Genesis 1:26-28, Matthew 25:14-30, and Proverbs 31
Humans were commanded to reproduce humans (be fruitful and multiply), to cultivate and subdue (grow a harvest, not destroy) the earth, and to have dominion (rule productively over the creation). As history has progressed, different cultures, even if differing in their views of religion and meaning, increasingly discovered ways to accomplish these things. Historically, not all places succeeded at the same pace or in every area of human effort. The passages in Matthew and Proverbs show how the Lord expects our normal desire and practice to be toward productivity, order, and inventiveness. It was the Fall of humankind, we could say, that led to indolence and the tendency to take shortcuts or to take what was not ours but was the product of others’ labor. Nowhere in scripture are laziness, greed, or stealing approved.
In all places, despite the spiritual Fall, humans are responsible to make wise decisions about the human, animal, and physical resources they find around them. Different cultures, over time, make diverse choices which have long-term impact for growth or decay. Some of these choices lead to conflict within and between cultures and nations.
As you consider this week’s devotion, please answer the following questions.
- Identify some areas of “inventiveness” or creativity as you look at the specific ways that Eastern and Western cultures were productive during the chapters covered.
- Can you find areas of conflict between East and West that were not helpful to either during the chapters of this unit? Explain.
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