blessing on your life today.
God says "very good" about you. Not just "okay." Not "acceptable." Not "tolerable." Very good. The enemy wants you to see yourself as broken, worthless, or beneath God's care. But God saw you — in His foreknowledge, in His divine plan — and said: very good. Let this truth silence every voice of condemnation today.
Father God, Creator of all things — I thank You that You did not create me by accident. Before the foundation of the world, You deliberated about me. You designed me in Your image, after Your likeness, and You gave me a mandate of dominion and fruitfulness. I receive that mandate today. I refuse every lie that says I am weak, powerless, or without purpose. I am an image-bearer of the Most High God. I walk in the authority You have given me. I will be fruitful in every area of my life. Thank You that when You look at me, You see "very good" — not because of my perfection, but because of what You declared over me in Christ Jesus. I will walk in this identity today and every day. In Jesus' name, Amen.