To Protect and To Serve
I don't recall if I've mentioned it before, but I really enjoy a radio program called Speaking of Faith. Conveniently, it comes on Mississippi Public Radio (yes, I listen to public radio) in the hour that I drive from Ripley to Tupelo on Sunday mornings. It's the perfect way for me to center my focus on God before arriving at Sunday's Bible study and worship service. The show is weighted toward Christian topics, in alignment with the demographic that it serves, but not exclusively Christian. It provides a nice way to compare/contrast Christian beliefs with other faith traditions; it also displays the vast spectrum of perspectives held within the Christian church. All in all, it's a fresh source of spiritual information for me to take in and think about. I know that there will be things I agree with, as well as things that I disagree with, so I know I have to be paying attention. And that excites me. :)
(Incidentally, if any of you would like to check out the radio program, you can go to their website: speakingoffaith.publicradio.org. You can listen to each weekly show online, or if you have an iPod, it can be sent as a podcast for free.)
Now, having said all that, today's show was about Faith and Environmentalism. The primary guest, Calvin DeWitt, has been a leading evangelical voice for environmental protection and conservation for several decades. He and the host, Krista Tippett, had an insightful discussion on the topic. (Bear with me; it’s about to get a little technical.)
A verse of scripture that came to the forefront was Genesis 1:28: “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." And, as I was taught in Sunday School, this is the “we’re in charge” verse. God has bestowed the Earth to mankind. The Hebrew word “kabash” is what is translated into “subdue,” and it literally means “to bring into captivity.” Many scholars hypothesize that this verse actually was a guiding force in Christendom’s rise to industrial prominence, since it seemingly puts the natural world in a subservient position to mankind and its inclinations.
DeWitt then made reference to Genesis 2:15: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Here, the Hebrew words “abad” and “shamar” are used to describe Adam’s role in “dressing” and “keeping” the garden, respectively. “Abad” means “to serve,” and is often used in the Old Testament to denote man’s service to God Himself. “Shamar” means “to preserve,” and is typically used to describe the Hebrews’ keeping of God’s commandments, as well as God keeping his covenant with the Hebrews.
When I looked up those two words, I was really floored by the emphasis God places on Adam dearly caring for Eden (and, as a result, our own care for the Earth today)...I mean, on par with His own covenant with His people! It’s in stark contrast to the picture painted by Genesis 1:28 alone.
That’s not to say that the first verse isn’t important. It squarely put the responsibility on our shoulders. We really are in charge. But, in charge of what? That’s where the second verse comes into play; we’re in charge of caring for, preserving, and even serving God’s creation. It’s a kind of servant leadership that nicely parallels with the example provided by a certain someone from later on in Scripture...
What am I doing to serve God’s creation? Not much...and that sin really hit me hard today.
(Incidentally, if any of you would like to check out the radio program, you can go to their website: speakingoffaith.publicradio.org. You can listen to each weekly show online, or if you have an iPod, it can be sent as a podcast for free.)
Now, having said all that, today's show was about Faith and Environmentalism. The primary guest, Calvin DeWitt, has been a leading evangelical voice for environmental protection and conservation for several decades. He and the host, Krista Tippett, had an insightful discussion on the topic. (Bear with me; it’s about to get a little technical.)
A verse of scripture that came to the forefront was Genesis 1:28: “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." And, as I was taught in Sunday School, this is the “we’re in charge” verse. God has bestowed the Earth to mankind. The Hebrew word “kabash” is what is translated into “subdue,” and it literally means “to bring into captivity.” Many scholars hypothesize that this verse actually was a guiding force in Christendom’s rise to industrial prominence, since it seemingly puts the natural world in a subservient position to mankind and its inclinations.
DeWitt then made reference to Genesis 2:15: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Here, the Hebrew words “abad” and “shamar” are used to describe Adam’s role in “dressing” and “keeping” the garden, respectively. “Abad” means “to serve,” and is often used in the Old Testament to denote man’s service to God Himself. “Shamar” means “to preserve,” and is typically used to describe the Hebrews’ keeping of God’s commandments, as well as God keeping his covenant with the Hebrews.
When I looked up those two words, I was really floored by the emphasis God places on Adam dearly caring for Eden (and, as a result, our own care for the Earth today)...I mean, on par with His own covenant with His people! It’s in stark contrast to the picture painted by Genesis 1:28 alone.
That’s not to say that the first verse isn’t important. It squarely put the responsibility on our shoulders. We really are in charge. But, in charge of what? That’s where the second verse comes into play; we’re in charge of caring for, preserving, and even serving God’s creation. It’s a kind of servant leadership that nicely parallels with the example provided by a certain someone from later on in Scripture...
What am I doing to serve God’s creation? Not much...and that sin really hit me hard today.
posted by Trey at
7:27 PM
3 Comments:
I've always felt that mankind was meant to be more of a servant and steward to God's creation, rather than a master and owner. I'm glad that they provided the word origins to explain that.
I claim to be an environmentalist, but the emphasis is really on the "mental" part. I mean, yeah, I think about protecting the earth, but what steps do I actually take? I think the problem is that I don't know what steps will make an impact. It's hard to deal with such a large-scale problem when you're a fairly small-scale person. :)
By
Corrie, at 8:36 AM
I agree, Corrie. I try to do a little bit here and there - conserve gas by combining trips, use my electricity sparingly if possible, don't litter, etc. But that doesn't do a whole lot to improve our status here, only to keep it from getting too much worse. Environmentalism isn't really something that is generally at the forefront of my mind, but I think this would be a good area of our lives to continue to show servanthood. Very good thoughts for the day Mr. Hankins. Thanks for sharing.
By
cr, at 8:50 AM
Kabash makes me think of swashbuckler. Sad, huh?
By
cr, at 7:02 AM
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