Title Two meanings of reign/Genesis 1:28
Content Source: Gwangju Eunpyeong Church Student Council
◎Genesis 1:28 ◎Explanation on Genesis (22)-Two meanings of reign
On the fifth day of creation, God, who created the aquatic creatures, gave them fruitfulness, abundance, and abundant blessings. However, on the 6th day of creation, after the creation of man, what He said was the blessing of fruitfulness, multiplication, fullness, conquest, and dominion. The two new blessings given after the creation of man are conquest and rule. To conquer means to tread on the ground. In ancient warfare, when one country conquers another, we can understand the meaning of conquest by stepping on the strongest of the other countries' lands and raising their own flags. Then the problem is governing. We know what it means to conquer, but we don't really understand what it means to rule. Conquest is easy, but it is usually not easy to rule a country when its owner has changed. This is the current situation in Iraq. The United States won the war with Iraq and took the land, the capital of Baghdad, but failed to rule the land. The concept of governing as opposed to occupying is usually not difficult.
Today, we have a very bad impression on the word ‘rules’. I am dissatisfied with having someone rule me. We hate being dominated by others. I hate the word rule because it seems to contain the meaning of oppression and coercion in the word rule. We sometimes hate even our parents' rule. I am really annoyed when my parents interfere with my computer in my room. In fact, our parents do not speak with the intention of ruling, but we think of it as a concept that our minds who accept this already rule. To that extent, we may be mistaken for the concept of controlling someone's interference and living.
So, what is the concept of governing you? What is the meaning of God's blessing to rule man after he created it? Rule has two meanings. One is ruling in a passive sense, and the other is ruling in an active sense. First, let's talk about passive governance.
Conversely, this passive rule means 'not to be ruled'. In other words, it does not yield to the environment or any other influence. We can see this clearly through the life of Jesus. The life of Jesus was, in a word, a life that was not conquered by anything. Even the raging waves and wind did not subdue Jesus. Even the demons yielded to Jesus, and disease knelt before Jesus. Neither poverty, loneliness, want nor hunger could bring Jesus down. Even the fear of death could not overcome Jesus. This is what governing is.
Also, the river must flow steadily. If the river overflows, many animals will drown and die. Then, building a bank in the river or finding another way to keep the river from overflowing is to control them. When there is a wildfire, you must put out the fire to protect and protect the creatures. That is to rule in an active sense.
This is the conclusion of today's sermon.
We should not handle everything as we please just because we have been blessed by God to rule. We are not people who pluck the flowers of culture, but people who need to water and expose the flowers of all cultures that God has entrusted to us for a while to make them bloom beautifully and beautifully. In the name of the Lord, I declare that you will be those who know the meaning of rule and carry out the mission well.