QT 7/9/2025 Gen 1:24–26, Created for community

Genesis 1:24–26 (ESV) —

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 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 heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

 

NOTE: It is interesting that all of the rest of creation comes from the heavens, the earth and the waters, but in the case of man, it is only directly from God. There is no other intermediary mentioned in his creation. And man alone is made in "our image" and "our likeness." Now I understand that the word for God is plural, and many have argued it has to do with his majesty. But the usage of "our" is also clearly plural, and I believe it is a reference to the trinity. I think it also gives us some insight into "image" and "likeness." I think there is much that can be said about those two words and what they mean in our creation, but the one that stands out to me is the relational aspect of God. Yes, God is one but he is also three, and as such, God by definition is relational. God is the first definition of community, Father, Son, and Spirit. We are created to be relational and to live in community, and there is great danger when we move from community into isolation (television church as one example).

 

The enemy attacks all aspects of the first few chapters of this book, both directly (male and female for instance), but also indirectly. Our emphasis on technology makes us less relational, despite our long list of "friends" in Facebook. Relationships can occur over a distance, but the best relationships occur in close proximity. Seeing and hearing the person is better than just hearing (a phone call), and hearing is better than just text.

 

Technology has been a boon to many things but spiritually it has brought much hurt as well (pornography, tendency to isolate in a cocoon of screens, and isolation from humans).

 

PONDER:

1. Have I withdrawn from community and church through the use of technology?
2. Do I have close relationships where I actually see, even touch, another person on a regular basis?

 

PRAYER: Father, the traps and false teaching of the evil one are everywhere. It is so easy to get caught up in seemingly good things that are not good for our soul. Help us get back to the basics, how we were created, such as relationships and community. Speak to our hearts and open our eyes.