In Genesis 1:28 God said to man : "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
In the above verse it seems as if God gives man free rein to do anything he wants to the planet—bend it to his uses and abuses, rape it of all its beauty and diversity—for his own benefit. HOWEVER, God certainly did NOT give man the authority to degrade and destroy His earth!!!
In Genesis 2:15 we read on : "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."
The above verse contains a parallel account of creation, adding detail to certain parts of the narrative of the first chapter. The word KEEP ("shamar" in Hebrew) means "to exercise great care over" & the word DRESS ("abad" in Hebrew) means "to work or serve". THUS : God's ultimate wish is that mankind should "take care of," "guard," or "watch over" the garden & everything in it.
And a good caretaker maintains and protects his charge so that he can return it to its owner in as good or better condition than when he received it!!!
And a good caretaker maintains and protects his charge so that he can return it to its owner in as good or better condition than when he received it!!!
And this is me and my hubby's goal ...... to be good stewards of the earth and be worthy to receive the many blessings from our Heavenly Father.
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