How should believers respond to environmental issues, reflecting on Jeremiah 14:5? The crisis pictured in Jeremiah 14:5 “Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass.” A drought so severe that a gentle mother deer abandons her young signals the land’s utter desolation. Scripture records this literally, tying the ecological disaster to Judah’s spiritual rebellion (Jeremiah 14:10‐12). Creation itself bears witness when people turn from God. Creation’s groan and our responsibility • Romans 8:20-22 confirms that “the whole creation has been subjected to futility,” groaning under the weight of sin. • Yet believers are not spectators. From the beginning, God said, “Let them have dominion…” (Genesis 1:26-28) and placed Adam “to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Dominion is stewardship, not exploitation. Principles that shape a godly environmental response • Accountability: Psalm 24:1—“The earth is the LORD’s,” so every field, forest, and river ultimately belongs to Him. • Care that reflects God’s character: Proverbs 12:10 praises the righteous man who “cares for the needs of his animal.” • Consequences of neglect: Isaiah 24:4-6 links environmental ruin to broken covenant and disobedience. • Worship directed rightly: Romans 1:25 warns against exchanging the worship of the Creator for the creation itself. Practical ways believers live out stewardship • Use resources wisely—reduce waste, repair before replacing, choose products that respect God’s world. • Cultivate the land responsibly—support farming, gardening, and forestry practices that replenish soil and protect wildlife. • Advocate with discernment—encourage policies that balance human flourishing and ecological health while rejecting agendas that deify nature. • Serve the vulnerable—environmental harm often strikes the poor first; acts of mercy (Proverbs 31:8-9) honor Christ. • Teach the next generation—model gratitude for clean water, fertile soil, and fresh air, tying each gift back to the Giver. • Pray and repent—national repentance in Jeremiah’s day points us to humble confession for personal and collective wastefulness. Hope that fuels perseverance • Colossians 1:19-20 promises Christ will “reconcile all things to Himself… whether things on earth or things in heaven.” • Revelation 21:1 looks forward to “a new heaven and a new earth,” assuring that creation’s restoration is certain. • Until then, Galatians 6:9 calls us not to grow weary in doing good; faithful stewardship now previews the renewal to come. Key takeaways • Environmental distress in Scripture is real, often tied to human sin, and serves as a call to repentance and stewardship. • God’s Word charges believers to manage the earth wisely, neither abusing it nor idolizing it. • Practical, everyday obedience—rooted in the gospel and carried out in hope—honors the Creator and blesses our neighbors until Christ makes all things new. |
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