Dominion?

Oil coated bird in Gulf of Mexico

Genesis 1:26  "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.'"

Hindsight is 20-20, of course, but in retrospect it doesn't appear that this decision was one of God's finest moments.  We were, after all, still untested in matters of power and authority--or in matters of simple obedience for that matter.  It seems like God should have first required a certificate from Dominion School or something before putting us in charge of the whole kit and kaboodle.
 

As with many passages of Scripture, we seem to have interpreted the language here in our own way and for our own ends, without regard to the context.  We hear "dominion," think "dominate," and think that means we can do what we want with no conditions.  But the context for interpreting the word "dominion," is the first part of the verse, which indicates human beings are made in God's image.  That says to me that we are to exercise "dominion" in the same way that God would, for we are God's image on earth and for the earth.
 

God is quite clear in Psalm 24 that the earth and all that is within it still belongs to the Lord.  We were given dominion over, not ownership of creation.  Psalm 50 is also quite plain that the animals and "the cattle on a thousand hills" are still very much God's property.  We are simply the agents, the stewards, given the job of tending that earth and its inhabitants in the way that God would.
 

And God gives us some pretty specific examples of what God's "dominion" looks like.  In the Ten Commandments themselves we are told that it is not only people but animals who get to have days off from work (Ex. 20:10, Deut. 5:14).  We are not forbidden from using the earth as a resource, but it is clear we are to do so with compassion.  If we are using an ox to turn a heavy wheel to crush grain, that ox gets a paycheck by getting to eat some of what he is working on.  The ox is not to be muzzled so our profits can be greater. (Deut. 25:4).  Leviticus 25 goes on for quite a bit about giving the land itself a year of Sabbath during which time the poor are allowed to gather free of charge whatever might grow in the off-year.
 

When Jesus talks about what the Kingdom of God looks like, and when he shows us what it looks like with his life, THAT is the meaning of "dominion."  We are to be the image of God's way of ruling others---the way of the first being last and tying a towel around our waists and washing the feet of others.
 

So, sure, we can make use of the fossil fuels within the earth, but not unless we can exercise that dominion responsibly and protect all the other inhabitants of the earth, both human and otherwise, who might be affected by our efforts.  Sure, we can drink the milk of cows and even have an industry to sell it to others, but if the cow is not treated with the compassion that the Good Shepherd shows to his sheep, we have failed the most basic aspect of our humanity--to be the image of God in and for the world.
 

It is not just the Gulf of Mexico, it is not just the environment that needs cleaning up.  The image of God within us is so coated with our own greed and thoughtlessness that it can hardly be identified anymore.  The cleanup begins within.