The Earth Theme in the Bible

The Hebrew word for earth—’erets—appears over 2,500 times in the Old Testament. Among nouns, only Yahweh, all, son, God, and king appear more often.

The Bible starts with the earth: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

We were created out of the earth, and named after the earth: “Then the Lord God formed the human (adam) from the dust of the ground (adamah)…” (Genesis 2:7)

Our original job was to take care of the earth: “The Lord God took the human and placed him in the garden of Eden to avad (work, cultivate, serve) and shamar it (guard, watch over, preserve).” (Genesis 2:15)

The big promises were about the earth:

• “To your offspring I will give this land…” (Genesis 12:7)
• “But as surely as I live, and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth…” (Nu 14:21)
• “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Is 11:9)
• “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth… They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit…” (Is 65:17-25)
• “They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid…” (Micah 4:1-4)

The warning was about the earth: “And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.” (Leviticus 18:28)

The earth was given to us: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord,
but the earth He has given to the children of humanity.” (Ps 115:16)

We are witnesses throughout the earth: ”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

The earth is waiting for us: “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God… creation itself will be set free from its bondage…” (Ro 8:19-22)

And we’re waiting for the earth: “According to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Pe 3:13) and “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Mt 5:5)

We will reign on the earth: “You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Rev 5:10)

The story ends with the earth: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with humanity. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people.’” (Rev 21:1-3)

The Importance of the Earth

In the flood story, God could have wiped out the earth and taken us to Mars to start over. But he wiped us out and kept the earth. Read it afresh, noticing the bold:

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created– Gen 6:5-7

In the golden calf story, God was ready to wipe out Israel and start over with Moses. They clearly weren’t the point. But the earth mattered.

“The Lord said to Moses, “…Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses…said, “…Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out… to wipe them off the face of the earth’? …Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘…I will give your descendants all this land’”– Ex 32:9-13

Return to Earth

We’ve grown used to a gospel designed to rescue us from the world. But what if the gospel is for the world—and we’re the workers, just like Adam and Eve in the garden?

Imagine a charitable organization where the primary beneficiaries are the staff. That’s easy to critique. But what if that’s us?

Maybe we’re not the chosen few who escape the earth. Maybe we’re the workforce sent to renew it.