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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE GREEN PLANTS FOR
FOOD
IMPLICIT MEANINGS OF THE SIXTH DAY
I have marveled many times at the absolute brilliance of the Biblical Creation Story.
It is cleverly written, and often reveals more when we read between the lines. The events of
the Sixth Day are an excellent example.
You will notice that God created both the Sixth Day land animals (which were mammals)
and human beings on the same day. In a sense, we appear to be relegated to the same status as
the other mammals. That status is superior to the plants produced on the Third Day, and it
is superior to the birds, the fish, and the other animals created on the Fifth Day. Each
day and each passage leads us to a higher level of creation until God declared His Holy
Day of rest.
While humans and the other mammals were created on the same day, we would be
considered the higher creation, since our creation was subsequent to their creation. Our
position was elevated when it was revealed that we were made in the image and likeness of
God. That lofty status was further accentuated when God granted us dominion over all of
the creatures of the Earth.
Yet, while we are considered to be God's highest creation, it is interesting that
He gave us the green plants for food - the very same food that He gave the animals. So in
a sense, we were reduced to the level of the other mammals once again.
The subtleties of what is being expressed here are intriguing. We are clearly the
pinnacle of all of God's creations and are meant to have dominion over the entire world.
Yet, it is hard not to notice our close ties to the land mammals, which were created the
same day and were given the same food to eat. This could support the belief that animals
and humans were meant to live together in harmony. But it also means that God expects us
to rise above the animals and to conduct ourselves in a responsible manner, since we were
given the responsibility to act as caretakers of the world.
(These are selected paragraphs within this chapter. This is not the entire chapter.)
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