Genesis 1:28: “God blessed them [Adam and Eve] and said to them, ‘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.’” (NIV)
Much has been made from this verse. Some environmentalists blame our culture’s domination of land and earth to this verse, seeing the woes of cruelity to animals, clearcutting forests, permantly altering landscapes, polluting rivers and air, etc. as directly tied to this mindset that the earth is ours and ours to do with as we please and there are no consequences. Perhaps it is the foundation of this thinking which is so prevalent in our culture. It is a terrible reality of a Bible verse taken out of context or used in the wrong way.
There are several Hebrew words which are translated into dominion, ruling, sovereignty, etc. The one used in the above verse is hdr, which is used several times in the Old Testament, usually in context of reigning, taking, or subjecting to one’s will. While this seems like tyrannical dominion indeed, we have to then move on to God’s examples of good rulers to see what God’s image of dominion truly is, since he is good. He created the world and natural processes and proclaimed it good, (Gen 1) so it wouldn’t make sense for him to want it run to the ground.
King David is of course, the most exalted of the rulers in the Old Testament, because he shephereded in a Golden Age for the Israelites. King Solomon was revered for his wisdom. Both rulers sought to follow God’s will and had faith, except for the end of Solomon’s life, and David’s ‘oops’ moment with Bathsheba. Both sought the good for their people and lands and had reputations for being just and fair.
Furthermore, in Genesis, God assigns ‘subordinate regulating roles to certain of his creatures’ (NIV Study Bible notes), allowing the moon and sun to govern the night and day (Gen 1:15-18). The land produces creatures of all kinds (1:24). Each of these are ‘good’ roles that are fruitful and life-giving. Then Adam and Eve are created and given a role to have dominion over the creatures and earth. We have already seen that good kings are wise, just, faithful to God, and seeking of the good for their people and land. In other words, good kings are life-giving; providing for their subjects and following God’s supreme example.
Of course, the ultimate king and example is Jesus himself. His dominion over us and the world is life-giving (literally raising from the dead, but also healing), just, merciful, lived simply, generous, righteous, and truly appreciative of God’s creation, as he went out into the wilderness often to pray. As Christians, we are always seeking to become more like Christ and follow his example. Well, if we truly seek to exalt Christ, we realize that, as Paul said in Colossians 1:15, that “all things were created by him and for him.” We can recognize the love of Christ in creation around us. This evidence of love should be treated with the utmost respect and love, and in accordance to Jesus’ principles of love of others and faithfulness to God.
This is where the ‘stewardship principle’ comes in. The word dominion or rule doesn’t capture what it’s supposed to in our language, especially in America, where we’re bred with a distrust for human authority for obvious reasons. Stewardship in our tongue captures it best. The idea is that the earth is God’s, but we are his stewards, as he gave it to us as an ultimate good gift. Treating this gift wisely and with love is a great testament to the workings of our faith as we seek to follow Jesus’ example.
This very good article makes me think of the way companies treat their employees. This is a dominion vs stewartship tug of war also.In my management book, Wingtips with Spurs, I write that Corporations have negative results often because the people on board cannot tell the difference between right and wrong. Due to scope, these consequences usually take longer to materialize, but is the result the same? You can find a ton of articles and books about business ethics about businesses “losing their way,” e.g., WorldCom, Tyco, Enron. You can also sign up for seminars where they preach to “do the right thing.” They paint the world in stark black and white. These resources ask one-dimensional ethical questions, such as, “Should you take kickbacks from suppliers?” For me, ethics in the workplace is varying shades of gray. You have to rely on moral law, that is, does it ‘feel’ wrong? It’s easy to say, “There is right, and there is wrong.” All major corporations have their written code of conduct. Each one is pretty much just a copy of the others and is a major dust bunny. The next time you walk into someone’s office, ask to see the company code of conduct. Good luck on finding someone who will produce it within five minutes. The moral law is much easier to find and digest. It resides in each of us.