> [!Scripture] >**29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; >30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.** <img src="https://audio.mhbbible.com/media%3Agenesis%201%2029-30.jpg" alt="Genesis 1:29-30" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> > [!success] Audio Commentary > <audio controls src="https://audio.mhbbible.com/Genesis%201%2029-30.ogg"></audio> ## Brief Observations - **Day 6 concludes with divine ordination, not new creation** — No ex nihilo acts here; instead, God declares and ordains that every green plant shall be food for man and beast. This is the third phase of day 6, sealing the pre-Fall order. + **Pre-Fall diet was entirely plant-based for all creatures** — Man received green plants, fruits, and earth's produce; animals the same. No carnivorous diets existed—no death, no predation. Meat-eating is first permitted only after the Flood (Genesis 9), a concession to the cursed creation. - **Our craving for meat is fallen, not original** — I love a good steak as much as anyone, and the thought of going vegan sounds miserable—but that craving is a mark of the curse. In Eden, fruits and vegetables would have fully satisfied and sustained without any lack or longing for flesh. + **Humanity is made from the earth and sustained by it** — Our bodies come from dust and are kept alive by earth's bounty. This temporary sustenance reminds us to thank God daily for provision, while recognizing it cannot ultimately defeat death. Only Christ gives living water that quenches forever. - **God's providence is rich, specific, and loving** — He knows exactly what we need and supplies it from the overflow of His own love. In Christ alone do we find true support and comfort in this life. Most of us no longer hunt or grow our food—we walk into grocery stores overflowing with abundance. This bounty should stir constant gratitude, not entitlement. + **Adam and Eve lived in contentment with God's supply** — Except for the forbidden tree, they did not covet or demand more. They received food for life, not lust. We should learn from them: thank God for what He gives, resist always chasing the "next best thing," and trust His faithful hand. - **God feeds the animal kingdom with the same care** — Every creature—even those carnivorous today—was given greens, fruits, and earth's produce. God cares about animals more than we do. No sparrow, no insect, no beast escapes His gaze. He satisfies the desire of every living thing and lets them feed at His table daily. + **This providence should build unshakeable trust** — God provides for birds, beasts, and beasts without any reciprocity or merit. He certainly will not let His saints starve while sustaining lesser creatures. He feeds His birds—so rest assured He will feed His children. We need no manipulation, theft, or anxiety; His table is open and abundant. - **All creation points back to praise** — The fact that God is such a rich, bountiful steward of man and beast alike is one more reason to glorify Him. His daily provision for every living thing reveals a heart of faithful love that invites us to rest in Him. ## Full Commentary Scripture says God preserves both man and beast, and this preservation is highlighted in these verses. This passage represents the third part of the sixth day’s work, but we don’t see any _ex nihilo_ creation events. We see an ordination from God which determines every green plant shall be food for both man and beast. In the pre-Fall created order, there was no need for carnivorous diets. Man was given green plants, fruits, and other products of the Earth to be his food. The same was true for the animals. We don’t see any instruction to eat meat until after the Flood in Genesis 9. I want to be careful here. I love eating meat and the thought of a vegan diet is intolerable to me. But it would not have been this way before the Fall. My craving for meat is a consequence of the cursed creation. Fruits and vegetables would have been sufficiently satiating in the pre-Fall created order. Humanity was made out of the earth and so we were maintained out of it. Our earthly sustenance keeps us alive and so we should thank God for that. But even this sustenance is temporary and can’t stave off death forever. Jesus gives us the kind of living water from which once we drink deep — we shall never thirst again. God knows what you need to survive and from the richness of His own love He gives it to you. Only in Christ Jesus may we have all the supports and comforts of this life. Today His providence is so bountiful that most of us have lost the ability to hunt for or grow our own food. We simply take a short trip to the grocery store and all the food we could possibly imagine is right there for us. As we live and thrive in the Lord’s bounty, it’s important that we remember to thank Him and to live in His glory. With the exception of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve lived in contentment concerning their food. God supplied food for their lives, and so they did not demand food for their lusts. This should teach us to be thankful for the providence of God and not to miss it by always coveting the next best thing. In addition to providing food for humanity, God also provided it for the animal kingdom. All creatures, even those we know as carnivorous today, were given diets of greens, fruits, and the bounty of the earth. God cares about animals. God cares about animals probably more than you do. No creature is small enough or insignificant enough to escape His careful gaze. His faithful providence for the animal kingdom is another reason we should praise and glorify God. He satisfies the daily desire of every living thing and allows them to feed at His table every day. God is a rich and bountiful steward of the Earth, and this should encourage us to vest our faith in Him that He will give us what we need to eat and what we need to drink. We don’t need to resort to soliciting manipulative trade deals or stealing goods and services in order to be fed. God provided for Adam and the animal kingdom despite their lack of reciprocity. He still provides for humanity and the animals without reciprocity. So He certainly won’t allow His saints to deteriorate into privation while granting sustenance to all these lesser creations. God feeds His birds, and so we can rest assured He will feed His human babies.