Is the commandment “be fruitful and multiply’ applicable to us today as the earth is over populated?

A great question. Often we read biblical text in a literal sense, but we have to ask ourselves, what is the context in which the writer is authoring the text? We don’t have dates for this text but we do know there was no way for the writer to conceptualize the size of the planet. We know the author of the text wasn’t there when this commandment was given. Also, we must realize that this commandment was also given to a set of individuals at a set point in time.

We must then begin to ask ourselves a few reflection questions. What are we to learn from the text? What lessons can we learn? Are we to look at this as a literal commandment that is to be followed throughout the history of humankind? Or, are we to look at this and draw a metaphorical meaning from the text?

I look at the text as a metaphor. I ask myself, where am I to be fruitful and multiple? Am I to create jobs or opportunities for others? Am I teach individuals how to walk on a path towards wholeness, while teaching those they come in contact what they have learned? These are the questions I ask myself. I never ask myself am I supposed to populate the earth.