THE WORD OF DOMINION (2)

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to TEND and KEEP IT” – Genesis 2:15

Not only did THE WORD of DOMINION precede human creation, God gave the first Man a clear Mandate of Dominion: “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to TEND and KEEP IT” (Gen.2:15). Having created Man in His Image and Likeness, God equipped humanity to live according to that Image of Dominion (Gen.1: 26-28). He created Man to: exercise dominion over every other work of creation; be fruitful and multiply; receive His provision; be responsible for tending and keeping the Garden-Home that He planted (vv.8,15); and work in relationships – starting with His divine relationship with humanity, and also the marital relationship (vv.21-25).

Let’s picture the scene: The freshly created Man, formed from the dust of the ground and filled with the breath of life, stood for the first time in human history, in the midst of all the greens, multi-coloured lush, running rivers, and inestimable resources (vv.9-14). God now had the Universe and the Man He had planned and purposed. But Man needed a residence, a home, a place to live. God, the very First Gardener, planted the Garden of Eden for Man, created in His image, and given the mandate to fill and subdue the earth. The beautiful and bountiful features of Eden – Man’s Paradise and utopia – clearly show that God cares deeply for Man’s welfare, provision, security, joy, and fulfilment.

A garden or orchard is a place of carefully selected, useful trees and plants. It is also a place of beauty with colourful plants that please the eyes. It is a place to enjoy God’s gifts in nature inviting us to give glory and honour to our Creator! A garden planted by God Himself must have been truly a bliss and delight – a true Paradise – the ideal place for human residence! This garden provided Man with all he needed to live and enjoy His God-given dwelling place, as well as the Tree of Life! God did not leave man in a wilderness with a catapult or club in his hands to hunt for game. No, God and Adam lived in a father-child relationship. Man was allowed to live in a garden planted by his Father.

This first couple couldn’t learn from others nor go by previous experience. Yet they had to provide for themselves from the first day on. God therefore gave Man a Dominion-model showing what could be done with the great potentials and resources present in this brand-new earth. He prepared a beautiful home with innumerable plants, animals and resources: a place for Man to live and glorify his Creator with all his gifts and talents. That required superior thinking, a product of dominion. Also evincing dominion was the superb intellectual prowess by which God enabled Adam to give names to the diversity of living creatures (vv.19-20). Adam was an apprentice of God, being taught by example what could be done on the earth. Unfortunately, Man failed in towing the divine line, veered into disobedience, and lost the blessing of Eden.

God in His goodness and grace however, has not abandoned the idea of a garden for His people. Redemption by Jesus Christ promises Paradise restored – a heavenly Paradise to be followed by a new, curse-free earthly Paradise. God, in Christ, has again planted a luscious, curse-free garden for us to dwell in with all the riches and treasures of His kingdom. There, we shall eat “from the tree of life” (Rev.2:7).  

Meanwhile, exercising dominion begins with receiving Grace to tend and keep our ordained territories in destiny. We are not to run roughshod over any part of creation. Subduing the earth includes harnessing its resources as well as protecting them. Dominion over all living creatures is not a license to abuse them, but a contract from God to care for them; to serve the best interests of all creation – human and others.