Be Fruitful. . .

I have been searching the scriptures for information of education recently. I want to see what education looks like from a biblical perspective, What did the first glimpses of education look like for Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, etc.? I suspect we have gotten off track along the way and I just had a desire to look into it a little deeper.

I didn't get far into the chapter of Genesis before I came to a few verses that took me down a rabbit trail.

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

I had always glossed over that 'be fruitful' phrase assuming it meant the same as multiplying and filling the earth. However, when I got to the story of Noah, I noticed that God used this same phrase with Noah. In fact, he says it three times. It must be pretty important.

Genesis 8:15-17 Then God said to Noah, "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it."

Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.

Genesis 9:7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."

These were the first commands given by God to Adam and then to Noah. Did he only want them, including the animals, just to multiply and fill the earth or is there more to the command?

I looked up other verses in the bible that talk about fruit or being fruitful in the hope of understanding this better. If I had a bible with the Greek meanings of the words, I would have used that, too. But I don't, so you go with what you have.

Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

God is often called the living water. We often talk about being rooted in God's Word. Fruit is often referred to as Godly characteristics or works. Is this verse to describe a person who draws life from God, is rooted in God's Word, is maturing and growing in their faith, becoming ready, to be and do what God has assigned, sustaining and persevering his whole life in the faith, and is successful because he does the will of God? Is this what God meant about being 'fruitful'?

Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

This verse looks like evangelizing; rooting others in God's Word and leading others to eternal life.

So far, we have a picture of 'fruitful' being both personal growth and helping other to grow in the knowledge of God.

Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

Authentic, life saving fruit cannot be produced if the life source is anything other than the Godhead himself. So, 'be fruitful' is also telling us the source of life, and of fruit, is God and nothing else.

John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.

God is the Gardener who perfects us and our fruit! We can rest in His work in us because it has a perfect purpose, although painful at times.

Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

These are characteristics a fallen world cannot produce on their own without first having known such shown toward them and then having been transformed by God himself.

I never noticed the last line of this verse before. What does it mean against such thing there is no law? I wondered if before the fall - when there was yet no need for the law - did these things come naturally to Adam and Eve because of their intimate relationship with God? Which led me to the next verse.

Rev. 22:2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Adam and Eve had access to the Tree of Life until sin entered the world. We will once again have access to the Tree of Life when Jesus restores all things back to their former eternal characteristics.

Psalm 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.

Wives have children (increase and multiply). A Christian Mother who raises her children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord is being 'fruitful'. In fact, she must first be drawing life from God herself. She must first be rooted in God's Word. She is then able to show her children where to draw life from and how to stay rooted in God's Word for themselves. She understands who the perfecter of her faith is, and the faith of her children, and she diligently teaches her children to walk in God's ways and to rest in his will. By doing so, she fulfills both Psalm 1:3 and Proverbs 11:30. Mothers have suck a divine priviledge!

The first instruction of education is to know God!

The second instruction is to always walk with him and in His will!

The third instruction is to teach your children to do the same through example and diligent teaching!

How do the three commands given to Adam and then to Noah conflict with what the world teaches?

The world teaches there is no God or that you are your own god. The world teaches no Creator but rather chance. The world doesn't acknowledge a divine life source because they don't believe in a heaven or hell. The world doesn't value children or the call for mothers to raise them in God's Word. The feminist movement puts a womans value elsewhere. The U.N. and agencies like Planned Parenthood would rather control the population and limit it's growth. A generation who isn't drawing from the authentic eternal life source isn't able to teach their children to do so either.

If no one heeds God's command in this area, the next generation may be similar to the one of Noah's generation. However, I know there are Christian families all over the world who do heed God's command, although we are in the minority. We must be even more diligent and reliant on God so that our children may be a beacon of light to the world. May God bless the efforts of those who obey.

I will continue to look up what education looks like in the bible, but the first and most important aspect to knowledge and wisdom is the fear and knowledge of God.