Genesis 1:28 Daily Devotional & Meaning – God’s Blessing, Humanity’s Mission, and the Call to Stewardship

Daily Verses Everyday! Day 7

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Here, we see God’s first blessing spoken directly to mankind. He does not simply create humanity and leave them to exist; He blesses them and gives them a purpose. The call to “be fruitful and multiply” is more than just physical reproduction; it is the command to fill the Earth with God’s image-bearers. Humanity was meant to spread the reflection of God’s glory across the world.

It’s interesting to note that this is also the only blessing that mankind has never failed to follow. Yet, while humanity has multiplied, we must also remember that the original command carries a spiritual weight: to reflect God’s character as we increase, to cultivate creation with wisdom, and to live under His authority. Dominion was never meant to be exploitation but stewardship. God’s blessing is not just about survival but about flourishing in His presence, bearing His image faithfully, and extending His glory through all generations.

This verse also grants us a glimpse into what the Earth might have looked like had Adam never sinned. Imagine a world completely filled with people who perfectly reflected God’s image, with no corruption, no violence, no rebellion—only harmony, beauty, and flourishing under God’s dominion. Every corner of creation would reveal His glory through a humanity that ruled wisely, multiplied righteously, and lived in unbroken fellowship with Him. While sin has marred this picture, the blessing still points us toward God’s original design and reminds us of the hope we have in Christ, who will one day restore creation to its intended order.

Even before sin entered the world, humanity was entrusted with work. This tells us something crucial: work is not a result of the curse but a gift woven into God’s original design. Adam and Eve were called to exercise dominion, not as tyrants but as caretakers who reflected God’s own wise rule. Their responsibility was to govern the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living creature that moved upon the Earth.

When we read this verse in light of the Fall, it reminds us that our labor today often feels burdensome because of sin; but in God’s original plan, it was meant to be joyful and life-giving. In Christ, we begin to recover that vision. Our work, when done under His authority and for His glory, becomes an act of stewardship, a reflection of the image we bear, and a foretaste of the day when He will restore all things and make our labor fruitful once again.

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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 29.

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