This post is from a series of blogs related to Matthew Scully’s book, Dominion*. To read the previous post about the first Creation account, click here.

In the second Creation account, you will find the following words:

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”

The word tend, which comes from the Hebrew word abad, means “to serve”.

And the word keep, which comes from the Hebrew word shamar, means “to exercise great care over.”

What do you think? Do these verses suggest a link between animals and care?

I think they do.

Some other things I think about:

·         If man is a reflection of God (made in his image), should we reflect his desires for our world? (What would God want for current day animals?)

·         Man is made from the dust of the earth (the name Adam comes from the word ground, which is adamah). Does this suggest a connection to the earth?

·         After giving man dominion, God immediately cautions them not to eat other creatures, emphasizing that food is for all creatures.

·         Eden presented Gods intended ideal for the world, a scenario that God considered “good”. Does it follow that God would want us to preserve this goodness?

Interested in more reflections about Dominion? Click here for the next blog in this series.

*Please see “shop local” in the categories to the right for book purchase options.