The first man-made objects, according to Scripture, were sewn fig leaf coverings to hide the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Since then, almost anything we’ve conceived of in the imagination of our hearts, we’ve made; everything from buildings and battleships, to swords and spacecraft. However, there is now so much man-made stuff on Earth that at the end of last year a stark, if not symbolic, tipping point was passed.
The weight of man-made objects now outweighs living things!
This means all our plastic, metal, and concrete are heavier than all the animals and plants put together. With land comprising of only 30% of the earth’s surface, that is a tipping point worth reflecting on. We’ve come a long way from our once untouched Eden.
Although a calculated estimate researched by a team at the Weizmann Institute of Sciences in Rehovot, Israel,[1] this news tells us we are shaping the planet more than it’s shaping us. It holds a mirror to our planetary footprint, reminding us that we’re not neutral players. Actually, when God placed us in Eden, He gave us a role, a role guiding our relationship with the land. Reminding ourselves of this role can help us see one of God’s purposes for us.
There was something very intentional about the garden in Eden. Firstly, God designed and “planted” it Himself—God continued the creative process on Earth for a reason. Secondly, He “put”, actually placed, Adam into this garden. God showed that He wanted Adam, and by extension humanity, to complete the creative beautification of the earth, indicating His thrilling purpose for mankind to rule Earth with Him. However, such rulership and responsibility had to come through the development of character.
To cultivate such character, God gave us two roles (and a chance to receive His life and Spirit through the Tree of Life). One role meant having dominion over the living things, and the other stewardship. We don’t seem to have had a problem having dominion, but our newly passed tipping point tells us we need to rediscover our role as stewards of this blue and green planet.
The job description of stewardship was short and sweet, consisting of only four words: “tend and keep it”, God said (Genesis 2:15). The words, originally written in Hebrew, simply mean to ‘cultivate’ and ‘protect’. In other words, as one commentator puts it, this means to put Earth through a “finishing process”, to “watch over it, guard it, protect it, and preserve its beauty”. However, this finishing process was designed not just to finish the garden, but to help finish us—to help the spiritual development of humanity. But what has physical care got to do with spiritual formation?
It is clear to see that God intended humans to make better and more of the environment He gave us. This watching, guarding, protecting, and preserving, all requires work on our part. It’s through meaningful work and application of our mind that we develop character. In work, knowledge and effort combine to birth something better than what came before. In doing this, our work on Earth continues the process of creating order from disorder, which God started in Genesis 1 when He recreated the earth in six days from its “tohu wa-bohu” state described in verse 2 (Hebrew for ‘unordered’ and ‘uninhabited’). And thus, we join the Logos’—the Word’s—work of pulling potential from chaos, order from disorder.
Our individual care and attention on these matters doesn’t just help the physical environment, but continues our spiritual formation—cultivating our inner character to learn to rule the earth in a right and proper manner.
It may not be surprising then, in the presence of God, with Adam’s job description given to him, that such work is synonymous with the activities of the priests in the tabernacle and Temple. Indeed, “Temple services and ceremonies performed by priests were synonymous with Adam cultivating a garden”[2]. This semantic connection is so strong that the Hebrew word for tend (`abad) and keep (shamar) are the same words used to describe the priests’ and Levites’ sacrificial tasks and guarding of the Tabernacle.[3]
So, if we added the job description of “tending and keeping” to our everyday lives, what difference would it make? Recently, I received a package from Amazon as so many of us do. However, what I was not expecting was the inside packaging being three times that of the actual item. The excess, of course, went straight into the recycling bin.
Now I know we’re not city planners, and that man-made objects will inevitably increase (in fact, they are set to triple by 2040[4]), but we can do small things that can lessen our negative impact on the environment and put us in greater harmony with it. Our individual care and attention on these matters doesn’t just help the physical environment, but continues our spiritual formation—cultivating our inner character to learn to rule the earth in a right and proper manner.
During this week, let’s ask ourselves, “Am I being wasteful?”. This small question can lead to better outcomes for the natural world, and means that we will be, in our small way, tending and keeping the precious gift that is this jewel of a planet.
By Richard Fowler
[1] Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass | Nature
[2] Dinah Dye, The Temple Revealed in the Garden: Kings and Priests, (Foundations in Torah
Publishing, 2018), p.9.
[3] The sacrificial tasks of the Priests are referred to as `abad in Numbers 8:26, Joshua 22:27, and Isaiah 19:21. The command to “keep” shamar charge of the Tabernacles found in Numbers 1:53, 3:38, and 18:2-7.
Jacqueline Eve - July 23, 2021
Thought provoking and so true. How sad that, like the Tower of Babel, man can achieve so much without having the satisfaction of living a more simplistic way and not damaging the beauty on the earth that we have been given.
Richard Fowler - July 24, 2021
Thank you for your comment, Jacqueline. Yes, that is true – instead of continuing the ordering process God commissioned us with, self-rule has led us to more disorder and destruction. It is exciting to think, though, that one day “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” – we have a wonderful calling and future!
Stuart - July 24, 2021
great Blo richard Shema love it. listen learn go and do thanks again
Richard Fowler - July 24, 2021
Thanks Stuart! Glad you liked it. Shema indeed! Blessings.