Man

After looking more closely at God's Sabbath rest in the previous entry, I felt the need to look again at the finished work of the creation account in Genesis Chapter 1. There are many things I needed to learn. Of those many things to discover in this chapter, I would like to look specifically at the creation of man for this entry:
"And God said (bara: say, command, promise, avow, require, certify, appoint), "Let Us make (asa: make, shew, accomplish, celebrate, appoint, ordain, press, squeeze, bruise, prepare, provide, practice) man (adam: man, mankind, red, rubbed red. root-dam: blood) in Our image (teshlem: shade, phantom, illusion, resemblance, representative figure, shadow), after Our likeness ( demuth: model, shape, resemble, compared): and let them have dominion (rada: tread down, rule, prevail against, subjugate, crumble off) over the fish (degah: prolific, squirming) of the sea (yam: roar), and over the fowl (ofe: flying creature, to cover with darkness, dimness, obscurity, weary from the darkness) of the air (shamayim: lofty, sky, seen universe), and over the cattle (behama: mute, dumb beast, unable to speak, beast of burden), and over all the earth (eretz: world, wilderness, Sheol, underworld), and over every creeping thing that creepeth (ramas: walk on all fours, crawl, swarm) upon the earth."
So God created (bara: choose, make, done, cut, carve out, polish, separate) man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female*, created He them.
And God blessed (barak: bless, praise, congratulate, be adored, make kneel) them, and said unto them, "Be fruitful (grow, bear fruit, increase), and multiply (rava: abundance, make great, be in authority, heap, gather, nourish), and replenish (mala: consecrate, accomplish, satisfy, fulfil, overflow, have wholly, fill the hand) the earth, and subdue (kavash: bring into bondage, keep under, force, make subservient, dominate, tread down, trample under feet, stones of the sling, subdue enemies, slaves, hostiles) it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing (khahe/khaya/khavah: sustain life, revive from sickness, discouragement, faintness and death, restore to life, repair, save, revive, be whole, tell, declare, show, make known, explain, breath) that moveth upon the earth."    Gen. 1:26-28
To sum up the Hebrew meaning of the above verses, God was fulfilling a prophetic promise when He created man, and He celebrated that fulfilment. He cut and molded man from the ground of the earth, ordered man to increase, and ordained man to rule over the described creatures. He created man to be a shadow, or pattern of God, Himself. Man was not only to rule, but to subdue forcefully. The creatures of Gen. 1 are described in natural terms, but the meaning behind them is also of spiritual powers on the earth, above the earth, and beneath the earth. While man was to rule and subdue those, he was also ordained to sustain, revive, restore, and repair all things pertaining to life, and to be the declaration of that revival and restoration.
There is also something very important to learn from God's description of man as "male and female" in the above verse. "Male" is zakar meaning a memorial of the parents, bring to remembrance, record, call to mind, to be recognized. The male causes creation to remember and recognize the One of whom he is the shadow and pattern. "Female", or nekava/nakav, tells us the image of God that man is to carry in the earth, and remind creation: pierce, pierce through, strike through, perforate, curse, blaspheme name, puncture, libel, perforate with violence.
The image pressed upon the man, to be a reminder in the earth, was that of the crucified Christ, slain before the foundation of the world. What an awesome truth to find in the creation account.
This shadow and pattern fulfilled by the man is of the promised Savior who rules, reigns and subdues. As we picture Jesus upon the cross, we might not associate it with ruling dominion, and the subjecting of powers, but several things are brought to mind. Pontius Pilate's plaque upon the cross of Jesus declared, "Jesus of Nazareth (one separated), King of the Jews" (Mt. 27:37, Mk. 15:26, Lk. 23:38, Jn. 19:19). Upon His head was placed a crown (of thorns). From the cross, Jesus issued decrees with authority:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Lk. 23:34
To the thief: "Verily, I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." Lk. 23:43
To His mother, and disciple, John: "Woman, here is your son.", and "Here is your mother."   Jn. 19:26-27
To His Father: "Into Thy hands I commend My spirit."  Lk. 23:46
Jesus determined His own moment of death, saying, "It is finished."  Jn. 19:30

Did He also subdue, and subject spiritual powers from the cross? There was great darkness, and an earthquake during the crucifixion, so warfare may well have been taking place in the heavenly realm, and in the earth. Regarding this, scripture says that when our sins were blotted out, and nailed to His cross, He spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Col. 2:14-15). Also, had the princes and wisdom of this world known before time the resulting subjection by the work of the cross, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:6-8).
Considering these things I have learned, it is now more understandable and more poignant that Adam was called "the son of God" (Lk. 3:38). However, it seems clear from the choices made, and the words spoken by the first man, that he did not understand, or perhaps did not accept, the eternal importance of the image of the crucified Christ which he carried. Most of us welcome the idea of walking "in His image"- but not that image. Yet this is the very image in which Jesus commanded us to walk: "...let him take up his cross and follow Me." (Mt. 16:24, Mk. 8:34, 10:21, Lk. 9:23). How do we achieve that? Jesus said in the same verses that one must "deny himself". In the Greek this means, "to forget, to lose sight of one's self and one's own interests, to have no acquaintance or connection to one's self, to reject, refuse, disregard one's own interests". Walking in the image of God and Christ requires walking in exactly this crucified image.
I am certainly not successful in this. Studying these things makes me see how unlike Christ's image I really am. However, this was our purpose in the earth from the beginning, and even before the beginning, according to the details given to us in the creation account. We can choose to be that shadow and pattern of the very image of God, a declaration and reminder of Christ, our Savior, to the creation, or, like Adam, we can choose to refuse that image. It is a daily, and even moment by moment, choice. As Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I now live by faith in (of) the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me". (Gal. 2:20).
In listening to that lying serpent, the first man desired to empower himself, and by making that choice, he turned away from the greatest power-the image of the Crucified Christ.
I need to be more conscious of this, more attentive to it, and keep this in prayer, and in repentance. It is not just about sin. It is also about self.
If we understand and accept, and become this image of Christ, it is a purpose to celebrate and adore, as God did when He created man.

Our Father created man as a shadow and model of Christ.

"The Anthem"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24apOa9CZuU