What does this Scripture mean? This seems out of left field to move from the dominion of mankind to talking about drinking blood and murder. What is important, however, is that God is re-establishing the sanctity of human life.

The passage above is called the dominion mandate, and it is one of my favorite recent discoveries in my Biblical journey. The dominion mandate calls for us to subdue the earth beneath our feet for God.

Have you ever had something difficult finally come to an end? Relief is a wonderful feeling, whether it comes at the end of something extremely difficult, or simply the end of a bad cold where you can finally breath again!

We see here that God was doing something to the earth. The flood is what was called a decreation event, after which God recreated. Why, however, did He take time to do this? Noah spent nearly a whole year inside of that ark, why? It was so God could prepare what Noah was returning to intricately and perfectly.

Today we read about the flood waters on the earth coming to an end; the fountains and the windows are closed, and God sends a wind over the earth. The Hebrew word that has been translated into wind is a word that we have already read a few times this week. It is the same word used in Genesis 6:17, 7:15 and 7:22, where it is translated as “breath of life.” God’s spirit is causing the waters to recede to make a place where all that has the breath of life in it can live once again. He remembered Noah and the covenant He made with him. We also just read that all other life was blotted out.