The Heavens Declare the Glory of God… Have Dominion

Isaiah 24:4-6

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows forth his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1

​Jared Diamond, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, wrote in his book Collapse about the fall of the Easter Island people:

The overall picture for Easter is the most extreme example of forest destruction in the Pacific, and among the most extreme in the world: the whole forest gone, and all of its tree species extinct. Immediate consequences for the islanders were losses of raw materials, losses of wild-caught foods, and decreased crop yields. — Jared Diamond, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

At one point, Easter Island had trees of sufficient girth and height that they could build boats allowing them to fish out at sea. But eventually, the last tree was cut down; they could no longer fish, and the society disappeared. Because they had no access to resources from other cultures, there was nowhere to turn. I imagine this was an unfortunate cascade of events. But other societies have been more intentional in their destruction.

In the opening chapter of Genesis, God commands us to have “dominion over the Earth and to subdue it.”

In a historical era when dominion was understood as the absolute God-given right of kings, we took this command as absolute license to develop the land with a rapacious energy that not only polluted the environment but made portions of it unusable for long stretches. Think about the condition of the Thames during the 18th and 19th centuries. Industrial waste, raw human sewage, dead animals, and more were dumped into the river to the extent that the stench was unbearable and portions of the river unnavigable. The fish population was decimated, and the river became a deadly source of disease. And, of course, as is true of every period in history, it was the poorest people who were forced to live in the most polluted and diseased areas.

This interpretation of dominion also carried over to land ownership. America’s patterns of ownership conflicted with those of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, according to Bill May of the Kennedy Ethics Institute at Georgetown. W.H. Auden, in 1952, wrote: “In Europe, nature is an animal to be tamed; in America, it is a dragon to be slain.” Ownership conferred on the possessor the absolute right of development and disposition. But, as we know, the Scriptures tell us, “The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” It does not belong to us.

Sadly, the fraught relationship between nature and humanity is nothing new. Isaiah proclaimed:

The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt.

Isaiah is implying that our moral behavior and our fidelity to God impact the health of creation.

Fortunately, there are two notions that lead to a more faithful relationship with creation. First of all, if the Bible tells us to have dominion, we should not use earthly kings as an example. Rather, dominion is to reflect a godly understanding. More specifically, Jesus, known as the King of Kings, exercised dominion in a way that valued every life in creation. He told us to consider the birds of the air—not one of them falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Jesus is implying that God cares for all creatures, and therefore, when exercising dominion, we should too.

The Lakota people reflect what we would consider to be the spirit of Christ in their approach to power and nature. The buffalo is a powerful, fast, and awesome beast. They see in the buffalo the power of sacrifice for others, whereas other cultures see sheer power as a means to dominate.

In the second chapter of Genesis, we are given a different word than dominion to describe our relationship to the Earth and its animals: “protector, steward, or caretaker.” As a gardener takes care of their plot of land with passion and love, so too are we to be caretakers of the Earth. Since God declared creation good, we are to cultivate it with love and treat it with deep respect, even when we use it for our own benefit.

God did command us to subdue nature. The most fantastic example of this occurred in a New York restaurant perhaps over a year ago. In a YouTube video, you see restaurant-goers scurrying, screaming, and running away from a table. And then this woman (it turns out she’s from Alaska) goes into the corner where everyone else is running away; she reaches her hand down and then stands up with her hand held high, holding an opossum by the scruff of its neck. Alaskans are tough!

In order to thrive as a species, there are times when we need to subdue nature—whether it’s floods, plagues, or rat infestations!

When at its best, the relationship is symbiotic and mutually beneficial. It leads to fantastic developments. Thousands of years ago, humans relied on hunting and gathering for their food supply. But at some point, some genius noticed a stalk of grass that was a little bit different from the others and found a way to breed this with others that were similar to it until eventually, we had wheat. Wheat that we could plant and multiply the food supply. This happened in the Americas with corn and in the East with rice.

Jesus did tell us that God cares for the birds of the air, but He also told us that we are of more value than many sparrows. So, it is right for us to make use of them. But our approach should perhaps be more like the Lakota people. When they sacrifice a buffalo, they give thanks and honor it for all it does for the community.

When we approach creation faithfully, it not only provides for us but enlightens us.

This is the nature of Job’s insight in the 12th chapter, “Ask the birds, and they will teach you.”

When we develop land properly, when we are in a loving relationship with it, nature is the world’s greatest teacher. By treating it with respect, it responds by providing us shelter, food, and beauty—not only for us but for our descendants.

Albert Schweitzer, 20th-century organ composer, humanitarian, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (and winner of the best mustache in history!), wrote:

A man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help…. Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace. —Albert Schweitzer

Think about what having a dog does for a child, especially if they are given a portion of responsibility. It teaches them faithfulness. You’ve got to take a dog out for a walk, or it is going to suffer. You take them to the doctor when they are sick. Children very quickly grow a strong attachment. And when that child sees the dog’s loyalty and love, they learn more about how to be responsible and giving of themselves.

How should we approach nature? With reverence.

Again, from Schweitzer, “By having a reverence for life, we enter into a spiritual relation with the world. By practicing reverence for life, we become good, deep, and alive.”

A reverent approach opens the world’s secrets.

Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote, “Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things.” —The Brothers Karamazov