“God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.’” Gen 1:28

When meeting someone for the first time, the first words we speak carry enormous weight, setting the emotional tone and relational trajectory for what follows. Impressions matter. What we say and how we say it can mobilize or paralyze. It can draw people in or push them away. It can inspire or stifle. When conveyed with authenticity, humility, and sincerity, the resulting attention and respect garnered are tangible and immediately rewarded. 

Until the sixth day of creation, God had never spoken to any man. Ever. No one had never heard words being spoken to him, until that holy moment in time when the Father’s awesome voice echoed in Adam’s ears, most certainly causing all the hairs on his arms to stand straight up and his legs to wobble! And yet, despite its indisputable clarity, it is astounding how muddled people can be about God’s intentions. Or perhaps they imagine that God has changed His mind since so long ago? 

On that last point, there are many scriptures I could point to that answer this question resolutely. To put is simply: He hasn’t. 

But some might say, yeah, but the times have changed. True. Times are always changing. Yet there has never been a more prosperous generation. Health care has never been as good. Birth rates were higher during the Great Depression, and the children born at that time were adults during the period of America’s most dramatic rise to world prominence. So no, that argument against having children simply does not work. It’s an excuse masquerading as a reason. 

We raised seven kids in the nations during these “difficult times” even though we had no fixed income. Israel did not tell God His idea was not practical when they were oppressed and threatened as slaves in Egypt. Quite the opposite. Exodus 1:12 says: “the more [the Egyptians] afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew”. Holding the course, it was only a matter of time before they outnumbered, and overpowered their oppressors. 

If I was an unbeliever, I can imagine being hesitant, even fearful, in the face of uncertainty and pressures. But as believers, Gen 1:28 says we are blessed even before we obey. That means God has already made provision for us, and given us access to His favor, His wisdom, and His resources. Only then does He command Adam to be fruitful and multiply. Whenever God asks us to do something, He backs it up unsparingly…grace upon grace.

As believers, we know the gravity of obedience to God’s commands. If anyone is doubtful whether or not God was serious about this mandate, they should consider that He spoke these same words to Noah as he walked out of the ark with his family, then repeated them generation after generation to Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob. Because this is His Word, we just do it and trust the results to Him. To look at circumstances or attempt to make truth conform to what is “reasonable” or comfortable is not an option for us. We are told to to walk by faith and not by sight. So what are we waiting for?

What God desires has never been in question. He wants us to fill the earth. As the waters cover the seas, so He shall His righteous reign be. The government which rests upon the shoulders of His son brings peace that knows no end “to order it and establish it with judgment and justice…forever” (Is 9:7). Our part in this Master plan is plain: we must be fruitful and multiply. As fertility rates shrink in our generation across the globe, as non-believers shun marriage and substitute diapers for doggy bones, the people of God must return to the traditional—the tried and true—that which God spoke to us from the beginning. 

God has blessed us. And knowing what is best for us, and necessary for His will to be done on earth, He commands us to have lots and lots of “kids”. While this certainly implies spiritual children, preaching to the lost and making disciples, it also is not subtle in saying that God’s people should prioritize the building of strong families at a time when a broken world has forgotten or rejected the eternal words our loving Father which He first spoke to man.

So what do you say? I say, Let’s do it. Let’s fill the earth…and make our Father’s heart glad.