Psalm 8:4   Contractual obligations!
 It takes only a few seconds to be wowed by a night sky in all its glory; however not only do we see the majesty of God but also the insignificance of man. We are just a fleeting breath, a breeze that ruffles the landscape for a second or two, here today and gone tomorrow. How is that such a mighty God should care about us – about me? The text that follows can be taken to describe the authority given to man to rule planet earth but also taken further to describe the authority given to the man Jesus Christ who will be empowered to restore the earth to its fullest glory. This latter train of thought is described in Hebrews chapter 2 and we need to look at both interpretations. [We will look at Hebrews in the next blog.]

The contractual power given to mankind is described in Genesis 1:26-30. It is not unlike a lease where the owner and landlord, who is Almighty God, contracts with His tenants to inhabit and manage His property. Here are the Terms and Conditions of the first ever Contract – it is a bit lengthy, but they usually are!
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.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, 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. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give very green plant for food.” And it was so. 

This Contract was extended after the flood with a Covenant embracing new Terms and Conditions which remain to this day. A Covenant is far more than a promise; it involves full commitment by all parties even at the cost of one’s life. In a Scriptural Covenant each party says, “Everything I have is yours.” This is the Covenant God made with Noah, and it is described in Genesis 9. It has been called the Noahide Covenant and the Jews found in it seven precepts or requirements to do with; - Social Laws, blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, bloodshed, robbery and eating flesh cut from a living animal.  
The Covenant establishes far more than a lease, it effectively sets out in writing a Gift or Inheritance that God makes to mankind and it is still in force today. This is the glory and honour (v5) that God has appointed to man, however we do not have absolute power for that still belongs to God and the Covenant has conditional clauses within it. The Covenant expects us to participate in God’s rule, not as a right, but as a gift. So, as soon as we leave God out of the equation and take the responsibility fully upon ourselves, we have broken the Covenant. Mankind’s downfall is caused by a failure to understand that everything we have is God’s and everything He has is ours. That is the ultimate blasphemy and is the primary cause of the destruction of this planet. 

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