Biblical and Theological Foundations of Stewardship: The Stewardship of Creation (Part 2 of 6) Visit website for more information.	Bible Study Author:  Dr. Diane Jacobson is Professor of Old Testament and Associate Dean of the MA/MSM programs at Luther Seminary. Click here for more info. Theme:  Communicating the Message Updated:  7/26/2006 © 2003 Dr. Diane Jacobson
All humanity are kings and queens, and thus all humanity acts as royal caretakers of God's property, the earth and all that fills it.  We are all, therefore, royal stewards. Please note: This material was presented at a 2003 gathering of the Southwest Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The presentation originally included art work and Hebrew quotations that cannot be reproduced on this site. Please contact Dr. Jacobson at djacobso@luthersem.edu if you are interested in having these resources.
Biblical and Theological Foundations of Stewardship: The Stewardship of Creation (Part 2 of 6) The second Genesis insight into stewardship is that we are invited into a stewardship of creation. We see this not only in Genesis 2, but preeminently in Genesis 1. And now we are in truly familiar territory. You all know the text extremely well. "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.' So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 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 air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth'" (Gen.1:26-28). We all know this text can lead to all sorts of troublesome notions of the stewardship of creation in which we imagine ourselves as lording it over creation. But I would hold that if we pay close attention, the text would lead us to a different sort of understanding. The context in which we are told to have dominion over creation is the context in which we are told that all humanity, male and female, are created in the image of God. Now normally in the ancient Near East, only kings are considered to be in God's image. Kingship is built into the hierarchy. One has God, then one has God's son and care-taker of the divine property – that is the king. And the rest of humanity serve the king. But in Genesis 1, we have a democratization of kingship. All humanity are kings and queens, and thus all humanity acts as royal caretakers of God's property – the earth and all that fills it. We are all, therefore, royal stewards. We have dominion only as God's representatives, and we rule only as God rules; that is with justice and mercy. If we are royal stewards in God's image, then our dominion becomes service, and we are back to Genesis 2. To access the other parts of the presentation, click on the appropriate topic. The Stewardship of Vocation (Part 1 of 6) The Stewardship of Time (Part 3 of 6) The Book of Ruth – Boaz (Part 4 of 6 The Book of Ruth – Ruth (Part 5 of 6) The Book of Ruth – Naomi (Part 6 of 6)
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