"Subdue and Have Dominion"

"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 ESV

"Subdue it and have dominion." I have thought about this phrase since my post "Just Another Animal?" What does subdue mean here? Am I subduing creation when I attempt to dominate my backyard into submission with a lawn mower?

The Hebrew word for subdue is "kabash" meaning "bring into subjection, make subservient." Subdue as "make subservient" may be helpful for us in this context. God created this world as the living place for humans. And our world continues to serve us to this day; giving us the air we need to breathe, the food we need to eat, and providing the materials we need to create clothing and shelter. In that sense, creation is our servant - "subservient" to us. "Subdue" is used elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments 31 times. And every other time outside of Genesis chapter 1, it is used in a military or political context. So, those other uses are not much help. The use of "subdue" with regard to God's command of humans viz. the earth is never again addressed in Scripture beyond Genesis 1.

But I think it's important to remember that all the other times this word is used in Scripture are after man had sinned. And as the sinful children of Adam, both then and now, the full understanding of God's command to "subdue and have dominion" is elusive and difficult for us to wrap our minds around. Martin Luther has some insight into the problem in his Lectures on Genesis as he addressed Genesis 1:28:

"But Adam would not have used the creatures as we do today, except for food, which he would have derived from other, far more excellent fruits. For he under whose power everything had been placed did not lack clothing or money. Nor would there have been any greed among his descendants; but, apart from food, they would have made use of the creatures only for the admiration of God and for a holy joy which is unkown to us in this corrupt state of nature. By contrast, today and always the whole creation is hardly sufficient to feed and support the human race. Therefore what this dominion consisted of we cannot even imagine."

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God and had a perfect relationship with Him. Yet that perfect harmony with God and with the earth fell apart with the fall into sin. I tend to fall in line behind Luther here in saying we can't have a crystal clear understanding of how our first parents went about having dominion over the earth. Because of who we are as sinners, we have never enjoyed that perfect relationship. The earth is cursed and we eat our food by the sweat of our brow (Genesis 3:17-19). Yet now where in Scripture does it say that God's command to subdue the earth was ever revoked. And that command is still ours today.

So where do we go from here? How are we to understand and live out our role as humans subduing creation? And how do we understand that role in the light of Jesus Christ? How about your thoughts?

Ash Wednesday: Remembering

This morning, we (myself and my daughters) were sitting in the car at the corner of our street waiting for the school bus. (Personal comment: It's just been too cold here in S. Texas this winter!) After a couple of minutes, I told Abby, "Tonight we will do the Imposition of Ashes." And Abby replied, "You mean when we put that black stuff on our heads?...Yeah!!!" For some reason, Abby likes that. I think it's because the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday is something strange and unique and done only once a year, thus she remembers it. Then I asked her, "Do you know why we do that?" (blank stare) "To remind us we will die."

That is what Ash Wednesday is all about. It is the day beginning the season of Lent in which we remember who we are: sinners doomed to death - "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return." We are sinners without our own righteous leg to stand on. There is nothing left but death for us. But Ash Wednesday is also a day to remember where to focus our hope: the cross of Christ. The ashes are drawn on foreheads in the shape of a cross for a reason - to remind us who removed the sting of death for us by becoming death for us: Christ.

So I encourage you today to remember - remember who you are and in whom is your only hope.

Why Some and Not Others?

This is such a difficult topic. Why are some saved and not others? In fact, it is an impossible question. It is what theologians call the "Crux Theologorum" - the "theologians cross." Different demoninations have different answers, but none seem satisfactory. Rev. Paul McCain over at his blog, "Cyberbrethren" does an excellent job of breaking down the problem and giving our Lutheran response, which, as he points out, will still seem unsatisfactory. The impossible question stands. Click here to read his blog post.

Just Another Animal?

In recent years, the environment has taken a prominent position in our collective dialog. We are quickly discovering the impact our actions and our lifestyle truly have on the larger world around us. "Going green" is the new mantra as many pursue renewable sources of energy, new ways to use old products and materials to our benefit, and protecting animal and plant life from complete destruction - so that nature remains in its delicate balance and continues its symbiotic existence.
But we humans don't seem to quite fit in the world like the rest of nature. We don't seem to be a part of nature like we are just another animal. Unlike the animals we humans have the ability to control and manipulate the world around us in very complex ways. We gather seeds and plant them so our food sources multiply. We don't have natural protection against the weather as part of our body, so we make clothes. Instead of exclusively using natural features for shelter (caves or trees), we change and modify nature to create more effective shelters (wood, brick, and other materials for homes.) We modify nature to suit our needs and even our wants. So are we just another animal? Or do we have a different purpose here on earth?
The Bible tells us that we do have a different role to play in our environment. After he created all things, including the first man, God said:

"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." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food."

And later, God created a special place, a garden, for man to live in, he put man in the garden to work it and keep it.

So, from a Biblical worldview, we have a higher, two-fold purpose in our existence on this earth. We are to subdue it - use all of the resources it offers so that we can take care of ourselves. And at the same time, we are to take care of the earth - to work it and manage it so that it continues to exist. We are not just another animal. We need the earth for our continued existence. And the earth needs us to manage and take care of it.
However, those two need to remain in balance. If we don't subdue the earth, we won't have what we need (food, clothing, shelter). If we don't take care and manage the earth properly, it won't be a viable place for our children. In recent centuries, humanity has done an excellent job of subduing the earth. But sadly, this has often been done to the detriment of the larger environment.
Thus. those with a Biblical worldview would avoid the extremes - the extreme capitalist view ("The resources of the earth are all mine for the taking!"), or the extreme environmentalist view ("The needs of all plants and animals are superior to my own needs").

What do you think?

I've Moved!

I have moved my "church" blog offsite to Blogger. Posts will still feed to Hope's website. But all blog entries and other tidbits will begin here.
Blog creation on this end is still in progress...
Stay tuned