In light of Earth Day, I thought I would give it a go - as the kids say these days – to blog on the issue. I could easily write about how it’s not enough to just honor creation, we must honor the Creator. I could easily write on the fact that Christians should be the ones caring most for the planet – after all, when God made the physical world, he declared it good. I could write on the forgotten Dominion Mandate and offer a feeble attempt at a theological treatise on the groaning of a fallen yet still irrevocably good planet we call home. Instead, I want to tackle something bigger. MUCH bigger. I want to talk about moose. Or mooses. Meese?
Why? Because they’re dadgum glorious, that’s why. I have two seen in the wild before, one from a steam train, which made the experience almost holy. Now, it’s not like I sit around all day and think about Moose. I DO have a life. Really. Heh.
Here’s why I have Moose on the mind; they’re equally majestic and wonderfully goofy. Recently I have been reading Psalm 104. In it, David speaks to the fact that God created the beast identified as Leviathan (presumably a whale, considering the context). What’s really interesting is that God created this creature, apparently, for the reason to PLAY in the sea. God creates animals so they can PLAY. What’s more, our response to the whimsical fact of the Almighty’s taste in creating such beasts and wiring them to sport is to REJOICE. We are called to look at creation, and rejoice. Not ignore it, but rejoice at it.
One of the errors we often make in talking about creation, nature, the great outdoors and the ‘environment’ is that we so easily fall into an over-zealous posture incapable of rejoicing at the design of it all. Let me offer you some thoughts on why we shouldn’t view creation from a negative lens, but rather a positive (and fun) lens.
Everything we see in nature is the handiwork of God, and God is an artist. We can’t help but admire great works of art, can we? There is something powerful and moving when we experience masterpieces, especially when we can discern how intricately designed they are. An inspiring painting, a rustic hand-built cabin, a feast put together from days of preparation, an innovative technology, a revolutionary sports car, even the simplest of things like an oak tree and a small pond - these all inspire us. This takes me to Genesis 1 and God creating all things.
We make a tragic mistake by portraying God as a lonely being somewhere in outer space with nothing to do but snap His fingers and create planets. God could have created any kind of Universe He wanted to, and He could have created all the inhabitants any way He wanted.
In other words, He didn’t HAVE to make Moose – but He did. The fact that He created all the inhabitants full of various sizes, specific shapes, functions and abilities shows us that God is not only good, but that He is an artist. Nobody points this out as well as John Eldredge in his book on the artistry of Jesus, Beautiful Outlaw:
“Sunlight on water. Songbirds in a forest. Desert sands under moonlight. Vineyards just before harvest. These all share something in common – they reflect the heart of a particular artist. They are his masterpieces, his expression, and his gift to us. The Artists name is Jesus.”
When God created the cosmos, he did it through and for the Son. God the Son, prior to becoming God incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth created the cosmos.
You know what’s so great about this? This means that Jesus is not a passive person who just shows up one day in a manger with Christmas lights flickering; he’s been there all along (see John 1). It also means that Jesus is not bland. He is full of creativity, creativity that blows our minds. The fact that Jesus is an artist means that as a Christian, I’m commanded to behold the beauty of the artist, and to adore the artist himself.
As Calvin put it so well, “There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.” Jonathan Edwards said, “Nature is God’s greatest evangelist.”
We are so used to certain features of nature because they have always been around us, we don’t think about the fact that there was a time that those features didn’t exist. Think with me for a moment, that there was a time when mountains didn’t exist. They had to be thought up. Once upon a time, the ocean wasn’t there. It had to be imagined. The animals, smells, sights, colors - all of these at one time didn’t exist, then all the sudden, WHAM, they did. This means that God wanted them to come into being. God wanted mountains, lakes, watermelons, rocks, streams, rainbow trout, coyotes, Bermuda grass, sand, tigers, roses, Neptune, strawberries, ponderosa pine trees, salt, waves, and all the things nature bears witness to.
Yes, it’s true that this world is indeed fallen and damaged. But it’s necessary to differentiate the fact that nature is God’s handiwork and that this world is full of brokenness and suffering, even in nature (for example, COVID-19). But this is not a design flaw on His part, it’s a disruption by mankind, who were supposed to take care of God’s creation.
The truth is that although God cannot fit neatly into a box, He is absolutely a God of order. God doesn’t do things haphazardly. Consider water. The roaring ocean is wild, but the chemical makeup of water is exquisitely intricate and ordered. Consider lions. They are wild, and that is good. God didn’t create them wild in the negative sense, but in the positive sense. There is a purpose and order to their wild nature.
Let’s pontificate - why do you and I name animals? Here’s a bigger question; why do we even talk to animals? When God created the animals, He brought them to Adam to see what he would name them. God loves organizing, and He wanted Adam to share in that same joyous activity. Don’t skip past this too quickly, let it marinate - it brought joy to God for Adam to name and care for the animals. God creates us to exercise dominion. Whether it’s felling timber to build a shelter or naming a beagle and teaching him to roll over or building a swimming pool and jumping in or planting a rosebush and tending to it, these activities all point to the need to organize, which comes from God.
When God made the physical world, he declared it good. There was a false teaching which first appeared around the time of Christ called Gnosticism. This belief was the opposite of the teachings of Jesus, but sadly, traces of it are still in circulation today. Parts of it were even promoted and brought about by well-meaning Christians over the centuries, which has resulted in horrible false teachings. It’s the view that the physical world is bad, the body is worthless, and nature is something to desire escape from. This view is not biblical, and Jesus was not a gnostic.
This view comes from certain verses taken out of context. When God created the world, he called it good. At the end of the Bible, all Christians will receive a glorified, brand new body. We will not be eternal spirits forever, floating around some Sky Castle Theme Park around Jupiter. We will be eternally, physical beings, in the literal presence of God, surrounded by His wonderful creation. And lots of Moose.
It’s tragic that people who love to spend time outdoors, work up a good sweat, care for an animal, lay in the sun, go for a swim, they think to themselves that all of those activities are fleeting or novelty. But remember, the Bible does not end with all of us spending eternity in a nonphysical state. God creates a New Heaven and New Earth in which all of those activities will increase, not go away (see Revelation 21 & 22).
So, ladies and gentlemen, Adam and Eve were meant to care for all creation, to exercise dominion and steward nature with the same love and heart for it that God has. Animals, then, are not merely utilitarian objects for an epoch of time prior to eternity kicking in. Even in God’s judgement on the world after man’s continual rebellion, He called a man named Noah to build an ark. Low and behold, we see God commanding Noah to care for the animals. Read the last verse of the book of Jonah and ask yourself why God ended the book with that question…
This is not some sappy environmentalist tree-hugging sentiment - far from it. Those folks worship creation, not the Creator. The reason why we watch shows with big cats is not just to indulge in some redneck soap opera, but because deep down in our soul and in our wiring, God has made us to come alive when we encounter His creation.
You see, in Genesis, man and beast were meant to be together. Because of a now-fallen world, we cannot. At least, not in full. But the promise of the victory of Christ is not just forgiveness of sins and eternity with Him. That is the great hope, and what we most value, but there is so much more. The promise of the victory of Christ is that WE ARE HEADING BACK TO THE GARDEN ONE DAY, in God’s redeemed Universe, the New Heavens and New Earth.
So, why do we farm? Why do we ride horses and kick up dust and feel the wind and sun on our faces and pat the beasts and speak softly to them and look them in the eyes and smile? Why do we spend billions of dollars a year on pet food? Why do we get absolutely livid when we see animal abuse? Why do we name animals and talk to them, whether it’s a German Wire-haired Pointer or a Liger? Because God created us to dwell together, and for the time being, there will be an ache and disconnect between us and awaiting the restoration of all things.
As we await that day, we should care for this planet as best we can, and leave the rest to God. So, this Earth Day, honor creation, but worship the Creator. And please, look at some pictures of a Moose. And rejoice.
For further reading…
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. – Isaiah 11:6-9
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26-28