Till and Keep and God’s Indwelling

Abstract

This article proposes to restore the understanding of Genesis 1-2 not as an innocent prelude for the Fall, but as the blueprint for the unfolding of God’s plan for the created world. In this context, the idea that humankind was given the image of God is articulated with the instructions given by God in paradise: naming the animals (Gn 2:19), tilling and keeping the soil (Gn 2:15), multiplying, and filling and mastering the Earth (Gn 1:28). Such tasks would have the function of guiding the human development towards the likeness of God, while contributing at the same time to Earth’s development, according to the model furnished by the garden of Eden, arguably meant to be extended and multiplied. The final objective of such efforts would be to prepare the Earth for God’s indwelling. The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1–13), along with the Parable of the Faithful Servant (Matthew 24:42–51; Mark 13:34–37; Luke 12:35–48) could be said to warrant such interpretation.