| | CHAPTER 4
FEED MY SHEEP
In this volume we have explored many avenues of truth. We
have begun with creation and have concluded with the Christian's
task today. We discovered that the believer, God's man, has a
glorious mandate and opportunity of bringing the Gospel to this
sin cursed world. Christ, the last Adam, has provided redemption
for this cosmos. The good news of this tremendous historical
event is to be shared with all men. Thus, each is provided the
opportunity to forsake his sin and to enter the kingdom of God.
One might wonder if there is other information in these
opening chapters of Genesis that might lead us to the believer's
mandate or task today. Surprisingly, there is, as we shall see.
Let us turn back to Genesis 3:23. There we read of the
expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden following their terrible
defeat by the hand of Satan. We read:
...therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of
Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
In this passage we want to focus our attention upon the word
"till" which in Hebrew is abad. As we reflect on the Bible's use
of this word we shall discover very significant truth for man today.
The word "till" was first used in the garden before the fall
of man into sin. In Gensis 2:15 we read:
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden
to till it and keep it.
Adam and Eve, in their perfect pristine relationship to God
and the cosmos, were told to "till" or "dress" the garden. It
would appear as "till" is used in this context that they were to
cultivate it. They were to care for it and maintain that which
was already good. In this way the ground would supply the needs
of man.
In Genesis 3:23 we are told man was driven from the garden and
told to "till" (abad) the ground from which he was taken. At this
point in history the implication of this command should have been
identical to that of Genesis 2:15, except that the "tilling" of
the ground was to be far more difficult and unrewarding. Whereas
in the garden there was perfect harmony between man and the
ground, so that the ground as a subordinate to man responded
willingly and loyally to man's care, sin brought rebellion in the
ground. Man must now work by the sweat of his face (Gen. 3:19)
and thorns and thistles would come forth as a reward for his
efforts (Gen. 3:18). Whereas in the garden "tilling" the garden
was a joyful, God-glorifying activity, after the fall it became a
painful difficult pursuit in which he must engage if he was to eat
and have shelter.
In its Biblical use in the first three chapters of Genesis
there is no suggestion or intimation that "tilling the soil"
should in any sense make a man a servant of the soil. In the
garden he clearly was lord over the ground and all creation.
After the fall man was no longer lord of creation, and the ground
had become an adversary. But he had not become a subordinate of
the ground. Even as man was cursed, so was the ground. If man
alone were cursed and not the ground, a very difficult situation
would have developed. In a real sense the ground would have
become superior to man, for it would have continued in a perfect
relationship to God the Creator, while man had become estranged
from God, as a slave of Satan. Thus by cursing the ground (Gen.
3:17) God assured that the creation order was continued. Before
the fall this creation order was a glorious thing with man
reigning as king (dominion), as God's vice gerund. There was
perfect obedience and loyalty of subordinates to those above.
After the fall the creation order continued, but man had lost his
kingship and Satan had become his master and prince of the world.
Because the creatures of the world continued in a subordinate
relationship to man, he was to use them for food and clothing.
But his kingship over them had ceased. They had become rebellious
toward man and would destroy man if possible. To safeguard man
and to maintain the proper creation order, God put the fear and
dread of man within the animals and actually had to deliver them
into his hand (Gen. 9:2). This phrase, "deliver them into his
hand," is an evidence of the total loss of dominion sustained by
man by the fall. The situation required special intervention by
God to maintain any semblance of order in the sin-cursed world.
Similarly, the ground which was to supply the needs of man,
also, continued as a subordinate of man. But man was no longer
king over it. This loss of kingship was manifested by the
rebellion and resistance of the ground to man's efforts.
We have introduced into this discussion the phrase "creation
order." Let us look a bit at this term. By this we mean that the
Creator in His wisdom created various levels of existance, which
we will call "creation orders." The rocks and inanimate parts of
creation would probably be classed as the very lowest order in
that there is no life of any kind in them. They are used by all
higher levels of creation to accomplish the desires of the higher
levels of creation.
Broadly speaking the next higher level would be plants and
vegetaion. They are a living part of creation. They are used by
the higher "creation orders" for food. They utilize the inanimate
creation which is a lower order to provide environment in which to
exist.
The next major creation order on an ascending level is that of
animals. They are higher than the plants because they have the
Holy Spirit's "breath of life" within them. They use the lowest
order, the inanimate, as a habitat in which to live. They use the
plant order for food. They have no claim on the highest "order",
man.
Man, the highest "creation order", is such because he is
created in the image of God. He uses all the lower "creation
orders" to accomplish the purpose for which he was created as
God's image bearer.
It is important to note however, that a higher creation order
does not necessarily exercise dominion or kingship over a lower
one. A plant does not rule over a rock or over water. An animal
does not rule over plants. And neither does man necessarily rule
over animals, plants, or rocks. He uses them for his needs simply
because he is of a higher "creation order." (It is true that God
did originally give man dominion or kingship over these lower
orders, the cosmos itself. But as we have seen, this dominion was
taken away because of his surrendering to Satan.) Thus, to till
the ground in its original intent could never imply that man was
to regard the ground or the animals as a higher order than
himself. He would never "serve" the ground or "worship" the
ground. Rather he would care for it so that it would produce as a
lower "creation order" those things necessary for animals and man.
He would also care for animals in order that they would produce on
behalf of the higher "creation order," which is man. But let us
return to the word abad.
A strange phenomena becomes apparent in the Bible. When we
study this word "abad" we discover that it is used in a distinctly
different manner in most instances in the Bible from that of
Genesis 1 to 3. We have seen that the creation order of things
was that of the ground being subordinate to man or of man being
superior to the ground. Thus man tilled (abad) the ground with
the ground subordinate to him in every sense. But lo and behold,
"abad" normally means to "serve" when used in the Bible. Some 214
times it is translated "serve" in the K. J. V. of the Bible. And
this use of abad to indicate "service" is not that of serving an
equal or someone of a lower order in a helpful considerate way.
Instead it is used to indicate the serving of a superior. It is
used to indicate service to God, for example:
Exodus 3:12: you shall serve (abad) God upon this mountain.
Exodus 10:7: that they man serve (abad) the Lord their God.
Deut. 6:13: you shall fear the Lord your God; you shall
serve (abad) him.
Judges 2:7: And the people served (abad) the Lord all the
days of Joshua.
It is used to indicate service to false gods. In fact it is
even translated as worshipper.
I Sam. 12:10: we have forsaken the Lord, and have served
(abad) the Baals.
I Kings 16:31: and served (abad) Baal, and worshipped him.
II Kings 10:21: and all the worshippers (abad) of Baal came.
Now this is a startling development. "Till" (abad) in the
first three chapters of Genesis could not in any sense have
related to an inferior serving or worshipping a superior. Rather
the creation order was that of a superior caring for an inferior.
Something had happened in man's reaction to mandate of Genesis
3:23 to till the ground.
Romans 1:18-25 states very clearly what happened. There we
read "men...became vain in their reasonings...changed the glory of
the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible
man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts and creeping
things,...and worshipped and served the creature rather than the
Creator." Tilling the ground became an act of serving or
worshipping. That which was to be an act of caring for a
subordinate became an act of worshipping a superior. Man of his
own volition had reversed the creation order.
When did this drastic reversal take place? The account of
Genesis 4 gives us a clue. We read that Cain was a "tiller of the
ground" (Gen. 4:2). This word "tiller" is the identical word abad
which we are presently considering. The simple phrase "tiller of
the ground" does not tell us whether to understand "tiller" in the
sense of Gensis 2 and 3 where man's total desire was to care for
the earth in accordance with God's command, or whether there is
any implication of serving or worshipping. But when we read on,
we begin to sense that there is the implication of "serving" or
"worshipping" in "tiller of the ground." We read in Genesis 4:3-5
"that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the
Lord," but the Lord had no respect or regard for Cain's offering.
In fact, Cain was so decisively rebuffed that the Bible says Cain
was very angry (Gen. 4:5). This anger was so severe that he
murdered his brother Abel, who had also sacrificed and whose
sacrifice was acceptable to God.
Why had God rejected Cain's offering? We don't know for
certain, but we know that if Cain had been faithfully obeying the
mandate to care for the ground; had maintained a proper
relationship to the ground with the ground in a completely
subordinate relationship to himself; and, if he now brought of the
fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord as an effort to show
his praise and adoration of God, there is no Biblical reason why
his offering should not have been acceptable to God. But if we
recall the ten commandments, we remember that the first is, "You
shall have no other gods before me."(1) If Cain had already
begun to look at the ground, and the products to be derived from
it, as something of great value, as something to be respected and
honored, as something superior to man himself, as something to be
served, as something which he had already subconsciously begun to
worship, then he was already guilty of breaking this first command,
as well as the mandate of Genesis 3:23 to till, "care for," the
ground. That Cain had lost his respect for the creation order,
for the superiority of mankind, is shown by the fact that he could
murder his brother Abel in the premeditated fashion in which he
did.
It is easy to see how Cain had fallen into this sin. He
quickly recognized the hidden treasures in this wonderful earth
that God had created with all of its potential to bring creature
comforts and pleasures. Soon he discovered the building
possibilities of products of the earth, so he built the first
city. It was his descendants who discovered in the earth copper
and iron. It was his descendants who found that products taken
from the earth could be fashioned into musical instruments that
were pleasant to the ear. This earth was indeed marvelous in its
possibilities and Cain gave it a high rating. He had begun to
serve it as a superior.
That the ground and its products were the root of Cain's
problem is also suggested by the curse pronounced by God following
Cain's sin. Genesis 4:12 states, "When you till the ground, it
shall no longer yield to you its strength." It was his love of
the ground that had tempted Cain to fall into grievous sin.
Hopefully, the ground would no longer be as tempting to him.
We see, thus, that already with Cain man had begun to reverse
the creation order. The ground, the lowest echelon in the
creation order, had been raised to a position even above man
himself. In the products of the ground he hoped to find his joy,
security, and hope. He must indeed explore the ground with utmost
diligence and dispatch. This gave him tremendous motivation to
explore the earth to discover its secrets--its wonderful
potential.
Abel Keeps Sheep
When we turn to Abel we see quite a different situation. We
read that he was a "keeper" of sheep. The word "keeper" or (raah)
is translated "to feed" or "shepherd" or "pastor" in the Bible.
He was a feeder of sheep, a shepherd who cared for them. As a
shepherd he was following in careful obedience the command of
Genesis 3:23 to "till the ground." There is no indication that in
his shepherding of sheep he was serving the sheep as a higher
order than man, or that he was worshipping animals in any sense.
Rather he cared for them, viewing them as a subordinate part of
creation. As a shepherd, he must of necessity have also cared for
the ground, for in this way he would provide feed for the sheep.
He was truly obeying the command to "till the ground." But in no
sense had he begun to look at the ground and the animals as a
superior to man himself. He realized that God only was to be
worshipped. His sacrifice of a lamb, the finest of the lambs--the
firstling, their fat portions--indicated his high regard for God.
He brought of the very highest order of that which was under his
care, an animal; and he brought the very best of these animals to
God as a sacrifice. That his relationship to God, and His
mandates, was wholesome is clearly demonstrated by the fact that
God had regard for Abel and his offering (Gen. 4:4). In bringing
this sacrifice he probably unwittingly had begun to anticipate the
sacrifice of the one who would atone for his sins.
Cain--A Type Of Modern Man
In Cain and Abel we can see modern man. We can see his
problem and we can see what ought to be. Modern man, the slave of
Satan, has reversed the creation order. He has discovered the
virtually infinite number of products that can be produced from
this creation. He has found that through technology he can
produce goods and services undreamed of by former generations.
Science, technology, business education are all focussed to
produce a better world based on mans' ingenuity, as he wrests from
the earth, from the atom, from the universe, its secrets. He
believes that from this earth he can reconstruct the history of
the earth and man. He believes that somehow by making more
leisure time available, or more education, or more creature
comforts, he can solve the moral problems of the world. He even
speaks of the :Bible" of nature, putting the natural record on a
level with the Word of God.(2)
Ecology: A Desperate Question
He is deeply interested in the question of ecology. Ecoloyg,
the biological relationship of organisms to their environment, is
increasingly in the forefront of his thinking. Is this merely a
fad that will eventually go the way of the hula hoops? Or is it
simply a diversion created to take our minds away from more
traumatic subjects, such as, the threat of nuclear war?
A bit of reflection will show that this is a subject of
gravest concern to man. As we have seen from time immemorial, man
has derived his happiness, his security and his hope for the
future from the earth and its products. From it he receives such
vital necessities as food, shelter, recreation, musical
instruments, and medicines.
Hopefully, since man had lived on this earth for a million or
more years (so he believes), this earth should sustain man for the
next million years. But to his utmost dismay and consternation he
is discovering that maybe mother earth isn't as dependable as he
thought. Species of wild life are facing extinction, rivers are
getting polluted, the air is getting loaded with impurities which
won't go away. Even the oceans, which to former generations
seemed so limitless, are no longer trustworthy as they for
example, produce tuna and swordfish tainted with mercury. Mother
earth, which man has worshipped since the days of Cain, isn't the
boundless bountiful god man has subconsciously thought it was.
In man's judgment, one of the most grievous sins would well be
this desecration, this polluting of the earth's atmosphere and
biosphere. Thus, we can well expect that the subject of ecology
which deals with conservation and pollution is not an incidental
subject. It could well become a most important object of new
laws, research grants, and general conversation in the coming
years. And with each new discovery of pollution, the agitation of
man will increase until it could easily reach hysterical
proportions. Such is the concern of natural man to the subject of
ecology.
How does the believer relate to this grave subject? The Bible
gives us a forthsight answer. Did you know, God predicted in His
Word that the earth would reach a condition when it would no
longer be the limitless source of blessing and comfort it appears
to have been for thousands of years? In Hebrews 1:10,11 we read,
"Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning and the
heavens are the work of thy hands; they will perish, but thou
remainst; they will grow old like a garment."
The phenomenon we are experiencing in our generation as we see
the earth becoming increasingly polluted surely appears to be the
fulfillment of this prophecy. This is especially true in the
light of all of the other signs which suggest the early return of
our Lord. In other words, God is telling man that this earth is
to grow old. It will increasingly deteriorate. It will gradually
serve man with less efficiency and brightness than it did in
earlier years. Like a garment it will wear out (Ps. 102:26).
This earth, after all, is not a god to be served, to provide
security and hope for man. It is under the curse of sin and has
been subjected to futility by God himself (Rom. 8:20). It, too,
will experience the victory of the atonement when it becomes a new
earth. This, of course, is to be realized after this earth has
been destroyed by fire at Christ's coming (II Pet. 3).
The Christian, then, is not to view the rapidly advancing old
age of the earth with alarm. While he doesn't waste its resources
or unnecessarily pollute it, he realizes this sin-cursed earth is
not the earth he is promised as an inheritance. That promise will
be fulfilled when God has brought into being the new heavens and
new earth where righteousness dwells.
He knows that the sin of man is not the pollution of the
earth, but the rejection of God. This is so clearly set forth in
Romans 1:18-32. Romans 1:25 records "they exchanged the truth
about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather
than the Creator."
The believer is aware that natural man will recruit the finest
scientists and spare no expense to arrest pollution. For the life
of the god he serves is at stake. If his god perishes so will he.
How right he is! He will indeed be destroyed from this earth and
spend eternity in Hell.
The believer, therefore, saves his energies, his effort, and
his concern not to save this earth which is twice doomed (it will
wear out, it will be destroyed) but to save mankind from God's
wrath. This is the problem that is of critical and eternal
importance to man.
Natural man (almost 3 1/2 billion strong) can and will offer
abundant answers to questions related to ecology. The believer's
contribution at very best can only be quite incidental. His
numbers, as compared with the billions of unbelievers, are so
small. His motivation toward this question can never approach the
dedication and intensity of that of the unbeliever, who looks to
this earth for his security and hope.
But the wrath of God is another question. This certain
catastrophe of God's judgment is infinitely more important than
any aspect of ecology. And only the believers, that tiny band of
citizens of Christ's kingdom, have an answer for this dread
problem. It is the wonderful answer of salvation in Christ Jesus.
This is why he is called an ambassador of Christ (II Cor. 5:20),
the fragrance of Christ (II Cor. 2:15). This is why the Bible
says, "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him
who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (I Peter
2:9). He doesn't dare get sidetracked into any lesser issues when
he has such a tremendously important mandate and privilege.
Population Control
One aspect of the ecological question that natural man is
troubled about is that of population control. Because he is
frightened concerning the future of this earth he feels that
mankind must be limited in his growth. Therefore, today the
subject of population control is openly discussed and welcomed to
a greater or lesser degree by people in every walk of life. Even
many Christian theologians have put their stamp of approval on
birth control. Thus far such extreme measures of population
control, as abortion, have escaped general theological approval.
Unfortunately, once a pill is perfected which will permit the
aborting of early pregnancies, we can even expect some theological
approval for this act.
It is rather easy to see unsaved man's acceptance and
promotion of these concepts. He is deeply concerned with this
earth and its ability to provide everything that is desirable for
man. Because he has no regard for God or His providential care of
the universe, he is convinced that he alone is the master of his
fate, the captain of his soul. He is, therefore, even willing to
commit mass murder (abortion) to realize what he believes are
legitimate goals.
He argues that the earth is rapidly becoming over-populated.
While one can see the reason for the fright that is producing this
idea, the error of this concept can be shown very easily by a very
simple computation.
The state of Texas contains 263,513 square miles of land area.
This is equal to 7,300 billion square feet. The population of the
world is approximately 3.5 billion. If this population was
divided into families averaging four people (parents plus two
children), there would be about 875 million families. If each
family was given a plot of ground 6,000 square feet in area, which
is the size of many of our suburban lots, a total of 5,250 million
square feet would be required. Since the state of Texas contains
2,050 billion square feet more that this, there would be
sufficient area in this one state for all the families of the
earth today, with land the size of the state of Iowa left over for
streets and parks. The rest of North America, Central and South
America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia would be available for
factories, food production and recreation. Truly man has only
begun to fill the earth. Those who advocate population control
really do make completely unrealistic claims.
The Christian, on the other hand, realizes that the Bible has
something to say about this question of population control. God
told Adam to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the
earth..."(Gen. 1:28). This command was repeated to Noah after all
mankind was destroyed by the flood of his day (Gen. 9:1). And it
has never been abrogated. It is still a command that must be
obeyed if we wish to be pleasing to God. For it is a part of the
Word of God and, thus, it becomes one of the rules for God's
people to follow.
God does not give this command in a vacuum, that is without
supporting promises. His promises of blessings for those who
trust and obey Him are legion. Isn't it a fact that God is
perfectly true and faithful to all of these promises?
Even unsaved man experiences the hand of God in caring for
him. God loves this earth and does not abandon it just because
man gets more plentiful. "The eyes of all look to thee, and thou
givest them their food in due season. Thou openest thy hand,
thou satisfieth the desire of every living thing (Ps. 145:15,16).
Moreover, God specifically indicates that children are a
blessing of God. Psalms 127:3 records, "sons are a heritage of
the Lord." Psalms 128:3 and 4 declares, "your wife will be like a
fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive
shoots around your table. Lo, thus shall the man be blessed who
fears the Lord."
We thus find irrefutable consistency in the Word concerning
the question of children.
That God is true to His promises to supply the needs of
mankind is seen today. While only a few years ago millions faced
the specter of starvation, today the situation is repidly
changing. Thanks to the development and introduction of rice and
wheat strains with far greater yields, many of the poorest nations
of the world are now experiencing surpluses. Only by God's
sovereign mercy are the minds of men enlightened, so these
agricultural advances can be made at this critical time. One
wonders what tremendous food resources would be available under
God's blessing if man would give as much attention to solving the
problems of food distribution, and the overcoming of pagan
prejudices which waste food resources (i.e., the sacred cows of
India) as he spends on population control.
For the believers a number of truths are worth suggesting:
1. The rearing of children is not only an evidence and
source of great blessing from the Lord, but it is also a
great opportunity to provide additional men and women who can
manifest the love of the Savior to the world. How
desperately they are needed. Can a father or mother
experience a greater challenge than this?
2. The believer realizes that the maintenance of a standard
of living on a level with his neighbor, or of providing a
certain level of education (by the world's standards) runs a
poor second to educating children in the fear and nurture of
the Lord. (How many christian parents still teach their
children Bible)? Seeking the kingdom of God and his
righteousness is the first priority of His life.
3. The believer recognizes that the intent of birth control
devices is to remove any possibliity of pregnancy. Use of
such means effectively removes God from the picture (under
God's permissive will these devices are produced. God often
allows the sinful activities of man to be successful.)
The Christian knows that the creation of life is God's
province. "When thou sendest forth thy Spirit they are
created (Ps. 104:30). "The spirit of God has made me"(Job
33:4). No child is ever conceived without the activity of
God. One who serves God, therefore, takes extra precautions
that he and his children will not be "brain-washed" by the
thinking of the world in these areas of their lives. That
this is a serious problem is readily seen by the feelings of
guilt already experienced by some believers when they become
pregnant for the third or more times.
4. God has provided a means by which married love can be
enjoyed without certain pregnancy. This is afforded by the
fact that usually conception can take place only one day a
month. But this is untrustworthy as a means of birth
control. Abstinence during that period of time may minimize
the possibility of conception, but it does not prevent God
from intervening and causing conception another day.
Conception is recognized as a blessing of God even if the
world looks at it entirely differently.
5. The believer has faith that if men faithfully obey God,
even if such obedience would result in a population many
times greater than that on the earth today, God will provide
every necessary physical blessing. He understands, moreover,
that God has a very precise timetable for this earth's
existence. Christ will surely return long before the earth
approaches a "standing room only" condition.
It is surely not at all coincidental that today we find
occurring simultaneously, the desire for population control, the
easing of abortion laws, and the extreme decline in sexual
morality. These sins surely appear to be completely related to
each other and could well be in the forefront of those which will
bring God's judgments upon our nation and upon the world.
Man And Animals On The Same Level
As another evidence of man's reversal of the creation order,
unsaved man strips man of his place in the creation order. Not
only does he not recognize man as being completely unique in that
he is created in the image of God, but he would place man on the
same level with animals. He states this in his evolutionary
theories and he shows it in his concepts of population control,
and his moral perversions. He of course, has little or no regard
for God. He is too busy worshipping the creature.
God's man on the other hand, follows Abel as his pattern. He
cares for this creation but he never believes that the products of
this earth will solve man's problems. He knows that these
products may make man a bit more comfortable. He knows that God
as infinite Creator has provided a fascinating earth filled with
potential. But he never places the earth or its products between
himself and God. Rather he realizes that he is to feed and
protect its creatures. He is to be a shepherd, a pastor to this
earth. He realizes that this earth belongs to man but because of
the sin which has come into the world he will not inherit it until
the new heaven and new earth has become a reality.
Abel--A Type Of The Believer
In God's revelation the shepherding of sheep is the type that
sets forth God man's task. Abel, the first priest, is such a
type. So was Abraham, who is called the father of all believers.
And so was Moses, the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. He
tended sheep for forty years before God gave him a similar but
higher calling. The nation of Israel, the type of the church, was
dominantly a nation of shepherds, and so was David, who is the
great kingly type of the Lord Jesus Himself.
This brings us to our Savior. He identifies with all of these
Old Testament types by calling himself the "good shepherd." He
brings to God's man a far higher relationship to creation than
that seen in the Old Testament. Moses was a forerunner. He went
from the sheepfolds to leading people, caring for them as the most
important part of God's creation. Jesus Christ, as man, performed
in superlative fashion the will of God in caring for this world
and its creatures. He gave his life that fellow humans might have
life. He never got the creation order out of sequence. Man was
never to be worshipped. The animals and inanimate creation were
always to be subordinate to man. And God was above all.
Christ in his teaching and in his atonement showed that the
task of God's man of the New Testament is not to be a shepherd of
physical sheep, as demonstrated by the Old Testament types, but
God's man is to be a shepherd of a spiritual sheep, which is man
himself. And even as the Old Testament shepherds cared for these
sheep by using the products of this world to feed and shelter his
sheep, so the Christian uses the products of the world to care for
the needs of his fellow human. He therefore should be an example
of mercy, of sharing, of concern. He is concerned about the
physical needs of man even as Jesus was. But the primary focus of
his concern is not that which will be supplied by physical food,
but by spiritual food. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life."
Jesus told Peter, "feed my sheep." The Christian, as a follower
of Christ, fulfills the mandate of God's Word to their highest
degree by supplying the Spiritual food--the Gospel. He feeds the
sheep of Christ with the good news of salvation, with the
knowledge that Christ gave himself as a ransom for many.
Abel sacrificed to God the best of the creatures, a lamb.
This was his spiritual worship. The believer also sacrifices to
God as his spiritual worship, a lamb. It is not a physical lamb.
It is one of Christ's lambs. It is himself. Paul puts the goal
of the Christian very well:
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Rom.
12:1).
Abel, himself, was a forerunner of this. He was murdered for
his pains. The Christian is also to suffer, to endure privation,
persecution and physical death itself as he offers himself as a
sacrifice.
The Christian realizes with Abel, with Abraham, with all the
other Old Testament types, that the development of the physical
earth only brings temptation, only brings the possibility of
shifting the focal point of his life from God to the creature. He
senses the truth of Christ's statement when he indicated the
difficulty of the rich becoming believers. He, therefore, is
content with his lot in life. The creature comforts and all that
is involved in their production is not the Kingdom of God. As he
eats and drinks and earns a living, he glorifies God; but he knows
these are not the vehicles to be used in his pursuit of a far
higher goal, that of feeding the sheep, that of bringing men into
the Kingdom.
The Wisdom Of The World Versus The Foolishness Of Preaching
This truth that natural man has reversed the creation order is
clearly demonstrated by Paul in I Corinthians 1 and 2. There we
discover that Paul is setting up two viewpoints for consideration.
The one is the wisdom of the world, and the other is the
foolishness of preaching. What is the wisdom of the world? It is
surely unrelated to the seeking of a Redeemer or a desire to be
reconciled with God. It must be that which the philosopher and
the scientist of the world might discover, as he attempts to find
an objective viewpoint of man's relationship to this world, and as
he attempts to discover answers from this world which will give
hope to man. Romans 1 indicates he became a worshipper of the
creature. His problem is, therefore, that he has completely
reversed the creation order. Therefore, the wisdom of the world
will be destroyed. Obviously, it will be destroyed, for natural
man's desire to find his hope for security and the more abundant
life from the creation rather than from God, is a repudiation of
God as the only one who is to give man a hope. No wonder Paul
emphasized on Mars Hill that "in Him we live and move and have our
being." Natural man is, therefore, guilty of the grossest sin, not
because he is exploring the atom, but because he is consciously or
subconsciously trusting that such exploration will give him a
"hope."
It appears quite significant to me that Paul's answer to the
futility of the wisdom of the world is not an attempt on his part
to realign the thinking of natural man, as he philosophies about
his situation is the world, or as he attempts to find his hope in
creation. Rather, he comes right to the core of the Christian's
answer to man's need, and talks about the "word of the cross," "to
preach the gospel," "the foolishness of preaching," "we preach
Christ crucified," and "for I determined to know nothing among
you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified." He surely indicates
that the wisdom of God which the Christian is to proclaim, which
is a wisdom that had already been determined before creation, is
not the same kind in any sense that the world seeks but instead is
an altogether different variety. It is to "feed the sheep," and
the highest manifestation of this is in bringing the Gospel.
It seens to me that the exploration of God's creation which
should have been a wonderful, God glorifying task given to man as
he followed out God's mandate to "till the ground," as he derived
food and shelter from the lower creation orders, and in so doing
as he glorified and worshipped God and his Lord, has been set
aside by the results of man's sin. The fact that the creation
came under a curse, and that man became a slave of Satan as the
prince of the world, has changed the focal point of man's
relationship to the world. Thus, while natural man answers to the
mandate to "till the ground" by serving and worshipping the
creation and deriving his hope from it. God's man fulfills this
mandate by being a pastor or shepherd to the world. This was
first shown by Abel and was powerfully reemphasized by Paul in I
Corinthians 1 and 2.
Thus, the exploration of the world (science, business, etc.)
is actually removed from the picture of man's prime
responsibility. The exploration of the world in itself is not
sinful but because of sin new goals are established. It has
become sinful for natural man because of his reason for doing so.
It has become unimportant for God's man because he has a task that
is far more important and necessary--that of feeding the sheep.
He engages in the exploration of the world only as a means of
livelihood--that is, he derives food and shelter from it, but
there is nothing about this effort that should be a goal for his
life. He does these things to God's glory simply because he as a
citizen of God's kingdom does everything to God's glory. But
doing these things is not the "kingdom." The kingdom consists of
"feeding the sheep." This is his goal. In so doing, he uses the
products natural man has produced because these products in
themselves are not sinful. And by using these products in his task
of "feeding the sheep" he has corrected the creation order, so
that the lower "orders" are used to serve the higher. By using
these products, he is showing that all things can ultimately be
used to praise God (even the wrath of men shall praise God).
Only in the new heaven and earth from which sin and the curse
of sin have been removed, will man again reign over or have
dominion over the lower orders as he originally did in Genesis 1
and 2. There he can do so because all sin will have been removed,
and because there the victory of the cross will be manifested in
its fullest degree, as we will again see everything in subjection.
In witnessing to the unbeliever in the realm of science and in
bringing Christ's claim to the field of science, I think the Bible
says this;
l. The pursuit of science by natural man should have
resulted in the scientist recognizing God as creator and his
need of a Redeemer.
2. Instead, he believes that in science he will find his
hope. He has rejected God. He has reversed the creation
order. He is under God's wrath even to a greater degree than
before.
3. Only by humbling himself, acknowledging his bankruptcy,
recognizing that the creation is to serve man and can never
produce a "hope" for man, and worshipping God as his only
Savior and "hope" can he be extricated from his problem.
4. Once he is saved he has a new goal that far transcends
that of being a scientist. He may continue to be a scientist
because this employment provides for his physical needs. But
his new goal is to be a shepherd to the world, and the
highest manifestaion of this is by bringing the Gospel. He
does this by reigning over his own body, by witnessing, by
making his income and physical possessions available to
others who witness, and strive to alleviate suffering in the
world, and by exercising his priestly office of intercession.
5. The pursuit of science thus is set aside as any kind of a
primary goal for God's man. He might pursue a scientific
goal if in so doing he will enhance his ability to bring the
Gospel. He might work on communications, for example, in
order that a better vehicle might be provided to bring the
Gospel. He might work in areas of food production to help
develop the amount of food available to feed the needy of the
world in the name of Christ. Normally, however, natural man
has so abundantly progressed in these areas that God's man
can get on with the primary task of bringing the Gospel. He
can pick and choose those products produced by the vast
efforts of natural man which will most efficiently and
effectively help him as he cares for the world.
Man's Rebellion Against God Is Escalating
In the light of this discussion it is easy to understand the
unrest in the world today. The world, including its inhabitants
is rushing pell-mell to its rendezvous with Christ when He comes
to end this age. Natural man, the slave of Satan, will more and
more attempt to find in the creatures, in the inanimate world, in
computers and in the atom, his hope for utopia. And so he will
worship more and more the creature and ever less the Creator. He
is becoming ready for judgment day. For a long time man has been
worshipping the creature. He has been looking to the pursuits of
the scientist, the educator and the business man to provide him
with the more abundant life. This has failed and has left him
frustrated, incomplete, fearful and uneasy. In his upsetting of
the creation order he has placed man on a level with the animals.
But this has only added to his frustration, for he knows deep in
his heart that man is more than an animal.
He now has two alternates from which to choose. He can
confess to God or he can blame God. He can confess his total
bankruptcy and his vital need of a Savior, his desperate need for
someone who can extricate him from this morass of misery and
reconcile him with God. Because he is a slave of Satan, because
of the pride of his heart, this alternative is unacceptable to
most people. He thus has one alternative left. Whereas his
conscious attitude toward God may have been rather neutral, now he
begins to lash out at God. He feels that somehow God is
responsible for man's failures and miseries. Cain took this
alternative in the face of God's express warning that "sin was
couching at his door" (Gen. 4:7). Cain murdered his brother Abel
as an overt act of rebellion against God.
Modern man too, as never before, is following this second
alternative. He is in rebellion against God, is striking out
against God. He tries to put God on trial and show that He has
failed. This rebellion takes many forms but it is always directed
consciously or subconsciously against God. It may show itself as
rebellion against authority, child against parent, student against
teacher, teacher against administration, citizen against
government. It may be demonstrated by efforts to change the basic
Biblical laws. In this category we find "situation ethics" where
each law is to be tailored to the particular situation. This
rebellion may be evidenced by declarations condemning God and His
church. "Christianity has failed," "God is dead," and "the church
must bear its responsibility for contributing to the enslavement
of men," are common themes.
The degree of man's rebellion varies greatly. It may begin as
a peaceful demonstration to right a wrong. At this point the
Christian can easily be blinded as to the true state of affairs.
He sees some truth, perhaps much truth, in the cause of the
demonstrator. He is conscious of the cries insisting that
Christianity has failed. He may fail to realize that this
peaceful demonstration is reflecting a rebellious attitude toward
God, that it is but the beginning of more and more serious
rebellion which will be taken up by others and could end up with
anarchy. He should realize that God's man must be the shepherd of
this world. But his fellow shepherds cannot be leaders from
Satan's kingdom. He must realize that as a priest he has full
access to God's throne room. It is here he can bring the needs of
the sheep. He, as God's man, realizes that only by careful
obedience to God's commands can solutions be found. He,
therefore, works from a totally different set of rules,
relationships, and motivations than others, who appear to be
concerned about the needs of this world. He realizes that Satan
goes about as an "angel of light" (II Cor. 11:14), with all of the
insidious deceitfulness that term implies. He, therefore, is
extra careful to live close to God's Word so that he might not be
deceived.
God's man, the born-again Christian, sees the whole reversal
of the creation order that man has perpetrated. He realizes that
he is here to "care for" this world. Because he is filled with
the Holy Spirit, he wants to follow Christ as Abel followed God.
He therefore, is a shepherd as Abel was. With the work on the
cross accomplished by Christ, he realizes the import of Christ's
words to "feed my sheep." He has corrected the creation order by
becoming available to bring the cup of cold water, the mercy of
God, and especially the good news of the redemption of the world.
We, thus, see clearly that the Christian's marching orders are
not in any sense to be those which indicate hs is to have dominion
over this earth as he had had in Eden. This dominion is Christ's
area of responsibility. He accomplished it on the cross and
assures us we will see it as an accomplished fact in the new
heaven and new earth. Instead the foundational command would
rightly be the phrase "till the ground." But whereas natural man
of his own volition has turned this command into dust by serving
and worshipping the creature, the believer recognizes the
"creation order" of things. God's man is the only one who can
objectively view every part of creation in a proper perspective.
The Old Testament believer type followed through with this
mandate by becoming a shepherd of sheep. He realized that the
abiding city he looked forward to was a heavenly city (Heb.
11:16). As a shepherd of sheep he was also looking forward to the
great task of the New Testament Christian. Jesus said in Matthew
28:
"Go ye into all the world...making disciples..."
A disciple of Jesus is a follower, a student of Him. As a
disciple he is a steward of all that Christ has given him. He
wants to use his possessions and time as efficiently and as
effectively as possible for caring especially for the spiritual
needs of the world. He, therefore, gives generously of his time
and money to those ministries which advance the Gospel. And even
after death he may continue to provide for Christ's work because
of a carefully prepared will or by means of other thoughful
deferred giving programs which help to settle his estate as wisely
as possible. Jesus cared for the sheep to the point where He died
for them. He wants God's man to feed the sheep, to shepherd the
sheep. This is the glorious mandate and opportunity God gives to
us.
(Notes to numbered passages in Chapter 4)
l) The ten commandments, of course, were declared thousands of
years later than Cain. The sense of this commandment, however,
was surely given to Adam and all men since him. This is the
thrust of Romans 2:15 where we read that God's laws are written on
men's hearts.
2) True, the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1); and
"for what can be known about God--has been clearly perceived in
the things that have been made (Rom. 1:19,20). But this does not
make creation a Bible that is on the same level with the Word of
God, the Bible.
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