For many years I’ve been saying that the purpose of life is to multiply, from God’s first command in Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful and multiply”, but lately I’ve had to rethink this. I’m still convinced that multiplication is central, but I can’t help noticing there’s more to that verse: “…fill the earth and subdue it”.

I wrote that multiplication is a central theme throughout the epochs of Bible history. Now I see that “fill the earth” is right there too:

Multiply is the friendlier theme, all about families growing and flourishing. Filling the earth is less pleasant. The original Hebrew words in Genesis 1:28 are “to have dominion, rule, dominate, subdue, bring into bondage”. Then there’s a lot of wars. It ends with God’s ultimate conquering of the nations: “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” – Rev 19:14-15

God is about more than multiplying; he’s also about giving us land.

It makes me think of Israel’s 400 years in Egypt where “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites” (Ex 1:12). They were multiplying, but clearly that wasn’t all that God had for them. He also wanted to take them into the promised land: “Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky.” (Deut 9:1)

Somehow we have to embrace both aspects of the kingdom of God to be a people made in his image, in his likeness, who look and act like him, as in Genesis 1:

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”