GENESIS 9
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” – Genesis 9:1-7
GENESIS 9 GOD’S MANDATE TO INCREASE AND MULTIPLY
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
When Noah and his sons got out of the ark, God commanded them
“Be fruitful and multiply and all animals and birds will fear you”
“You can eat every moving thing that lives apart from the fruits of plants
“But you cannot eat flesh with blood in it for life is in the blood.”
The Lord prohibited them from shedding the blood of man
This is because all man were made from God’s own image
For if one man’s life is taken, they shall be answerable to God
Noah and his sons were mandated to increase greatly and fill the earth.
When Noah and his sons were given the mandate to increase and multiply, we remember also how God gave the same command to Adam to have authority over all the animals and living things and fill the earth and reproduce.
It is also interesting that in the post flood, God added to the foods that we are supposed to eat. Before the flood, it was just plants and fruits from the trees but after the flood, he allowed humans to have every living thing that is moving and creeping on the ground. But he had exempt us from taking anything that has blood in it and cautioned humans to take another man’s life for man is made in God’s image.
REFLECTION
- After reading the changes of man’s food to eat after the flood, what can you say about people who limit their foods to either vegetarian or carnivore diets?
