by Henrieke van Kampen and Cherry Kwan
[This blog is part of a series on the Gospel and the Environment]
Have you ever read the story in the Bible where Samson tears up a lion? The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Him and he gains the strength to tear the lion into pieces like a young goat. After some days Samson goes back to see the carcass of the lion and sees honey inside its body. He decides to take and eat it and shares this honey with his parents who did not know where the honey came from. He did not tell them because his parents knew that he did not obey God’s call on his life when he killed the lion…
Creation Made Good
We may be familiar with Genesis and have read how God created the world and called it good. Yet not often do we see the role we can play in His creation. We may know that Adam and Eve chose not to honour God which caused sin to enter this world. This then led us towards a downward spiral that ultimately showed how much not only Adam and Eve, but humanity as a whole was in need of a saviour! We have seen how our response affects our relationship with God and with each other, but often we miss how this has affected our environment. Yet God spoke a lot about this as well, hence the importance of getting a grasp of His desire for all of creation.
“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” – Genesis 1:28
The narrative in Genesis, however, shows us that God did not just create people, He created much more! God intended humans to have a relationship with the creatures He made. We were meant to have dominion over the animals and we immediately get to see what that looked like. Adam, after all, was not just vaguely aware of some flying things in the air, he gave them names instead. This act of naming others is not unlike God’s treatment of humans, which gives us a glimpse of what dominion truly looks like: care for the created being.
The Fall
People in the past have rejoiced in God giving us dominion over the earth. We are amazed by the strength and power that God has given us; the strength to make wild animals bow down to us. To be able to even eat honey from their dead bodies, like Samson did! Yet, this might be the wrong way to respond to the dominion God has given us. Samson after all, did not act in a way God told him to act.
Many may glance over the fact that Samson was set apart to be a Nazirite. This means that he was not to touch any dead bodies and eat anything unclean. Samson was given great strength as he was to save the Israelites from the Philistines, yet he did not use this given strength in the way God desired. The Genesis story shows us that God created us in His image, so that we could show the character of our Creator to the world around us. Yet, just as Samson, we may be tempted to interpret God’s desire for us as something that should serve us alone, rather than serving Him and all of His creation. We may show others our power as if it’s our own strength, rather than God’s strength through us.
We most likely have seen the treasures people show after hunting an animal. Being able to show the head of a deer or the skin of a lion radiates our strength of being able to conquer a big wild animal. Exotic animal parts, horns, tusks and heads for own home adornments are status symbols. Our pride and desires motivate us to see dominion as something that imprisons and breaks the will of sentient animals for our entertainment. We have essentially come to treat ourselves as gods and use our powers of knowledge and technology for our own glory.
This has resulted in deplorable consequences and much suffering, as part of the ‘fall’. Take for example the pangolin fetus, or the high-profile shark fin, where these animals suffer a terrible death for your meal. The Bible is not against eating meat (Genesis 9:3), yet what makes this sinful is the coveting for excesses beyond necessity to satisfy our own desires and honour ourselves instead of God. After all, the Israelites were instructed to collect manna and quail for their day’s need out in the desert and no more.
The Need to Rethink Dominion
While some have interpreted Genesis 1:28 as a permission to control the environment merely for one’s own use, we should ponder on what it means to have been given dominion over the earth the way it was intended. Samson had to learn that his strength was given by God and could be taken away. God did allow Samson to choose how to use his strength, yet when you read his story you see how this led Samson to make some unfortunate life choices.
The more we know and try to control, the more we realise that biodiversity and the ecosystem are rich beyond our understanding; it is not ours to own despite our best efforts to patent genes and crop varieties. They can be ‘taken away’ as well. Modern biotechnology has allowed for the development of genetically modified organisms – organisms whose genetic material has been changed artificially to control some of their characteristics. Though sensible application of the technology has resulted in positive results, as it did for Jacob when he used selective breeding (Gen. 30:31-43), there have also been multiple instances where such organisms have been released into the wild causing unpredictable consequences, such as wiping out entire populations or enhancing another organism to create a new superbug. Rethinking how we use the dominion given to us is therefore of vital importance.
The Redemption Story – what the King is like
We read in the New Testament how Jesus came and showed us what real strength and dominion looks like: He chose to do the will of the Father (John 6:38). Where Samson showed failure and our dominion shows breakdown and destruction, Jesus shows his dominion through His humble obedience and care for the things His Father created and cared for. Christ chose to reveal his dominion through His gentle service which helps the environment to flourish. This extends to the beautiful home God created for us here on earth, which we are called to steward.
Flourishing could look like the current pharmaceutical industry which relies on biodiversity for drug discovery and compound inspiration, honed through three billion years of natural history. Discovery of natural products is critical for prevention and finding cure for illnesses. Scientists also regularly take inspiration from nature to develop new technologies, such as velcro (from burdock burrs) and the wind-turbine (from the whale). Psalm 104 beautifully reminds us that this is all God’s creations and not ours. The psalm describes the way He cares for them, from which we can learn that we too need to care for our home.
Restoration
While we see there is still a big gap between the world God created and the world we created, we can have comfort knowing that God will make things new again. We know that the new heaven and new earth will not be one in which we have to show off our own power, rather we will give glory to the one who created it all. He will not only bring people to a place of peace, He will also make the Wolf and the Lamb live together (Is. 11:9). The promise that we can hold on to is that all of creation will enter His peace.
Our Calling
We have to become aware that we need the services and products of the ecosystem (i.e. water, air, food, fuel). Many view economic growth as being at odds with nature; any pollution is at odds with good stewardship, but actually God has given these gifts for our use. Some fail to see that the ecosystem is robust and can adapt–given enough trees, the air can be purified– so the question is sustainability, which is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations. Therefore our economic decisions should be framed in terms of the social, environmental impact for the long term, turning it into a question of justice. The reality is that human flourishing is tied closely with economic growth.
While we have not yet seen all of creation restored, we are to embody the King on this earth. We are called to have dominion over the earth, and we are also called to do the will of the Father who has given us this great place to inhabit. Have you ever considered the implications of your current lifestyle? What does this lifestyle reflect? We live in a city–so far removed from nature and far removed from the means and methods of production for food and resources, that it is easy to forget how our choices can make a difference in the world. This could look different to different people, but it may mean being thoughtful about what you buy, where you get your pet from, and how you use natural resources. Does it show your delight in God’s dominion given to you? Does it give Him glory?