Prince Caspian: Our special connection to nature
Genesis 2:15-20
In the last decade over 1000 species of animal were discovered in the Mekong jungles and wetlands of Asia. That averages to a species a week. Among them were never before named types of:
• Spiders
• Rats
• Bats
• Rabbits
• Snakes • Fish
• Frogs
• Lizards
• Plants
• Birds
and the list goes on. There are also new discoveries of reptiles in the Rain Forests of Tanzania, ironically, discovered as the forests were being leveled.
The Bible says volumes about animals as livestock, as symbols of God’s kingdom, as wild beasts, and as examples of human behavior. We have a basic, prescribed relationship to nature, set out in the original covenant between God and Adam:
In the book Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis goes to great lengths to show the dependence of Narnia on the responsible leadership of humans. Deterioration is shown by the disappearance of talking animals and the silencing of the trees. The coming of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy is the beginning of setting things right.
Lewis and his circle of friends were very much aware of nature, so much so that they are thought to have been out of touch with their times. They were accomplished naturalists and against industrialization. They saw in nature a reflection of the human condition.
There are a number of implications at work in the Genesis passage:
• The man was put in the garden, not just to eat from it, but to tend it. Work is not part of the curse, but painful toil in work is. Work was always a part of being human, even before we were fallen
• Adam was the first gardener, the easy name we have for the practical botanist or horticulturist
• Humans were originally vegetarians
• There have always been restrictions on what we could do with nature. The first one was the prohibition against the conscience tree.
• Work was made better by the introduction of a helper
• The animals were originally without names, till Adam named them, thus he was the first linguist
• He was also the first biological taxonomist
This last point is important because taxonomy is the science of naming and organizing the names of various species of living things.
In this short passage, Adam is introduced to us as a working scientist. All through the Bible we see God’s references to the human relationship to nature. For example, God is clearly presented in the Bible as caring about the well being of animals:
• Noah was told to save animals as he turned humans away from the ark
• Part of Solomon’s wisdom was his understanding of plants and animals (1 Kings 4.33), and he admitted that he didn’t know what happened to the spirits of animals
• Jonah was reprimanded for not recognizing God’s care for Nineveh’s people and her animals
• Jesus said that the way God cares for the flowers and birds is a signal of how much He cares for people
• Many references to the eternal, peaceful kingdom are references to animals with instinctive animosity toward each other. We have no reason to think that this is simply symbolic, the picture is just as likely representative of prophetic fact
God’s choice of animal sacrifice to represent human atonement does not devalue the animal but enhances its significance. God’s mercy is not just toward humans but toward animals too:
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
(Psalms 36:6 TNIV)
Solomon takes it a step further and says that a righteous person’s behavior is reflected in his treatment of animals:
The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
(Proverbs 12:10 TNIV)
In other words, a righteous man can be spotted by the way he cares for his animals. It takes, perhaps, a bit more insight to think of plants.
It was, in ancient times, and still is today in water deprived regions, a curse to have someone come and cut down the trees.
When Dawn and I were in Kenya, it was an interesting thing. For about 2 hours every day, the local deep well near an oasis would be pumped into cisterns all around the area. It was often difficult to get the local people to allow the cisterns to fill before they turned on hoses to water the trees. There was enough water to do both, but in their minds the trees had priority over their own drinking needs.
In our world, we sometimes blind ourselves to the limited nature of our environment. We waste resources, pollute freely, neglect and thoughtlessly abuse nature. This is against the command given to Adam, and by extension to us, by God.
What can I do?
Treat living things well
Ghandi may have been right. Perhaps you can judge a nation by the way it treats its animals. A popular bit of current trivia is that serial killers often begin by torturing and killing helpless small animals.
I believe it is a good practice to teach children in some way to care for animals.
• Feeding
• Grooming
• Caring for their health
• Training them to develop their intelligence
Those lessons in dependence and kindness can breed life long habits of gentleness and observation. Whether they feed their pets or feed the wild birds or help in animal rescue, these are practices that are pleasing to God, since they are, in one way, caring for His creation.
Besides caring for animals, learning how to
• water and feed plants
• To care for trees and lawns (beyond just cutting the weeds down)
• To exercise care in using or disposing of harmful chemicals
I am impressed with my Father-in-Law’s practice of using Urea instead of salt to clear away ice from his walks because it feeds his lawn instead of killing it as salt does. Sure, it is good for the appearance of his grass, but it also is good for the health of the ground cover. I am not good with plants, but like everything else, I believe that is a product of my habits and knowledge. I can learn.
Who knows, we may find that we have a latent tendency toward the life sciences. And, as our friends who recently visited the Creation Museum can affirm, if there is anything we could use, it is more believers who understand biology and can explain it in ways that are godly.
Do what you can to conserve natural resources
We were placed here as stewards and caretakers of the earth. Adam was charged with naming the animals, and Noah was charged with saving them. Adam was told to tend the trees he was given for his food supply.
You may or may not buy the current theories about global warming, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that if trees produce oxygen and we cut down vast numbers of trees, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that if we put things in the ground or in the ocean that do not rot, we are creating a mess for somebody in the future to clean up. It doesn’t take a chemist to realize that if we pollute the water, whether it is the ocean, the rivers or the ground water around our homes, it will make someone sick, and take extra work to clean and reclaim it. Just ask Elbert how much "cleaned" dirt he has had to haul and how effective the "cleaning" process was.
Recycle plastic, metal, glass and paper. Many of us live in places where this is the law, but we are careless about concealing our disregard in trash bags. Also, in some places, it is becoming more common to use reusable grocery and shopping bags. This is simple. We should throw away those things that can endanger health if they are reused, but we should reuse when we should and can.
It is no coincidence that Adam was created as a vegetarian and was commanded to name the animals. He had a relationship with living things, and it was not simple exploitation, but observation, understanding and appreciation.
Appreciate nature
You don’t have to be an outdoorsman to do this. Someone said there is much more to watch sitting on your porch than on your sofa. I’m not an avid outdoorsman myself, but I am developing my appreciation of nature.
How many kinds of birds and trees can you identify? Remember, naming the animals was the first job given to Adam, how well can you do it?
Do you have a bird watching life list?
When was the last time you were out of earshot of any machinery at all? Have you ever been? Have you ever tried? It isn’t easy. Try to notice a time in your own house when it is completely machinery silent ... it probably never happens.
Do you stop and really watch a sunset or a rainbow?
Have you ever stopped on your way somewhere to visit a national park and inform yourself of the natural resources or beauty being preserved there?
Choose a square foot in your back yard and see how many living things you can find there. You will be surprised
I am not advocating all out tree-hugging, but if you aren’t a tree hugger, you should try to understand why some people are. Rather than dismissing Al Gore and his "Inconvenient Truth" as a liberal democrat and his agenda, ask yourself what he has to gain in his agenda and if he has any valid points.
I believe that competent stewardship means understanding, caring for and appreciating nature as God’s provision for His creation, both in our bodies - as sources of food, clothing and shelter and as sources for our emotional health and spiritual renewal. Good stewardship includes using these resources and knowing when to stop. It includes cutting the tree for fire wood and lumber and planting another to replace it so the next generation can do the same.
We are mistaken if we think our faith is all about reading the Bible and living in community with people and praying, if we do not take the effort to remember the first commands God gave humanity and to take them seriously as ongoing mandates.
Remember, how David described the restoration of his soul, in green pastures and along side still waters. Remember how Robert Grant described the character of God in the dew and the storm. Remember how Paul explained that not just Christians, but all creation is groaning in expectation of the redemption of God in His immanent kingdom.
In A Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren notes that the church as it is developing today is and will continue to be more green. There is a growing awareness of our role as stewards of the Earth and the righteousness, and benevolence to our fellow man inherent in caring for the environment.
Humanity is the capstone of God’s creation, the caretaker of the world. How are you doing with this awesome responsibility?
