A devotional thought composed originally for Swift Current TSA Devotional Book, June 2015.Presented to River Street Cafe, 22 April 2016, Earth Day.
Read Leviticus 26:31-35
"As
people are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), we have been entrusted with
the care of the earth's resources (Genesis 2:15). Stewardship requires that we
use these resources in a manner which ensures the well-being of present and
future generations. God's instruction to 'subdue' the earth and 'rule' over
every living thing (Genesis 1:28) cannot be interpreted to justify abuse or
disregard for any life, not only human life. The privileges granted require our
accountability to Him and one another" (TSA Canada Position Statement).
God
cares about the environment, the land itself. He lays out some important commands
concerning it (specifically relating to Palestine; Lev. 25, 26) in a part of
Scripture that is – interestingly enough - known as the 'Holiness Code'.
We are
directed that the land itself shall enjoy its Sabbath rest (Lev. 25:2,
26:34,35) just as man is commanded to (Exod. 20: 8-11, Deut 5:15), and as God
did (Exod. 20:11, Gen. 2:3). If we, as 'tenants' of His land (Lev. 25:23), fail
in our responsibility to carry out this duty to take care of the land, then the
owner of the land -who cares about His land- may remove us from it.
He did
remove Israel from the land as it neglected its environmental responsibilities:
"He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword,
and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came
to power. The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it
rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfilment of the word of the
LORD spoken by Jeremiah" (2 Chronicles 36:20-21). When Israel neglected the
land, the LORD held them responsible. The land is the LORD's. He cares about
His land and therefore so should we.
Given
that God cares about His land and given the finite resources of our world, its
expanding population, and the impact of industrialization, we each need to
accept responsibility for the environment by taking practical steps to
regenerate and conserve God's creation.
One of
the very first things God commanded humanity – Genesis 1:28 – was to take care
of this world that He lovingly created. It is important to God and therefore
should be important to us.
This
is a big part of our Christian witness. Can we call ourselves servants of
Christ if we neglect the first responsibilities God ever gave us? How can we
show our love for God by taking His commission to look after the earth
seriously?
[1] Based on the article by Captain Michael Ramsay, What is My
Responsibility to the Environment? Nipawin Journal (September 2008)
On-line: http://sheepspeak.com/sasknews.htm#environment
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