“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Just as an expectant mother prepares for her soon to be born child, God prepared with infinite care for the arrival of His children. All of creation was brought into existence with the purpose of making it anthropomorphic. Fitting for man’s survival and Scientists sometimes call our region of space the “Goldilocks Zone” because it appears to be ‘just right’ for life. There are 13 incredibly ‘lucky’ earth facts that make our planet not just feasible for life but life giving. Before God breathed His own breath into Adam He had already prepared the earth with all it’s plants and beauty, the heavens, the sun and moon, and the animals. Everything perfectly situated to support the arrival and care of mankind.
Just one of these lucky facts is that our planet orbits the sun at just the right distance – not too hot, not too cold. This habitable zone is where water can exist in liquid form. There are 12 Lucky Earth Facts that make planet earth the perfect place to sustain life. You can read about them here.
When God created the Garden of Eden, it was perfect. It operated beautifully according to Gods plan. Everything was in order. The beauty of the garden reflected the beauty of its Creator. The pleasures hidden deep within Eden reflected pleasures within its Creator. The marvelous mysteries in the Garden of Eden represented the marvelous mysteries of its Creator. What a setting to birth mankind!
“Then God said, “let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion…….. over all the earth…“ Genesis 1:26-30 God gave man dominion so that he would rule the earth with the same care and protection that God had afforded him. In Genesis 2:15 “the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Tend means more than keep it orderly, the Hebrew word means to guard, to watch and to protect. The word “Work” means to cultivate and to serve. Thus we were given to task of stewarding creation with wisdom and love.
There are many admonitions throughout the Bible on man’s responsibility to steward wisely His creation. We are exhorted to be faithful (even in the smallest details), to be thoughtful, to be grateful, to be joyful and to give thanks to our Creator for the glories of His creation entrusted to us.
Warnings as to God’s promised judgment for not caring for the land wisely are also there in God’s word. “you shall not pollute the land in which you live.” Number 35:33 God commanded that the earth could be worked for 6 years and then let to rest or lay fallow for a year. Ignoring this command resulted in the 70 year captivity in Babylon of the Israelite people.
Unfortunately dishonorable stewardship of the earth and her resources occur on a catastrophic level with serious consequences to the health of the earth and it’s inhabitants. Ravaging the earth’s resources, over harvesting, polluting the air, the land and the oceans and over harvesting is all too
“Sustainable development: a means of consuming the resources of the earth in such a way that we do not impair the ability of the earth to provide the same resources to future generations.”
“Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,” Proverbs 27:18
