| | CHAPTER 2
ADAM FAILS AS KING
We have thus far determined that the Bible teaches that there
was no death before the fall of Adam amongst the creatures (man
and animals) with the breath of life. Thus, we sense that no
aspects of the curse of sin (storms, thorns, thistles,
earthquakes, decay, etc.) were present before the fall. We, at
this point, are very comfortable with all of the teachings of the
Bible relating to creation and our first parents. Everything was
good. The animals and man were herbivorous (Gen. l:29,30).
Thorns and thistles came after sin (Gen.3:18). The six days of
creation must have been twenty-four hour periods as the Bible
seems to indicate, for long periods of time would have required
death. Even Romans 8 fits beautifully into this understanding as
we read there that creation itself was subjected to futility
(Rom.8:20).
The command to subdue the earth must, therfore, have been
strictly for our first parents and must have no relationship to
the believer today.
But wait a moment. We still haven't faced the question of the
timing of Lucifer's fall into sin. If he sinned before Adam was
created, couldn't it still be possible that some part of the earth
was still cursed? Then to subdue it could still have meaning for
the believer today.
In this chapter we shall study more intently the meaning of
"subdue it" and in so doing also discover the timing of Lucifer's
fall into sin. We shall then be better prepared to begin to study
more specifically the task of the believer today.
Fill The Earth
In seeking light on the phrase "subdue it," let us look
briefly at other statments in Genesis 1 relating to our first
parent's responsibility toward the world. Perhaps, by studying
these we may get some insight into the meaning of the phrase
"subdue it."
The first phrase we should look at is the phrase `be fruitful
and multiply and fill the earth'(1) (Gen. 1:28). We see
this phrase does not relate in any sense to a mandate to conquer,
or to subdue. This language is employed to indicate God's
blessing upon man who would fill the earth with progeny. Not only
is it a blessing to man to see his seed, but a mandate is surely
implied here that this should be one of his goals in the world.
Identical language is employed in Genesis 1:22 after God
created the fish. There we read:
And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and
fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the
earth.
The fish, of course, do not conquer or subdue the sea. They
simply, under the blessing of God, multiply and fill the sea which
is the environment in which they exist. This phrase, then, does
not help us to understand the command to subdue the earth.
Till And Keep The Garden
A second phrase that relates to Adam and his work before his
fall into sin is the command given to Adam in Genesis 2:15:
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to
till it and keep it.
In this command Adam is told to till the garden and keep it.
Let us examine these tasks. The word "keep" is the Hebrew word
shamar which means to keep, observe, take heed (Young's Analytical
Concordance of the Bible). Shamar is translated as "keep" at
least 284 times in the Old Testament. Keep my commandments, keep
all the words of this law, are typical Old Testament sentences
employing shamar. The implication is that of maintaining the
present state of affairs. There is no suggestion in this word of
bringing into subjection or bringing into control that which is
out of control. Adam was to maintain a creation that was good and
perfect. This command is, therfore, also unrelated to the word
"subdue."
The command to dress or till the garden is the other part of
Genesis 2:15. The word "to dress" or "till" is the Hebrew word
abad.(2) It really is the opposite of a word like "subdue" or
"dominion." It is translated some 214 times in the Bible as
"serve." It tells us that Adam was to work in the garden, tilling
it and doing what was necessary to maintain production. It also
carries no implication of Lordship over the earth, or of having
the earth in a state of subjection to man. Rather, it implies
that man was to maintain that which was already good and perfect.
Dominion Over The Creatures
Thus far then, we have discovered no statement in the Biblical
record of man before the fall that relates to this intriguing
command to subdue the earth. There is one word, however, that
appears to be quite related to it. That is the word "dominion."
In Gen. 1:26 we read:
Then 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 birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over
all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon
the earth."
And immediately following the command to subdue the earth we
read (Gen. l:28):
...and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the
birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon
the earth.
The word "dominion" which is the Hebrew word radah means to
rule or reign. It is, thus, at least somewhat related to the idea
of subduing or bringing in subjection. The word radah can be
found twenty-four times in the Bible. It is normally translated
"dominion" or "rule." But significantly, while in Genesis 1 it is
used twice to indicate man is to have dominion or rule of all
other creatures, exclusive of man, it is never used in this manner
again. It is used to indicate rule over a slave (Lev. 25:43,
25:46, and 25:53) rule over those who built Solomon's temple (I
Kings 5:16, I Kings 9:23, II Chron. 8:10); rule of the enemies of
God over God's people (Neh. 9:18, Lev. 26:17); rule of God's
people over the enemy (Judges 5:13, Numbers 24:19, Ps. 49:14, Isa.
14:2, Ps. 58:27); rule of the enemies of God over the nations
(Isa. 14:6, Ezek. 29:15); rule of Christ over the nations (Isa
41-2, Ps. 110:2, Ps. 72:8); rule of false priests over God's
people (Jer. 5:31, Ezek. 34:4); rule of Solomon over the land and
kings between the Euphrates River and the Mediterranean Sea (I
Kings 4:24).
What can possibly be the intention of God in using "radah"
twice in Genesis I to indicate man's relationship to the lesser
creatures of the world and then never repeating this? Instead God
uses the same word to emphasize man's relationship to man and to
the nations.
Especially interesting, too, is the statement made to Noah
after the flood. Genesis 9:1 is almost identical to Genesis
1:28--, except that where Adam is told to subdue the earth and
dominion over its creatures, Noah is given no such mandate.
Rather he is told that God had put fear and dread of man within
the other creatures and into mans' hand they were delivered. Why
this complete change in language? Something drastic must have
happened between the events of Genesis 1:29 and those of Genesis
9:1,2.
The word "dominion" (radah) thus appears to introduce more
questions into our search for the meaning of the command to Adam
to subdue the earth. Since we sense that there is an intimate
relationship between "subdue" and "dominion" it is time to look
forth rightly at the phrase "subdue it." In so doing we will
discover the answers to the questions raised by the word radah,
and we shall also discover the correlation between the words
"subdue" and "dominion." Moreover, we shall also find answers to
the questions concerned with the timing of Satan's fall, and the
possibility of death and decay being present in the world prior to
Adam's fall.
Adam Is To Subdue The Earth
We must logically look for our answers from the pages of Holy
Writ. The Bible is its own interpreter. It does offer a valid
and beautiful solution to the proper understanding of this key
phrase "subdue it."
The word "subdue" which is the Hebrew word "kabash" is used twelve
times in the Old Testament in addition to this use in Genesis
1:28. It is variously translated subdue, subjection, assault,
etc. An examination of these twelve usages will help greatly to
understand the meaning of its use in Genesis. Four times it is
used to indicate mastery as in the relationship of a master to a
slave. These passages are:
Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children
are as their children; yet we are forcing our sons and our
daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already
been enslaved; but it is not in our power to help it, for
other men have our fields and our vineyards (Neh. 5:5).
But afterward they turned and took back the male and female
slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as
slaves (Jer. 34:11).
And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and
Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins
of your own against the Lord your God? (II Chron. 28:10).
But then you turned around and profaned my name when each of
you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set
free according to their desire, and you brought them into
subjection to be your slaves (Jer. 34:11).
Once it is used in the book of Esther when Haman threw
himself on the bed of Esther to plead for his life. The king, who
entered the room, suspected Haman was trying to seduce the Queen.
We read in Esther 7:8:
And the king returned from the palace garden to the place
where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the
couch where Esther was and the king said, "Will he even
assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?" As the
words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face.
The word kabash translated "assault", therefore, in this
instance also means mastery over, or bringing into subjection even
as in the case of the master-slave relationship.
Five times the word kabash is used in relationship to the
Israelites and the land of Canaan.
And every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before
the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him
and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you
shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to
Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord
(Num. 32:21-22).
And Moses said to them, "If the sons of Gad and the sons of
Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the Lord, will
pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued
before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a
possession (Num. 32:29).
Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled
at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; the land lay
subdued before them (Josh. 18:1).
Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not given you
peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of
the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before the Lord
and his people (I Chron. 22:18).
These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the
silver and gold which he dedicated from all the nations he
subdued (II San. 8:11).
In these verses, too, the word subdued (kabash) is emphasizing
mastery. But over whom or what had they obtained mastery? Was it
over the physical land of Canaan as suggested by the phrase "land
is subdued" or "land shall be subdued." Had they gone into the
land, reclaiming the wilderness, planting vineyards and building
cities? Having done all this, was the land subdued or in
subjection before them?
The fact is that this is precisely what they did not do. They
were to possess the land and these provisions of plants and
buildings were completely prepared for them with no effort of any
kind on their part. In Joshua 24:13 we read:
I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities
which you had not built, and you dwell therein; you eat the
fruit of vineyards and oliveyards which you did not plant.
To subdue the land of Canaan, therefore, must have reference
to something entirely different to that of subjugation of the
physical land. If we look again at these passages where kabash is
used, we note that in each case it deals with the subjugation of
enemies. The land was subdued only when the enemies within the
land, who also claimed possession to the land, had been destroyed
from the land. Even as kabash is used to relate to mastery over a
slave, so, in these passages it used to indicate mastery over an
enemy. In neither case does it relate at all to material
substances such as a physical land.
It was an enemy who must be removed from this land flowing
with milk and honey. Until he was removed, the Israelites could
not claim their mastery over it. The land was not their
possession in actuality although it had been given to them as
their right. When they stood at the boundary of the land of
Canaan they were to go in and subdue it. They were to claim their
rightful ownership, their Lordship, over this good and wonderful
land by destroying or enslaving the enemy who also claimed
ownership of the land.
When we look now at Genesis 1:28 we see that man is to "subdue
it." The word "it" without question refers to the earth. Thus
the language employed here is exactly parallel to that of "subdue
the land" when Canaan was in view. Adam was to "subdue the earth."
We, therefore, must conclude that even as in the case of subduing
the land of Canaan, Adam was not to subdue a physical land but an
enemy of some kind. Adam was to enslave someone or destroy
someone. He was to become master over some other personality.
This person or persons could be an enemy who also wanted to
possess the land which had been given to him, even as the Amorites
who claimed possession to the land of Canaan were the enemy who
were to be destroyed by the Israelites as they subdued or
subjugated (kabash) the land.
Note now the parallel that exists between the Israelites at
the borders of Canaan and Adam as the first man on this earth.
The creation lay before Adam. It was completed without his
effort. Similarly, the land of Canaan lay before the Israelites.
It was a good land. The cities and vineyards had been completed
without any effort on their part.
Adam was promised by God that this creation was to be under
his dominion. He was to fill it with his progeny. The Israelites
were told that the land of Canaan had been given to them as an
everlasting possession. They simply were to go in and possess it.
Adam was told to subdue the land. An enemy threatened. He was to
claim his right to the land by bringing this enemy into
subjection. Likewise, the Israelites were to subdue the land of
Canaan. The enemy who required subjugation were the Canaanites
who also wanted ownership of the land. Israel would subdue the
land--conquer this enemy--by being obedient to God. Adam could
also subdue the land--conquer the enemy who threatened--by being
obedient to God. The parallelism being the two situations of Adam
and Israel is certainly striking.
But who was this enemy in Eden? It surely was not someone who
already occupied the land, for the creation was good. The enemy
was someone who had become jealous of God. He, too, wanted to be
a King. This enemy was one of the highest of the angels, Lucifer.
His envy would lead him to a terrible act. The New Testament
points to this envy and pride of Lucifer who became the devil,
Satan. In I Timothy 3:6 we read:
He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with
conceit and fall into condemnation of the devil.
And in James 3:14, 15 the Scriptures declare:
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your
hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This wisdom
is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly,
unspiritual, devilish.
Apparently, the sin of pride was driving Lucifer to this
overt act of rebellion against God. And the creation of the world
provided the golden opportunity. If he could enslave man, he
would automatically become King of this beautiful creation. Since
Adam had been given dominion over it, the master of Adam would
also be master of all which was subordinate to Adam.
But how could Adam subdue this potential enemy? How did the
Israelites subdue the land of Canaan? By obedience to God. In
the measure they obeyed God, they came into possession of the land
of Canaan. God would lead in the destruction of the enemy.
One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord
your God who fights for you, as he promised you (Josh. 23:10).
In the measure they disobeyed, they became slaves to the enemy
in the land. The several hundred years of history, recorded in
the book of Judges, give vivid testimony to their enslavement,
which followed when they did not obey God by destroying the enemy
who also claimed ownership to the land.
Adam, of course, failed the test. Lucifer came into the
garden and the battle was joined. He apparently took on the form
of a serpent for it was the wisest of all the animals (Gen. 3:1).
The Hebrew word for "subtle" or "crafty" in the verse is
translated most often in the Bible as "prudent." Of all creation
this wisest of all animals would most easily be obeyed by Eve.
He, of course, did not join the battle head on with Adam. He
carefully planned his strategy by capturing a lower echelon ruler
first. Then her obedience to Satan would insure victory over the
king, Adam, himself. Satan follows the same technique today as he
seeks to overthrow the work of Christ by working through the bride
of Christ, the Church.
I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I bethrothed you to
Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband. But
I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,
your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure
devotion to Christ (IICor. 11:23).
Adam was to subdue the earth by destroying Satan. He could
assure the destruction of Satan by his perfect obedience to God.
This understanding of the word "subdue" (kabash) matches the usage
of this word elsewhere in the Scriptures.
The implementation of this command was assured by the words of
Genesis 2:16,17:
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely
eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day
that you eat of it you shall die.
Here we see how God set up the testing arena. A tree was
included in the garden from which he was not to eat. This is
where man and Satan met to determine who was to be Lord of
creation. As we continue our study, we shall see how this battle
affected both heaven and earth. But at this point in our
discussion we see clearly that the phrase "subdue it" of Genesis
1:28 gives no aid or comfort to those who might believe there was
death in creation before Adam's fall. And the understanding of
this key phrase opens up a door to much other significant truth
that relates to a historical Adam.
But before we develop this thought further, let us address
ourselves to another question which also suggests the possibility
of death in the creation before the fall of Adam. If the angel,
Lucifer, fell into sin and had access to this earth, could not his
sin also have brought death or decay in some measure to the
universe? Let us return to Eden to answer this question. Let us
attempt to determine the timetable of Lucifer's fall into sin.
When Did Satan Fall?
In I John 3:8 we read, `the devil has sinned from the
beginning.' Was this the beginning of Genesis 1:1, "In the
beginning God created?" Did it occur before the six days of
creation? Then Satan must have been created a sinful being, or
his rebellion must have been so close in time to the time
specified in Genesis 1:1 that to all intents and purposes it must
have been alsmost simultaneous with the `beginning' of Genesis
1:1. But other Biblical evidence points to a time when Satan or
the angel Lucifer did walk in perfection. This is suggested by
the name given to him in Isaiah 14:12, as well as the statement
concerning him in this same passage.
How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How
you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low.
This thought, of sin in the world of angels coming some time
after their creation, is also suggested by such Biblical
statements as that found in II Peter 2:4:
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast
them tnto hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom to
be kept until the judgment.
Perhaps a clue to the timing of the angel Lucifer's sin can be
found in Mark 10:6. There we read:
But from the beginning of creation,
God made them male and female.
Note that this verse also speaks of beginning even as I John
3:8 spoke of the beginning when Satan fell. But "beginning" in
Mark 10:6 is identified with Adam and Eve. This would suggest
that possibly Satan did not sin at least until Adam and Eve were
created.
This concept of Satan's rebellion occurring at about the time
of Eve's sin is further strengthened when we witness God's curse
upon him in Genesis 3:14,15:
The Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals;
upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the
days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise
your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
In the case of man and creation it was at this moment in
history that the ground was cursed (Gen. 3:17-19), and man was
condemned to return to the dust. The parallel curse comes upon
Satan. One could expect then that Satan's fall was also
simultaneous with that of man's.
Incidentally, we sometimes think of the curse of Genesis 3:14
as being applicable to the animal which was the ancestor of the
snake. The snake may well be the descendant of a serpent which
was cursed as a result of it's involuntary involvement with the
sin of Satan. But the curse in its primary emphasis is on the
serpent, the devil. Verse 15 has reference only to Satan, and
there is no change in the object of God's statement between verse
14 and verse 15. Moreover, the Bible expressly calls Satan a
serpent in a number of places, a most notable place of which is
Revelation 12. Furthermore, in Isaiah 65:25, God speaks of the
new heaven and new earth, and in this context he speaks of dust
being the serpent's food. This can only be a fulfillment of the
curse of Genesis 3:14.(3)
So the earth is cursed, man is cursed by death and travail in
childbirth and Satan is cursed. Satan and mankind stand equally
guilty before God. Upon both are pronounced the condemnation of
God. Only man is given hope as God intimates victory for mankind
over Satan, as he promises a Redeemer in Genesis 3:15.
Significantly, it appears that the final judgment upon Satan is
also simultaneous in time and parallel in character to that upon
mankind. Both will be thrown in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10 and
15). Both are destroyed from this earth when Christ returns in
judgment (Rev. 19:11-21). This parallel termination of man and
Satan emphasizes the possibility of a simultaneous falling into
sin.
We have seen thus far that for a number of reasons Satan's sin
probably occurred simultaneously with that of man's. None of
these reasons is in itself conclusive. But all are within the
intent of Scripture. There is, however, one other rather
impressive reason that points to Satan's initial sin occurring
simultaneously with man's.
When we examine God's statement to Adam in Genesis 1:28, we
see that he is to subdue the earth. We have determined that this
must be understood as a mandate to Adam to conquer and destroy the
enemy, Satan, who would attempt to subjugate Adam. He was to
expose and destroy Satan by his perfect obedience to God. But
nothing is said to Adam by God relative to the question of
redeeming a universe or heaven from the ravages of Satan's sin.
We know as a fact that Satan's sin produced real distress in
heaven for many of the angels rebelled with him. Moreover, as we
have seen, his rebellion also produced a cursed earth and death in
man and the lesser creatures. If Satan had rebelled much earlier
than the time of the episode in the Garden of Eden, so that there
already were results--death and decay--in the universe as well as
rebellion in heaven, one surely could expect some provision for
redemption of the earth and heaven. None, however, is suggested
or intimated before the fall, in regards to Adam's mandate. His
only job was to conquer Satan by his perfect and loyal obedience.
Could this have been because Satan's fall was simultaneous?
When we look at the last Adam, Jesus Christ, however, we see
immediately that He had a two-fold task. He must destroy Satan by
His perfect obedience as part of His mandate. In this He
paralleled the first Adam.
But the God-man Jesus must also destroy the work of Satan. He
must redeem a cosmos that had become ruined and deranged because
of the dominion of Satan. The havoc of Satan's rebellion not only
resulted in a wrecked earth but also in a heaven that required
renewing. This renewing was Christ's task as we see in Ephesians
1:9.
For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the
mystery of his will, according to purpose which he set forth in
Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in
him, things in heaven and things on earth.
This corresponds to the statment of II Peter 3:12,13--that the
heavens as well as the earth are to be renovated, and new heavens
and a new earth to be provided:
Waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved,
and the elements will melt with fire. But according to his
promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells.
Adam was given no mandate relative to the work of Satan and,
therefore, we must conclude heaven as well as earth were without
the ravages of sin until this moment in history when the
temptation took place. Therefore, Satan's fall must have been
simultaneous with man's.
Creation Cursed
Now the whole picture of misery lies unfolded before us.
Satan is cursed so that whereas in his pride he wanted to be King,
he now is told that he is to be less than the least of the
animals. He, who aspired to rule over man who was created in the
image of God, is cursed to be less than the least of the creatures
with the breath of life. The creation, too, was cursed. Because
Adam, who had been given dominion over the creation, was cursed,
all that over which he was to reign was also cursed.
This is the significance of the words of Romans 8:19-23:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of
the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility,
not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in
hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the
children of God. We know that the whole creation has been
groaning in travail together until now; and not only the
creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the
Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption of sons, the
redemption of our bodies.
The creation which had been given to Adam as a loyal,
obedient, wonderful, living creation now had become rebellious,
and deranged with death as the evidence of this futility. The
ground was cursed so that it brought forth thorns and thistles.
It would no longer be obedient to King Adam who was to till it and
keep it (Gen.2:15). Instead man must draw his living from this
rebellious cursed earth by the sweat of his brow (Gen. 3:18,19).
Man was cursed. In the day he disobeyed he died. He died
spiritually in that he was separated from God by his sin. He died
physically as indicated by the decay that began in his body. The
evidence of this death was the eventual return of his body to the
dust. Even as his body dedayed, the entire creation would be
subject to decay and death. The instructions given to Adam in
Gensis 1:28 were given before the entrance of sin into the
creation with all of its horrible consequences. Adam and Eve as
the first people in their beautiful world were given the guide
lines for their kingsship over it. But they disobeyed and,
instead, were made subject to Satan.
It is very enlightening to read in the Bible God's mandate to
Noah when he left the ark. Then the world, which had become too
sinful to continue, had been destroyed; and God began again with
Mr. and Mrs. Noah and their three sons and their wives. Now all
the curses of Genesis 3 have been declared. The world is under
the dominion of Satan as prince of the earth. God, however, again
gives an outline of man's responsibilities in this sin stained
world. He uses very parallel language to that given in the garden
to Adam.
In Genesis 9:1,2 we read the mandate given to Noah:
`And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." The fear of you
and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth,
and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on
the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they
are delivered.'
Note the similarities of Genesis l:28,29:
And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion
over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and
over every living thing tht moves upon the earth." And God
said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed
which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree with seed
in its fruit; you shall have them for food.
Both Adam and Noah are blessed, both are commanded to be
fruitful, to multiply and to fill the earth. But at this point
the similarity comes to a crashing halt. Adam is told to subdue
the earth and have dominion over all of its creatures. God is
silent with reference to Noah's subduing the earth, or having
dominion over its creatures. Instead, the beasts are to live in
fear and dread of him. How clearly the Bible describes the change
in creation in these verses. Noah cannot be told to subdue the
earth because he is a slave of Satan. By Adam's sin, man has lost
his claim to Lordship over this earth. Satan is rightly called
the "prince of this earth," and the "prince of the air." He has
enslaved man and robbed him of his kingship and authority over the
creatures. Even though Satan has been cursed, he has become the
ruler of man and creation. The beasts are not loyal, willing
subjects to man as they were before the fall. Instead, they obey
man only because of fear. They are slaves of slaves.
Creation Redeemed
This dark, dismal picture sets the stage for the coming of
Jesus Christ. Already in Genesis 3:15 God promises that a
Redeemer will come who will destroy Satan. This Redeemer, who is
the seed of the woman, that is, he, too, is a man, will crush the
head of the serpent. He will utterly enslave him and destroy him
by his perfect obedience to God. He will do what Adam failed to
do. By his perfect obedience to God he will claim this creation
as his own possession. He will have mastery over it and reign
over it as king. This is why Paul in Romans 5:14 calls Adam a
type of Christ. This is why Jesus announced in Luke 4 at the
beginning of his publice ministry that he had come to set the
prisoners free. They were to be set free from bondage and
enslavement to Satan.
Satan fully realized Christ's threat to his kingdom. He
attempted to kill the baby Jesus using Herod as his tool. He came
to Jesus in the wilderness to tempt him. The language of Matthew
4:1 is very pertinent:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil.
Christ must establish his claim to this earth by subduing the
enemy Satan. He is following the footsteps of Adam. God had set
the stage for Adam's test by the command that they were not to eat
of the tree. If Jesus, too, succumbed to the temptations of
Satan, the present ruler of the earth, he, also, would become his
slave and the creation would be Satan's forever, or God would have
to introduce an altogether different plan for its redemption.
Christ is the seed of Abraham. The seed of Abraham is also
spiritual Israel, the body of Christ. Even as Israel was tested
by God for 40 days while Moses was on Mt. Sinai, 40 years while
they were in the wilderness, and 400 years during the period of
the judges, so Christ was tested for 40 days. Adam had failed.
Israel had failed again and again. Now Christ had come to do what
Adam had failed to do. Now Christ had come to do what Israel
under the law had failed to do. So he was driven into the
wilderness to prove His obedience, His rightful claim on this
creation which He created.
Did he fail? No. By his perfect obedience He won a resounding
victory over the enemy. And try as he might throughout the years
of Jesus' ministry, Satan was unable to break through this
obedience. Satan's doom was sure. But would Christ be obedient
even unto death? Jesus had said to Nicodemus, "For God so loved
the world He gave his only begotten son." Christ's mandate was
far more serious and complex than Adam's. Adam was to claim
possession of a perfect world by his perfect obedience to God.
Christ must not only claim possession of the world, but also must
do what was necessary to make that world perfect again. The world
of Adam needed no improvement. It was good. It was the ideal
kingdom. All of it was loyal, obedient and loving in relationship
to King Adam. The world that Christ had come to redeem was
wrecked. It was cursed. It had been under the dominion of Satan
for 11000 years.(4) Time after time God had had to visit it with
judgment. At one time God had even destroyed the earth by the
great Noahic Flood, because of the degradation into which it had
fallen. The work cut out for Christ was indeed formidable. And
because Christ was God He knew with awful certainty the awfulness
of God's wrath that was to be poured out on this world as penalty
for its rebellion and sin. Satan thought that crucifying Jesus
was a tremendous solution to his problem. With Jesus dead,
Satan's kingship was secure. He hadn't succeeded in causing Jesus
to disobey God during the 40 days of temptation in the wilderness.
And even though Satan and his demons recognized that judgment day
was coming and that Jesus was involved in this ("Have you come to
torment us before the time?" Matt. 8:29). Satan, who had
introduced death into the world, believed death was the only
answer to his problem with Jesus. Already in Genesis 3:15 it had
been prophesied that Satan would bruise the heel of the seed of
the woman. Christ was the seed of the woman. Something dreadful
was to happen to Jesus, in fulfillment of the prophesy that his
heel would be bruised. Could this dreadful thing be the death of
Jesus?
So Jesus is betrayed by Judas under the power of Satan. Will
He go through this awful sacrifice in obedience to the will of the
Father? "I do as the Father has commanded me" (John 14:31), was
the desire of Jesus. And because of the sheer horror of the path
He must walk, Jesus asks, is there another way? Could the cup be
removed from Him? And then in perfect obedience He declares "not
my will but thine be done" (Luke 22:42).
Jesus hangs on the cross. He has become sin for all who
believe in Him. He is satisfying God's justice on behalf of all
who had or will place their trust in him. He endured the pain,
the equivalent punishment of an eternity in Hell for all of these,
and had not been destroyed by the very magnitude of the wrath of
God.
When the penalty was paid, He had to prove that death also had
been vanquished. Moreover, He must complete his identification
with this world He had come to redeem. After declaring "It is
finished" and commending His Spirit into the hands of His Father,
He allowed His body to be buried. But His body did not decay (Acts
2:31). Death had been vanquished. Decay which came with death
into the world as a product of sin and death had been complete and
final on the cross.
Further proof of his victory over death was given in
magnificant fashion by the empty tomb on that first Easter moring.
Christ had come to destroy the devil. Through his death he
accomplished this.
Since, therefore, the children share in flesh and blood, he
himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through
death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is
the devil (Heb. 2:14).
He came to destroy the works of the devil.
He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned
from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to
destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8).
By Christ's perfect obedience Christ had subdued the earth.
He had established his rightful claim as Lord of creation. No
wonder we read in Hebrews 1:8:
But on the Son he says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and
ever, the righteous scepter is the scepter of thy kingdom.
By his death, with its resurrection proof, He established that
death no longer had any hold on men, if they believed on him.
There was to be a resurrection for them, even as He arose from the
dead. Thus, he destroyed the work of Satan, the most terrible
evidence of which was decay and death.
At the beginning of this discussion it was indicated that, in
addition to Genesis 1:28 where Adam is told to subdue the earth,
there were twelve places where the Hebrew word for "subdue" is
used. The Hebrew word is kabash. Ten of the verses were listed.
Let us now look at the remaining two. They are:
He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our
iniquities under foot. Thou wilt cast all our sins into the
depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
The Lord of hosts will protect them, and they will devour and
tread down the slingers, and they will drink their blood like
wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of
the altar (Zech. 9:15).
Notice here that these prophetic verses used the word "kabash"
as indicating on the one hand that the enemies, the slingers, were
to be trod down, and on the other that our iniquities would be
trod under foot. This was prophetic language describing the
coming victory of Christ over sin and Satan.
Parallel language is easily found in the New Testament:
And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the
head over all things for the church (Eph. 1:22).
But to what angel has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand,
till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet" (Heb. 1:13).
...putting everything in subjection under his feet (Heb. 2:8).
The subduing of the earth had truly been accomplished by
Christ.
Christ Shall Have Dominion
Early in this chapter we saw how Adam before the fall was
given dominion (radah) over the lesser creatures. We noted with
amazement that this command or mandate to have dominion over these
creatures was never repeated after the fall. Rather when we
examine the use of radah in the Scriptures we see especially four
usages in addition to that of Genesis I. In Leviticus radah
relates to dominion of a master over a slave. In this it is
parallel to the use of the word "subdue" (kabash) to indicate
mastery as that of a master holding a slave in subjugation.
The second usage is that of the enemies of God ruling over the
nations of the world or over the people of God (Neh. 9:28, Lev.
26:17, Isa. 14:6, Ezek. 29:15, Jer. 5:31, Ezek. 34:4). In this we
are given symbolical or figurative language showing Satan's
dominion over this world. Radah is the word that God uses in these
passages because this world, which was to have continued under the
dominion of man as King of this world, and as outlined in Genesis
I, has instead come under the dominion of the enemies of God
headed up by the prince of this world, Satan. This parallels the
situation of Israel when they failed to destroy or "subdue" the
enemy. They instead were brought into subjection by the enemy.
The third use of the radah is in those passages which speak
either directly or figuratively to the dominion of Christ over
this world (Isa. 41;2, Psalm 110:2, Ps. 72:8, I Kings 4:24). This
is a result of Christ's victory over Satan and his rightful place
as Lord by virtue of his redemptive work. The new Testament
addresses itself to this dominion by Christ in such passages as I
Peter 5:11;(5)
To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
The fourth usage is that of God's people having dominion over
the enemies of Christ (I Kings 5:16, I Kings 9:23, II Chron. 8:10,
Judges 5:13, Numbers 24:19, Ps. 49:14, Isa. 14:2, Ps. 68:27).
This is surely prophetic language of the Christian believers
ruling over Satan in Christ. This begins in this life when we
are saved, and will find its ultimate fulfillment in the new
heaven and new earth.
We thus see that the dominion of Genesis I as employed
throughout the Bible is in perfect accord with the use of the word
"subdue" (kabash) in the Holy Canon.
In summary we have seen that from every viewpoint the Bible
emphasizes the truth that there was no death before the sin of
Adam and Eve. We have seen that the mandate they received to
subdue the earth was a command to perfect obedience in the face of
the enemy Satan. Thus man would establish his legitimate right to
Lordship over this creation. The angel, Lucifer, Satan, saw in
this creation the possibility of satisfying his own desires.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his
own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to
sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death (Jas.
1:14,15).
So Lucifer, who became Satan, subdued man and simultaneously
he, the earth, and man were cursed. All were judged by God and
were made subject to His wrath. By conquest Satan had become
prince of this earth.
Adam's task was relatively limited. The world in which he
lived was good and sinless. Death and decay were non-existent
anywhere in the entire world.
Christ, the last Adam, came to do what the first Adam did not
do. But Christ's task was infinitely greater than Adam's. He
must not only vanquish Satan, but must also redeem the cosmos from
the curse of God, and from the results of Satan's dominion.
Truly, the Bible teaches that there was no curse in any sense upon
the world before Adam's fall.
Many questions have been raised by this chapter. If Satan was
cursed in the garden, why was he permitted in the presence of God
as we read in Job? And if Christ destroyed Satan and his works
by his atonement, why is Satan still operating in the world? And
how does all of this help us in our quest for an answer to the
question of the believers task today?
We shall continue in our study to look at these questions.
(Notes to numbered passages in Chapter 2)
(l) In the KJV the word "fill" of this phrase is translated
`replenish.' To replenish something signified that it once was
full or had plenty; it became empty, and now must be filled again.
The Hebrew word is male. It is translated seven times in the KJV
as replenish or to be replenished. But is it translated at least
175 times as fill, or full or fulfill. There is no basis in the
text or the context of the entire Bible that insists that the
translation of male must be "replenish" in Gen. 1:28. In fact,
the later translations, (RSV, ASV, etc.) have changed this usage
in this text to "fill." This agrees with the teaching of the
entire Bible.
(2) See Chapter 4 of this book for a more complete analysis of
this phrase.
(3) An interesting parallel exists between man and Satan in this
regard. Man returns to the dust as a result of the curse upon
him. Satan ultimately is to have dust for food which is to
suggest he is in the dust or is of the same level with the dust.
(4) For an analysis of the history of man established by biblical
reckoning see "The Biblical Calendar of History" by Harold Camping
in Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, Sept. 1970, p.
102.
(5) See also I Peter 4:11, Jude 25, Rev. 1:6.
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