Fill It And Farm It

Have you signed on to your role on planet Earth?

Last week I quoted Jeremiah 29:4-7 in reference to the notion that the Church in the United States has been deported to Babylon. God told the Israelites in Babylon to reproduce, and be productive. Bear children. Plant gardens. Eat its fruit. Prosper.

Did you notice how similar Jeremiah 29:4-7 is to Genesis 1:26-28?

In Genesis 1:26-28, God told the first humans to “be fruitful and multiply.” And He went on to give us a task. An assignment. A mission. A charge.

Specifically, God told us to “have dominion over” planet Earth. To “rule” over it. To “replenish the earth, and subdue it.” This is our role. This is God’s purpose for us.   

The “First Commission” of Genesis 1:26-28 was not rescinded at the Fall. The Fall makes our role more difficult. But the assignment remains, even as it did for Israelites in Babylon.

In my writing, I keep coming back to one fundamental question: What is the role of human beings on planet Earth?

The reason I keep coming back to this fundamental question is because the answer to this question provides a fundamental purpose for education, a fundamental purpose for work, a fundamental purpose for rearing children, a fundamental purpose for civil government, a fundamental purpose for living.

The Westminster Confession answers the question, “What is the chief aim of man” this way: “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Very good. But this does not tell me what my role is. It does not tell me what my purpose is on planet Earth. It tells me a by-product of fulfilling my role well, but it does not tell me what my role is.  

  

What role did God specifically have in mind for humans to fill on planet Earth?

The answer is so simple it eludes us: fill it and farm it.

Psalm 8:3-6 says: “…what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet…” (NIV)

Psalm 115:16 puts it this way: “The heaven of heavens is for God, but he put us in charge of the earth.” (The Message)

We have a role. We have a charge.

Let's fulfill it, shall we?

Posted by Dr. Christian Overman