Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion" .....
This passage of scripture reveals to us the fact that one of the first things God did after he created man was to give him dominion over all the earth, meaning that Adam was to act in the capacity of a supervisor or steward under God, and as such would be responsible for all that fell under his domain. This was a part of God's original plan in the creation of man and was put into effect, and firmly established by our Creator right after Adam and Eve were brought upon the scene of action. In his capacity of steward under God, it meant that all of the actions and decisions taken by Adam would ultimately affect those lower down on the totem pole, and because of this, a very weighty responsibility rested squarely upon his shoulders, knowing that he was responsible for the well being of all of God's creation upon the earth.
However, when Adam sinned he lost this dominion and consequently all those who were under his jurisdiction also fell as a result. The sin of eating of the forbidden fruit produced a domino effect in animate and inanimate nature, affecting all future generations that would be born, and also impacting the dumb animals, and the trees, flowers, and shrubs. As Adam's nature became warped, so the nature of animals also became warped, and leaves started to fall from trees, and dogs started barking at man, whereas heretofore these things had never occurred on the planet. As a matter of fact, most of what we now consider as being normal, is actually very abnormal when compared with God's original purposes and institutions. Let's read:
Genesis 6:7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air" ..... 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
However, on a more personal level, the principle of being responsible for whatsoever is under our jurisdiction stands firm, and all those who are members of our household will be affected by what the father does and does not do. Christ has taken up where Adam failed, but in our own family, the principle of stewardship still remains, hence the reason why fathers are especially called to account for whatsoever takes place under their roof. For example, when Adam and Eve sinned, God came looking for them, but let's observe whom He called first to account, even though it was at the instigation of Eve that Adam had partaken of the forbidden fruit. Let's read:
Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
The father is to take the lead in instituting right and just principles, and order in the home in collaboration with his "Female" wife, and those who are under their domain are to follow the God-established order. One of the problems we have today is that women have assumed the roles of men to a great degree, and this is in part because men have refused to step up to the plate and fulfill their God-ordained duties. The result is that we now have a plethora of very dysfunctional families, and the children produced by those homes usually go on to disregard the authority of both God and man, and divorces and separations, and alienation and great loneliness has resulted, all because of one or more violations of the godly principle of dominion.
In our day and in our own experiences we should do all we can to return as close as possible to God's original ideal, starting with our own families, and if we seek God for guidance and direction, He will give us the wisdom and the wherewithal to raise families that would be a glory to God, and a blessing to humanity. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us all to cooperate with God in the establishment of well-ordered families, and those who comply will be richly rewarded, both in this life and in the world to come. Let's read:
Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 6 Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!