“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” – Genesis 1:28

Isn’t it remarkable that the first words that Adam and Eve heard from the mouth of God after their creation were a blessing?  

And are you aware that ‘subduing’ is part and parcel of the blessing, that we are blessed to “subdue” the earth?  

To subdue means to take possession of, to subjugate, to conquer, to put into subjection, to make subject.

The Bible says God blessed Adam and Eve to subdue the earth, which implies that after creating the earth, God’s intention was that human beings would have to manage and control it on His behalf.

Our mandate on earth is to be managers who have the authority to run everything as God planned.

Mark you, this blessing was for both Adam and Eve; man and woman.

From the original languages, ‘subdue’ takes on a military term.

It has to do with disarming an enemy or making something like a wild beast (the devil) to lose its power.

A good example of this is in Judges 8:28: “Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more.”  

David was one of the people who enjoyed this blessing to the full. He had the ‘subduer’ mindset.

1 Chronicles 18:1 says; “In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.”

Don’t forget that this Gath was the city where David had earlier in his life pretended to be mad before their king because of fear (see 1 Samuel 10:10-15).

It was the ultimate humiliation for a man who had been anointed by God to be the next king of Israel.

He had to ensure that he comes back to bring that nation into subjection.

Later, he wrote in Psalm 18: 47: “He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me.”

Through faith they subdued kingdoms” worked righteousness,

obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

quenched the violence of fire,

and turned to flight the armies of the heathen.

Hebrews 11:33-34

‘Subduing’ implied making the enemy subject to and serving the ‘subduer.’                                     

We get the full import of this idea from the provocative words that Goliath spoke to the Israelites: “If [your champion] is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”

That’s why David said in Psalm 18:39: “For You have armed me with strength for the battle.  You have subdued under me those who rose against me.” 

The suggestion was that God caused Goliath and all the enemies of God’s people to lie in the dust before David.

The blessing to subdue implies that every power becomes subject to you; it serves you rather than the other way round.

That was what our Lord Jesus did to Satan and all powers, thrones and dominions.

For the Christian, that implies making all things in our lives subject to Christ’s power and authority.

Don’t forget that all that is part of the blessing in the heavenly places.

We do it through faith like the ‘heroes of faith’ did in Bible times.

As Hebrews 11:33-34 says, “through faith they subdued kingdoms” worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, and turned to flight the armies of the heathen.

Our faith in Christ is the most powerful force as it is our faith that enables us to subdue.

Firmly embracing the blessing in Christ is what will make us subdue the earth through our professions, as well as diseases, poverty, sin and death, etc.

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you for the blessing to subdue the earth. May I have the faith believe that you have given me everything I need to put everything into subjection, for the glory of Your Name, Amen!