Margaret’s Musings

I’ve heard it said, and I’m guessing you have too, that the recent earthquake in Haiti was God’s judgment on the nation for some sort of pact with the devil. I am inclined to disagree, but who am I to comment on the mind of God? However, I would like to put forth that maybe, just maybe, it is we who are being judged in this incident, not the people of Haiti.

I was contemplating a few days ago on God’s command to Adam and Eve to subdue the earth in Genesis 1:28. Now, this verse is not about animal husbandry or environmental consciousness, and it has nothing to do with your carbon footprint. Interestingly, this word “subdue” is the same word that is used in Esther 7:8 as a euphemism for rape.

Now don’t go thinking you can use Genesis 1:28 to justify any kind of “rape” of the planet; that is certainly not what I’m proposing, nor is it defensible theologically or exegetically. What’s essential to understand about Genesis 1 is that other ancient Near Eastern creation stories were about a god or gods battling chaos and then creating the world. In Genesis, it is Yahweh who defeats chaos and commands Adam and Eve (and by extension, humanity) to keep chaos at bay.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like I interact with chaos much on a daily basis. Most things are pretty predictable. Occasionally in Seattle we’ll get hit by a windstorm or small earthquake, and that’s about as close as I usually come. Fortunately for me, we have done a pretty good job in Seattle of dealing with chaos. There may be some downed powerlines or cracked buildings, but usually the people who fare worst are those sitting in the cold for a week or two. Not a death toll in the thousands or tens of thousands.

So, who is it who failed to adequately prepare for the chaos that hit Haiti? I’m sure there are many people, both on an individual and societal level. That’s not a call I’m qualified to make, and I’m certainly not going to start passing the blame. But surely all of us who have the means to influence poorer nations for the good must feel some degree of responsibility both to do what we can now to help those in need and to ensure that future catastrophes are attenuated. We cannot control chaos outright, but we can prepare.

Let us remember that Yahweh, who has commanded us to fight chaos, is the same Yahweh who made countless provisions for the poor in the Hebrew laws. We are called to do our part in both.