Date: 2348 BC – Year: 1656 – Ref: Gen 9:1-7;
“1 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 terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. 3 “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. 4 “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 “Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. 7 “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”" (Gen 9:1-7 NASB)
After the Great Flood, the Lord re-iterates the Dominion Mandate. This is important because Noah, and those of later generations, might have been inclined to think that God was finished with mankind. God saw man’s unrestrained wickedness, expressed grief over his perpetual sin, and determined to destroy them. But, this restatement of the Dominion Mandate indicated that there was still a future for man in God’s eyes.
Also, it is clear enough that Noah himself followed the Dominion Mandate in that he literally ruled over just about the entire world – animals, birds, and plants brought onto the ark; he was also the head of his household, who were saved on account of his righteousness. Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2Pet 2:5) and an “heir” of what he preached (Heb 11:7).
Note that there are 3 unique instructions in this passage:
- [#1.] Be fruitful and multiply
- [#2.] Man able to eat meat, no longer vegetarian
- [#3.] Capital punishment
- [#1.] Be fruitful and multiply
Some say that the “be fruitful and multiply” command was given only to Noah and his sons. That wouldn’t make much sense, since Shem, Ham and Japheth could only have so many children. So, the “fill the earth” command would obviously need to go on for many generations. Also, most Christians today eat meat and many are for capital punishment. It is inconsistent to say that the “be fruitful and multiply” command, which appears twice, need not apply today while holding on to the other commands.