“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth’” (Genesis 1:27-28)
When God created humans, He instructed them to have children and thus fill the earth with people. God’s ideal world was not a pristine wilderness, but an earth where people and animals would live together.
Some contemporary environmental groups view humans as invaders who disrupt and damage nature. Their ideal picture is an earth where humans retreat as far as possible and let nature take its undisturbed course. God thinks differently. He considers humans to be the crown of His creation. After each day of creation, “God saw that it was good.” But on the last day, when man was created as the final piece of creation, God called this “very good.”
God created man in His image. In every human being, we can see something of Himself. Each person is, as it were, a living statue of God, created to His glory. God’s first command to Adam and Eve, and after the flood to Noah and his family, is therefore to be fruitful, become numerous, and fill the earth.
How special it is that the Lord has given us such a place of honor! Just take a few seconds to think about that.