Forgiven Stewards
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” (Psalm 24:1-2)
We might not think much of verses like this. After all, we all know the Creation account in Genesis. We confess that God the Father is “Maker of Heaven and Earth” in the Creeds. Seems like a relatively straight-forward thing.
Yet when we read this passage, especially the end of verse 1, it is another reminder of our insignificance and God’s majesty. The Lord owns all that He made, and that includes you and me. There is no exception for those who do not believe or those who do believe in Him. We don’t get a free pass because we are His children, and the unbelieving world doesn’t get a free pass for not being His children. We are all a part of His creation.
Yes, God told Adam to have dominion over all creation (Genesis 1:28) and told His people to possess the Holy Land. So, in that regard, we have lordship over creation. But this is not a lordship where we do whatever we want. It is a stewardship over God’s creation. He did not shirk His responsibilities, but He rather gave us a part to play in ruling and caring for His creation.
There are many times we abuse this authority and make ourselves gods over nature and our fellow man. This is just one of the many ways we put ourselves first and fall short of God’s Law.
The reality of our failure can make the next few verses terrifying instead of comforting. “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Psalm 24:3-5). Without the Gospel, the answer to the question the Psalmist asks is “no one.” None of us have clean hands or a pure heart. We daily sin and fail grievously.
But thanks be to God that we do not make it on our own! This Lent season, we look especially toward the Cross, but also to the empty tomb. No matter the times we fail at keeping God’s Law or acting as His children or as His stewards, the sacrifice of Christ for our sake covers all that.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are the King of all creation and of Glory, yet You sent Your Son to us even as we rebelled against You. We thank You for Your great mercy and the gift of faith and salvation we have through Your Son. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
