UMPG: T#087 THE POLLUTION of THE ENVIRONMENT

Even and more so
on a topic like this,

THE BIBLE is the ultimate source of truth

we should be guided with,

whether simply to learn from

or to make corrections on

what are sadly obtaining among us

or on the environment around us.

If you just simply read

all of the 31 verses
of >>Genesis Chapter 1

from whatever version of THE BIBLE that you can get hold of,

you shall read the whole story of creation which ended up with that statement

“it was very good”

and the cycle of day and night since then have continued.

As you proceed to
>>Chapter 2,

you'll find in >>verse 4 and following,

“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created,

when THE LORD GOD created the earth and the heavens.

no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for THE LORD GOD had not sent rain upon the earth;

and there was no man
to cultivate the ground.

But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

Then THE LORD GOD formed man of dust from the ground,

and breathe into his nostrils the breath of life

and the man became a living being.

And THE LORD GOD planted a garden toward the east, in Eden

and there HE placed
the man HE had formed.

And out of the ground THE LORD GOD caused to grow
every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food

the tree of life also in the midst of the garden

and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden

and from there it divided and became four rivers …

Then THE LORD GOD took the man

and put him into the garden

to cultivate it

and keep it.

And THE LORD GOD commanded the man, saying

“From any tree (of dependence on GOD) in the garden

you may eat freely;

but from the tree (of independence from GOD) of the knowledge of good and evil

you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat

from it you shall surely die.”

…. And out of the ground, THE LORD GOD formed every beast of the field

and every bird of the sky,

and brought them to the man to see what he would call them;

and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field,

but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

So THE LORD caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept;

then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place.

And THE LORD GOD fashioned into a woman the rib, which HE had taken from the man

and brought her to the man.

And the man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called woman,

because she was taken out of man.

For this cause, a man shall
leave his father and his mother,

and shall cleave to his wife;
and they shall become one flesh.

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

>>Chapter 3 relates to us
the very first and

the beginning of the
continuing series

of man’s failures

to doing GOD’s will

and acting in full dependence on HIM.

>>Verses 1-5 relate how an element of truth

is mixed with errors so a tempter can engage the person he tempts to a discussion.

>>Verse 6 gives us in slow motion how the woman first saw that the tree was good for food,

and that it was a delight to the eyes.

Having seen and getting delighted by what she saw,

the temptation progressed into desiring to make herself wise,

and finally she took from its fruit and ate it

and beyond that she gave also to her husband

and he ate it too.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened,

and they knew that they were naked;

and they (engaged for themselves a poor cover-up —

(MAN’s another ENTREPRENEURSHIP that followed the original )

sewed fig leaves together

and made themselves loin coverings (for their shame).

Since then, as GOD said,

“Cursed is the ground because of you;

in toil (a privilege granted
by THE LORD
for man to share HIS
providential role)

you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field;

by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

because from it you were taken;

for you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

Now the man called his wife’s name Eve,

“the life-giving one.”

And THE LORD GOD made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothe them,

as GOD’s way superseding
MAN’s ENTREPRENEURSHIP,

which truly cannot do him any good.

(>>Jeremiah 23:10)

Then THE LORD GOD said

“Behold, the man has become like one of US,

knowing good and evil;

and now, he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life,

and eat, and live forever.”

So THE LORD GOD sent him out from the Garden of Eden

to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

And so this is presently
where and how we are!

And we ought to learn from THE (same) BIBLE

how our first parents & all of us
their successors-in-interest

ought to get ourselves rightly related

with THE (same) GOD WHO made us all.

As we do our GOD-given assignments in our day-to-day living,

we are not to go
our way of ENTREPRENEURSHIPS

at the same time depend on HIM

because we ought not to depend on ourselves

at the same time declare independence from HIM.

Without HIM, we are nothing!

The problem is not with GOD!

GOD has expressed clearly HIS WILL for us

and of everything around us,

that is, the environment.

It is we who failed HIM.

The problem is not with the environment.

It has gone polluted not because of GOD

nor because of itself

but because of us.

The problem is in us!
GOD has willed hereunder;
yet, we do not reckon
with the facts that:

1. There should be a separation

between darkness and light (>>Genesis 1:4).

2. There should be for us a distinction of purpose

between night and day (>>Genesis 1:5).

3. There ought to be no two days

that are the same for us to spend

(>>Genesis 1:5, >>8, >>13, >>19, >>23, >>31; >>2:2).

4. The sky, land, and the seas

are to show GOD’s majesty (>>Genesis 1:8-10).

5. The land was to grow vegetation,

plants yielding seed,

and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind,

with seed in them

for their propagation on earth (>>Genesis 1:11-12).

6. The heavenly lights are there to display GOD’s will

in relation to what HE wants us to do

within the confines and limits of nights and days,

months, seasons, years, etc.

that all may be well with our activities

and well-beings (>>Genesis 1:14-17).

7. The ecological balance has to be maintained,

no species are to be endangered or done away with;

even if we do not know of any big reason for these wildlife (unknown to many)

as born to be wild (the opposite of domesticated)

to be maintained while co-existing

with the rest we are familiar with (>>Genesis 1:20-25).

8. We are to rule over

the fish of the sea,

the birds of the sky,

over the cattle and over all the earth,

and over every creeping thing that creep on the earth (>>Genesis 1:26),

according to GOD’s purpose

and ~~not according to~~ our own judgment and purpose.

9. We have been conceptualized

as GOD’s moving images and

in the likeness

(>>Genesis 1:26-27)

as to be HIS authority over all creation.

10. We have been designed as either

male or female (only),

as such we are blessed by GOD,

and by virtue of that blessing,

we are to multiply and be fruitful to subdue the earth.

(>>Genesis 1:27-28).

11. That our own cover-ups for our disobediences

cannot be of good use for long to us (>>Genesis 3:7);

that despite our continued entrepreneurships,

GOD will continue with HIS purposes for us

--- by unilaterally making available for our availment (or not) HIS kind of permanent covering

to erase the shame of our disobediences (>>Genesis 3:21)

by providing us to wear (>>Galatians 3:27) THE SAVIOR --- THE LORD JESUS THE CHRIST

while HE continues using us for HIS purposes.

12. That despite our knowing
good and evil,

because we still continue to disobey HIM,

we are sternly warned that we either have to depend on HIM to live forever

or we live by our own directions and efforts and consequently be separated from HIM forever

(>>Genesis 3:22),

as HE continues to make use of us as HE has purposed

half na lang:

to cultivate the ground (>>Genesis 3:23)

and not anymore the other half, to keep it (>>Genesis 2:15)

because there is no more use to keep that which has been polluted by us

because of our entrepreneurship,

so THE LORD HIMSELF has reserved the present heavens and earth for fire(!),

THE LORD HIMSELF keeping it

(not anymore for man to keep it)

for the day of judgment and destruction

of ungodly men (>>2^nd Peter 3:7).

Oh, how clear enough are these
that even without further details
and particulars

we ought to know what specific changes we are to have in keeping with REPENTANCE

in our attitudes, decisions, lifestyles, work, ambitions, plans, more so in our soul-searchings,

if we want to live that life according to the will of GOD.

For a close scrutiny of how our forebears have fallen so easily into the subtle trap of contradicting GOD’s will

hereunder is the pattern we should try to be guided with,

avoid and flee from,

in order not to succumb to them one after another:

Scrutinizing with the eyes

· Eve – >>Genesis 3:6 ~ “saw that the tree was good for food and a delight to the eyes”

· Achan – >>Joshua 7:21 “I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and 200 shekels of silver and a bar of gold 50 shekels in weight”

· King David – >>2^ndSamuel 11:2 ~ “Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing”

Desiring

· Eve – >>Genesis 3:6 ~ “that the tree was desirable to make one wise”

· Achan – >>Joshua 7:21 ~ “then I coveted them”

· King David – >>2^ndSamuel 11:2-4 ~ “and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent and inquired about the woman…and David sent messengers”

3. Indulging

· Eve – >>Genesis 3:6 ~ “she took from its fruit and ate”

· Achan – >>Joshua 7:21 ~ “and took them”

· King David – >>2^ndSamuel 11:4 ~ “and took her, and when she came to him he lay with her”

4. Our personal disobedience will certainly involve others

· Eve – >>Genesis 3:6 ~ “and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate”

And this is good as
polluting another one

and that one was actually

the rest of the world,

as there were only two
of them then.

· Achan – >>Joshua 7:21 ~ “they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.”

And good as sharing them
with the things

under the ban resulting to

the death of 36 of them.

(>>Joshua 6:18, 7:1-5).

· King David – >>2^ndSamuel 11:5-17 ~ “And the woman conceived…And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.”

Yes, corrupting oneself as we
contradict GOD’s will

always lead to polluting others
in all certainty.

This is the reason why pollution is proliferating!

The only 100% effective remedy for pollution

should be to conront our individual contradictions

or personal disregard of
GOD’s will!

The how to avoid, mitigate, or remedy the adverse impacts on the environment

as environmental sciences or management prescribe as solutions

may be effective only if

we are combating only
the residual adverse impacts
on the environment

and all earlier pollution have already completely stopped.

Our cover-ups and pointing
the blame on others will
continue to be our kind-of-living.

Shame and hiding ourselves from GOD shall characterize our living.

Every truth in >>Genesis 2:7-20 will keep on recurring.

They are:

1. Instead of, we dwelling in our shame

and resort to our own cover-ups (v.7)
we have earlier seen will not last us long

we ought to avail of

THE AMNESTY THE CHRIST

has offered us for our

rebellion against HIM

2. Our cover-ups notwithstanding,

we become by the work of The Holy Spirit outside us
--- increasingly aware of the presence of GOD
WHOM we have earlier sinned against (v.8).

3. And GOD makes HIS outside presence felt in us

as we hide from HIM
and make us realize we may be succeeding in our hiding
but GOD continues to make HIS presence felt by us (vv.9-12).

4. When we point the blame to another for our misdeeds,

HE also confronts the other person
as HIS way of tracing the cause or causes
to the ultimate source (v.13).

5. When HE gets to the ultimate source of the problem,

HE punishes him the severest (vv.14-15).

6. The punishment of lesser severity

goes to each one in the order of the chain of causers of the disobedience.
After the serpent,
HE pronounced HIS punishment to the woman (v.16)
and then to the man (v.17).

7. But lest we stop at the punishment of man as he is bound to suffer because of his sinnings,

such suffering is connected with his having to continue
to corporally live in the toil of the ground
upon which GOD has pronounced a doom
so fallen man’s toil will not be any easy
when compared to that if he had not obeyed (vv.17-20).

8. Most importantly, the all-understanding and wise-GOD unilaterally covers our shame

with JESUS THE CHRIST as HIS OWN PROVISION (v.21)
on condition we depend on HIM for guidance and effort

in our toils in this world

instead of magpatuyang na lang gyud ta sa atong gibati

as did our first parents when they first disobeyed.

9. The garments of skin GOD made to clothe Adam and Eve from their shame

is actually emblematic of the skin of JESUS THE CHRIST (THE LAMB OF GOD – >>John 1:36)

which HIS enemies thought they were able to have for themselves by getting HIM die in Calvary

only to realize later that by HIS resurrection,

such death was HIS saving work for us

who come to believe (>>>T#003) HIM

particularly HIS work of redemption.

10. When JESUS comes back,

we shall see what John saw and wrote
for us to hope for and be inspired with

as recorded for us to read now(!) in >>Revelation Chapter 21
so we may know what to expect when that time comes

when there will be an entirely new order of things
from the point of view of what we are
presently seeing and experiencing.

Some of what the perfect creation was
before the fall of our first parents
as we read in Genesis 1 & 2
is restored for us

--- their successors-in-interest --- to experience.

And GOD has not limited HIMSELF to what HE created then,

much more and with the greatest awe for HIS awesome power and provision

are we to enjoy without limit

in time, degree, scope, and intensity

HIS company

in that new setting or environment

originally in that garden in Eden

to That New City ---
THE NEW JERUSALEM

not made with hands
ETERNAL in THE HEAVENS!!!!

>>1^st Thessalonians 5:22 ~ “Abstain from every form of evil!” –

>>2^nd Timothy 2:22 ~ “Now flee from your youthful lusts,

and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,

with them who call on THE LORD from a pure heart!” –

>>2^nd Corinthians 1:13 ~ “For the writers of THE BIBLE write nothing else to you

than what you can understand,

and I hope you will understand until the end!”

>>1^st Corinthians 10:6-13 ~ “Now those things happened as examples for us,

that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved.

And do not be idolaters, as some of them were;

as it is written, “the people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.”

Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did,

and 23,000 fell in one day.

Nor let us try THE LORD, as some of them did,

and were destroyed by the serpents.

Nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer.

“Now these things happened to them as an example

and they were written for our instruction,

upon whom the end of the ages have come.

Therefore, let him/her who thinks he/her stands take heed lest he/her fall.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man;

and GOD is faithful,

HE will not allow you to be tempted

beyond what you are able,

but with the temptation --- will provide the way of escape also,

that you may be able to endure it”.

~~~#~~~

NEXT>: T#088 THESE ongoing-installment SHAKINGS of the ENVIRONMENT, GOVERNMENTS, SOCIETY, FAMILY, & OURSELVES!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREVIOUS<: T#086 THE SEPARATION OF THE CHURCH & THE STATE

UMPG

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

T#087 THE POLLUTION of THE ENVIRONMENT

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