OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOD’S CREATION

1. Caretakers of Creation (Genesis 1:28-30; 2:15, 19, 20) 

2. Stewards Over God’s Works (Psalm 8:1-9; Genesis 9:1-3, 8-11) 

3. God Values His Creation (Genesis 1:31; Psalms 24:1-2; 89:11; 145:13-17) 

Central Truth: God values His creation and commands us to care for it. 

Focus: Acknowledge that God values His creation and to determine to care for it wisely. 

Evangelism Emphasis: God loves people and provides for their needs, both temporal and spiritual. 

Text: “The Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15). 

INTRODUCTION 

The Garden of Eden was a place of beauty and peace. It was part of the creative work God pronounced to be “very good” (Gen. 1:31). There was no animosity between man and other creatures in the Garden. The keepers of the Garden were to get their food from “every herb bearing seed . . . and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed” (v. 29). There were no carnivorous creatures. They, too, were to get their food from “every green herb” (v. 30). Such an arrangement resulted in a peaceful coexistence. 

The Bible reminds us there will be a time in the future when harmony will prevail again between people and the wild beasts. Isaiah wrote, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them” (11:6 ESV). 

We can look back to the beauty and peace of the Garden of Eden, and also look forward to the peaceful environment of the coming millennial kingdom. 

1.  CARETAKERS OF CREATION 

A. Eden and the Animals (Genesis 2:15, 19-20) 

15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 

19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them there Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 

Genesis 1 and 2 tell the Creation story and show it to be a direct act of God. Chapter 2 gives a more detailed account of what took place on the sixth day. 

The place God prepared for Adam to live in is vividly described in Genesis 2, and it is called “the Garden of Eden” (v. 15). It is also referred to as “the garden of God” (Ezek. 28:13) and “the garden of the Lord” (Gen. 13:10). The Garden was suitable to grow plants, herbs, and all kinds of colorful and fruit-bearing trees in which Adam could find delight (2:9). There were animals of all sorts in the Garden, including cattle and other animals that could be domesticated. Filling the air above the Garden were birds (v. 19). 

With the same hand God used to make Adam, He took him and put him in the Garden (v. 8). God did not place Adam there to idle his time away. Adam’s responsibility was to cultivate the Garden and maintain it (v. 15). The Lord gave him work to do that had meaning and was delightful. Gardening was man’s first occupation. His employment contributed to his happiness. 

In a matter-of-fact manner, Moses said God “formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky” (v. 19 NIV). Then He brought them to Adam for him to give each of them a name. This act of naming the animals was the first recorded incident of man showing dominion over the animal kingdom. Since the animals came to him in pairs, Adam was reminded he had no “helper suitable for him” (v. 20 NASB). Thus, a desire was awakened in him for a companion—a desire God fulfilled in the creation of a woman (vv. 21-22). 

• How is the current relationship between humans and animals the same as it was in Eden? How is it different? 

B. Be Fruitful and Govern (Genesis 1:28-30) 

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  

One of the great distinctions in this passage is the difference between man and the animals and other creatures. The Westminster Confession of Faith reads: “After God had made all other creatures, He created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after His own image.” Made in the image and likeness of God, man bears characteristics that animals do not possess. Also, although God made animals from the ground, only into man’s nostrils did He breathe the breath of life. Man is the crowning achievement of all God’s creative work. 

Man is different from and higher than animals in a variety of ways. He has the ability to reason and to make many things. Above all else, he possesses the capacity to worship God and commune with Him. Animals, on the other hand, lack this ability to reason at this same level, and they act based on their instincts. Also, man has a conscience that enables him to distinguish between right and wrong. In Foundations of Pentecostal Theology, Guy P. Duffield wrote: “In the New Testament, the word conscience occurs thirty-one times. It is said about the conscience that it can be good, weak, pure, seared, defiled, evil, and purged. . . . It appears that the conscience is a human [trait] which was given to man in the beginning, for as soon as man sinned, he hid himself.” 

Furthermore, God gave to man the ability to communicate rationally. When God spoke in Genesis 1:28-30, He spoke to man and not to the animals. The Lord gave man “dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (v. 26). 

God blessed Adam and Eve. He gave them the earth for their possession and gave them power to propagate and multiply their own kind (v. 28). “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Ps. 127:3 NASB). 

In Eden, Adam and Eve found the food needed to sustain their body. The Bible divides the vegetable kingdom into three categories: grass, herbs, and trees. The first humans obtained their food from plants and trees (Gen. 1:29). The members of the animal kingdom, including birds and creeping things, were to eat green. 

Greater Than Creation 

I asked the whole frame of the world about my God; and he answered me, “I am not He, but He made me.”—Confessions, Saint Augustine 

2.  STEWARDS OVER GOD’S WORKS 

A. Crowned With Honor (Psalm 8:1-9) 

3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet. 

9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! 

Psalms 3—7 show David struggling with enemies who would do him harm. Then, suddenly, we come to Psalm 8, which has a magnificent tone. It deserves a place alongside Psalms 1, 23, and 100 as one of the most beautiful of the Psalms. In his commentary on Psalms, Derek Kidner wrote: “This psalm is an unsurpassed example of what a hymn should be, celebrating as it does the glory and grace of God, rehearsing who He is and what He has done, and relating us and our world to Him, all with a masterly economy of words, and in a spirit of mingled joy and awe.” Psalm 8 begins and ends with the same words: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (vv. 1, 9 ESV). 

As a shepherd boy, David had an opportunity night after night to survey the heavens. When he observed the starry skies, he must have become aware that God had created the stars, counted them, and gave each of them a name. David may not have grasped how vast the heavens were, but he did know they were the handwork of God. The fingers are the instruments by which we construct a piece of work; and David declared the heavens were made by the skillful fingers of God (v. 3). 

Having spoken of God’s greatness, David turned his attention to man (v. 4). Why are humans important to God, and why should He pay attention to them? As a shepherd boy, he had many opportunities to scan the heavens, contemplate the vastness of the universe, and consider how great God is. How could the One who created this astonishing universe, and keeps it operating, pay any attention to human beings and care for them? And yet He does, as multiple passages of Scripture attest. 

Not only does God care about us, He has crowned us with “glory and honour” (v. 5). In his commentary on Psalms, James Montgomery Boice wrote: “This means He has given human beings, mere specks in this vast universe, a significance and honor above everything else He has created.” 

As human beings, we are “a little lower than the heavenly beings,” and above “all sheep and oxen . . . beasts of the field . . . the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea” (vv. 5, 7-8 ESV). 

• How does Almighty God work “through the praise of children and infants” (Ps. 8:2 NIV)? 

B. God’s Covenant With Noah (Genesis 9:1-3, 8-11) 

 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 

11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 

A covenant is an agreement between two parties which has conditions and consequences. The greater of the two parties determines the terms of the covenant. The Lord entered into a covenant with several Old Testament characters. 

God made a covenant with Noah and his sons. It was not the first covenant He had made with humankind. Earlier, He had made a covenant with Adam in the Garden of Eden. The covenant consisted of not eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. If Adam had kept this covenant, he would have continued walking in fellowship with God; because he broke it, he became subject to death and expelled from Eden. 

In the generations following Adam, the earth became so corrupt and violent that God declared it had to be destroyed (Gen. 6:5-7). Only righteous Noah and his family would be spared (vv. 8-9, 18). 

Following the catastrophic worldwide flood and more than a year on the ark, Noah and his family were finally able to disembark. Noah built an altar and worshiped the Lord (8:20). The Lord’s command to Noah, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (9:1 ESV) echoed His first command to Adam (1:28).  

When Noah left the ark, he stepped into a world where civilization as he had known it was gone. He saw what the judgment of God upon sinful and rebellious people looks like. However, God had spared Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives, and He reestablished man’s dominion over the animal kingdom (9:2). Both animals and green plants would provide them nourishment (v. 3). 

After reiterating the command to be “fruitful, and multiply” (v. 7), God gave Noah a promise that He would never again destroy the world by a flood. Then the Lord placed a rainbow in the sky as a symbol of His promise. Every time we see a rainbow we should be reminded that God keeps His promises. Albert Barnes said the rainbow is “an index that the sky is not wholly overcast, since the sun is shining through the shower. . . . There could not, therefore, be a more beautiful or fitting token that there shall be no more a flood to sweep away all flesh.” 

But there is another rainbow we will see one day. John tells us about it: “I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Rev. 4:2-3). 

The Open Door 

Just as Noah and his family had to go through the door to be saved, so others could have gone through that door to be saved. In fact, after the ark was loaded, it stood for seven more days before God himself shut the door—seven more days of grace.—Ken Ham 

3. GOD VALUES HIS CREATION 

A. God’s “Very Good” Creation (Genesis 1:31; Psalms 24:1-2; 89:11) 

Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. 

89:11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. 

At the end of the sixth day of Creation, God reviewed His handiwork. Six times before, He had declared that it was “good.” Now He pronounced that it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Everything He had made was in complete conformity to His plan and will. Every aspect of creation was exactly as He designed it to be. 

The universe, as God created it, is beautiful. Who can argue with that fact when watching the sun rise or observing the starry heavens? The beauty of the universe is also seen in so many small things that surround us. What inspiration we would find if we made it our purpose to see something beautiful every day. Observe a little bird flittering around or a flower in its radiance. Look at the blue sky and see clusters of clouds in unique formations. Or we might see a horse in his strength or a dog wagging his tail in friendliness. The goodness of God’s creation may be seen everywhere. There is so much to lift our spirits and give us renewed inspiration for the day. 

Psalms 24 and 89 celebrate the Lord’s right to reign and recognize Him as the Creator. To those who were of the opinion that God only loved the Jewish people, Psalm 24:1 says, “The world and all its people belong to him” (NLT). This truth is repeated in many Bible passages. Believers are challenged to take the Gospel of love to the whole world. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus told His disciples to “teach all nations” (Matt. 28:19) and to be His “witnesses . . . in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

God loves every person in the world; every person owes allegiance to Him; and every believer is called to share this message. After all, God’s rule over this world is based on His goodness and loving care. There is no one like Him, and to experience His favor in our lives is a privilege beyond compare. 

Psalms 24 and 89 call for giving praise to God because He is incomparable and because of His creative ability in the making of an orderly universe. He holds sway over nature and over the nations of the world. Even the heavens sing of His grace and dependability. He is Lord over all, and He is to be approached with awe. When we consider His power, His justice, and His holiness, how else can we approach Him except with reverence? 

Perfection 

The hand of God is perfect. God is the Creator of life, the Sustainer of life, and the Rock upon which righteous lives are built.—Woodrow Kroll 

B. God’s Enduring Dominion (Psalm 145:13-17) 

13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. 14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. 16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 

Psalm 145 declares the Lord is “great . . . and greatly to be praised” (v. 3). This psalm is said to be the beginning of the “grand doxology” that includes the last six psalms, in which the word praise occurs forty-six times. It calls attention to God’s mighty works, His incredible provisions, and His gracious dealings with those who love Him. 

God’s kingdom is an “everlasting kingdom” that can never be overturned (v. 13). Many other kingdoms have flourished for a while and then fallen. They have risen for a season, but later came to ruin. Not so with the kingdom of God. It will never pass away; its great principles will stand forever. If God’s kingdom will last forever, so will His faithfulness. He will always keep His promises and care for His creation (v. 13). His love is unfailing; His loyalty and dependability never change. 

When we fall, the Lord lifts us up and restores us. Nobody understood that better than David. He bore the burden of guilt and shame as much as any man ever did, but God lifted him up. The Lord is still in the restoring business. John wrote: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). 

God’s care and provision not only extends to humankind, but to “all [who] look expectantly” to Him and to “every living thing” (Ps. 145:15-16 NKJV). The word all appears repeatedly in this psalm. It includes “good to all . . . His works,” “all who fall . . . all who are bowed down,” “all look expectantly to You,” “all His ways,” “all who call upon Him,” “all who love Him,” and “all the wicked” (vv. 9-10, 14-15, 17-18, 20 NKJV). “Let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever” (v. 21). 

David makes a comprehensive statement when he says God is righteous in all His ways (v. 17). He is upright and just in His character, in His teaching, in His providential dealings, and in His glorious plan of salvation. In every aspect of life, all that He does for humankind is the best thing that could be done. God is also “holy in all his works.” The Hebrew word here is merciful. Righteousness and mercy work harmoniously in all of God’s arrangements and plans. Elsewhere, the psalmist said, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (85:10). This God who is righteous and holy will administer justice impartially. 

• What does this passage reveal about the heart of God (vv. 14, 17) and the hand of God (vv. 15-16)? 

CREATION, GARDEN, FLOOD, PROMISE 

When God completed His work of Creation, He declared it to be “very good.” He placed man in a beautiful garden and challenged him to be fruitful and to cultivate the garden. God also gave him dominion over the animal kingdom. 

Adam and Eve failed God, which resulted in sin entering the human race. This seed of sin grew until “the wickedness of man was great in the earth” (Gen. 6:5). This corruption led to God wiping the wicked from the face of the earth by means of a flood. After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah that He would never again destroy the world with a flood, and gave a rainbow as a sign of that promise. 

Daily Devotions 

M.  Laws to Care for Land (Exodus 23:10-12) 

T.  Provision for God’s People (Leviticus 25:18-24) 

W.  God Values Animals (Psalm 104:19-30) 

T.  God Provides for His Creation (Matthew 6:25-34) 

F.  Care for Our Bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18-20) 

S.  God Defends Creation (Revelation 11:16-18) 

Adopted from the Evangelical Sunday School Lesson Commentary 2021-2022.

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay.