Two popular subjects arise in the first two chapters of Genesis – Human Sexuality (which I discuss in the previous post) and Environmental Stewardship.
Though I do not believe that the main intention of these chapters is to teach either of these things, they do create a jumping off point for the Bible’s view of both.
It would be unfortunate to allow the opportunity to simply pass by without a mention, so here are a few brief words on each.
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Humanity and Environmental Stewardship in Genesis 1 and 2
Genesis 1:26-28
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
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Genesis 2:7-15
7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
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Genesis 5:1-3 says that Seth is the image of his father, Adam. This is a clue as to what it is to carry the image of God. A child looks like his father, but not entirely. As the child matures, he could potentially grow to be more like his father. This speaks to purpose, as the rest of the creation story speaks to purpose. Children like to imitate their parents. We are to reflect God in the world. The more time we spend with God, like a child, the more his image is apparent in us. (Ephesians 4:24, Collosians 3:10)
We have been given the role of stewards of this, God's earth. It is not our earth to rule, as though we are kings and queens to do whatever we wish. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. We have been charged with its care. We are not kings and queens, but priests. Our engagement with the earth should lead it and us toward a greater reflection of our Creator. Nature does not have equal rights with us, for us to fight on its behalf.
On God's behalf we joyfully and soberly fulfill our responsibility to care for creation.
(More - Man and Woman as Priests of God's Temple - Genesis 2)
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