In Genesis 1:28, God gave these tasks to humans: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Critics of Christianity often point to this verse as a prime example of an attitude of running roughshod over the non-human environment that they say results from following Judeo-Christian beliefs. Many times the behavior of Christians does seem to be insensitive to issues of environmental protection. But is this verse really advocating this type of attitude and behavior?
When we think of the terms “rule and subdue,” pictures may come to mind of the often harsh and brutal conquerors and dictators of the past and present, such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Hitler, or Stalin. In raising themselves up in power and wealth, these rulers crushed underfoot and destroyed all who got in their way. But the ideal of the ruler set forth in the Bible is different. Looking forward to the time when the Israelites would seek a human king, God instructed them as follows in Deuteronomy 17:16-20:
The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of the law, taken from the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Jesus held up a similar ideal of servant leadership when He said, “You know the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28). In John 13:3-15, Jesus set a powerful example of this type of leadership by washing the feet of His disciples and commanding them to do the same for each other.
In God’s eyes, a ruler is someone who serves and protects those under his or her care. The Hebrew phrase often translated as “till and keep” in Genesis 2:15 with regard to Adam’s activity in the Garden of Eden could be translated as “serve and preserve.” God is calling humans to rule and subdue His creation by serving and preserving it, not by ravaging and destroying it. As faithful stewards of God’s creation, we need to study it, live in harmony with it, and seek ways to serve and preserve it. This will lead to a state of shalom between humans and non-humans living together within God’s created order.
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