Genesis 1:22 Daily Devotional & Meaning – God’s Blessing of Fruitfulness and Abundance

Daily Verses Everyday! Day 6

“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”

We touched upon this in the last verse, but it’s important to emphasize the intentionality of God’s command. He not only created the sea creatures and birds but also blessed them with the ability to reproduce, to fill the seas and the skies. This is the first time in Scripture that we see God giving a blessing directly to His creation, and the blessing itself is tied to fruitfulness and multiplication. Life is not meant to stagnate but to flourish. Every fish, bird, and creature is part of a design that points to abundance. Even now, when we look at the endless varieties of birds and the teeming life in the oceans, we are reminded of this original blessing. Creation itself reflects God’s generosity and His desire for life to thrive in its fullness.

The first command in Genesis 1:28 says, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” And this is the very first commandment and blessing given to humanity, a call to fruitfulness and to increase in number.

I think that it’s interesting that even when sin entered the world, this commandment has never been rebuked, nor has God challenged humanity or the creatures of the Earth for not fulfilling this commandment. In fact, despite the brokenness that came after the Fall, the Earth still echoes with this blessing. The seas continue to teem with life, birds still fill the skies, and humanity has indeed multiplied and spread throughout the Earth. It’s as though this first blessing of fruitfulness stands as a constant reminder of God’s original intent for creation, which is to be alive, to grow, and to overflow with abundance.

What’s even more remarkable is that this command to be fruitful is not tied to moral perfection. Animals don’t obey it because they’re righteous, and humanity hasn’t been stripped of it because of sin. Instead, it flows out of God’s original blessing, something so deeply woven into creation that even the curse of sin cannot undo it. This reveals something profound about God’s character: His purposes endure, and His blessings are not easily revoked. The world may groan under the weight of sin, but God’s desire for life to multiply has never ceased.

God’s blessing implies not only fertility but also sustainability as God ensures the ecosystem functions to support multiplication and life. The command to “be fruitful and multiply” is not given in a vacuum; it comes alongside a world designed to sustain that growth. Oceans provide nutrients, currents distribute life-giving elements, and the skies offer habitats and migration paths for birds. Even the smallest details from the plankton that feed the largest whales to the insects that pollinate plants are part of a carefully balanced system that enables life to flourish.

In this way, God’s blessing encompasses both potential and provision. Life is not only given the ability to reproduce; it is also provided with the means to do so. This reflects God’s wisdom and foresight: He creates a world that can sustain abundance, a world where life can multiply without exhausting the resources necessary for survival. Human and animal life alike depend on this intricate web of provision, a living testimony to God’s ongoing care and sustaining power. This reminds us that God’s blessings are holistic.

They are not merely about growth or expansion in the immediate sense but about creating conditions for thriving, resilience, and continuity. Even in the brokenness of a fallen world, these systems endure: seas still teem with life, birds continue to fill the skies, and ecosystems, though strained, persist. The blessing of fruitfulness is, thus, inseparable from God’s providential care: He equips life not only to exist but to endure and flourish. It is a profound reflection of God’s character: He’s generous, He’s sustaining, and He’s steadfast and a model for how we are called to steward the life around us.

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If you would like to explore Genesis in a sustained, verse-by-verse way with space to reflect, journal, and trace how these foundational truths unfold through Scripture the Verse by Verse book expands these reflections into a unified reading experience. The book gathers these meditations into a structured journey through Genesis, designed to help readers linger in the text and engage God’s Word more deeply over time.

Continue on with Verse 23.

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