It’s common to assume the Bible says little about the natural world beyond the opening chapters of Genesis. In fact the thread runs the whole way through — and it’s richer and stranger than the word “dominion” suggests.
Dominion as gardening, not domination
Genesis 1 gives humanity dominion; Genesis 2 immediately defines it: to serve and to keep the garden. The Hebrew words — avad and shamar — are the same used for priestly service in the tabernacle. Care for the earth is framed as a kind of worship.
The land keeps sabbath too
The law of Israel commands rest not just for people but for fields, vineyards, and animals. Every seventh year the land itself sabbaths. The land is a covenant partner, not a possession.
Creation groans — and hopes
Paul writes in Romans 8 that creation waits in eager expectation for liberation. Revelation ends not with an escape from the earth but with heaven come down and a tree whose leaves heal the nations.
The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. — Romans 8:19
Whatever else this thread means, it means the earth matters to God — and so it matters to us. Join us at a monthly gathering as we keep pulling on it together.