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OUR EARTH

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 14, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 20.

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OUR EARTH.

By Wm. Covert

OUR earth was intended as a basis for the manifestation of life. Certainly no tangible result could be produced without a material agency to serve as a medium of operation. For this purpose the earth was formed, and common observation everywhere recognizes it as a mother of life. It is vitalized with potency to bring forth any form that Infinite Wisdom desires.
The primal design made it a place of habitation. “Thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it. He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited.” Isa. 45:18.
Man is earth’s chief occupant, but associated with him are all forms of life created for his good. David says, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” Ps. 115:16.
The Lord asks that “the whole earth be filled with His glory,” and also declares that the earth is filled with His riches. The whole scheme is to reveal the Lord’s righteousness. “Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.” Ps. 85:11, 12.
The Lord’s life, energizing the earth, causes it to send forth bountiful crops for man to reap. The plants that come of this life-deposit are truth; and showers from heaven that water it are righteousness. God is herein letting His goodness be seen upon every hill-top and mountain height, valley reach, and plain expanse. Hereby His boundless love is shared by all creatures.
Speaking of God’s direct providences, the psalmist says, “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it, Thou greatly enrichest it; the river of God is full of water; Thou providest them corn when Thou hast so prepared the earth.” Ps. 65:9, R.V.
The advice as to man’s proper conduct is, “Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee.” And the promise is, “Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.” Ps. 67:5, 6.
Before sin was conceived, and brought forth to poison the ground, the fulness of life was everywhere manifest. The perfect beauty of life was an eloquent witness for righteousness. Then the earth in its fulness testified for God. The glory of all nature and the sweet innocence of Eden united in singing His praises. And these scriptures show that continued righteousness on the part of all the people would have been rewarded with unbroken manifestations of righteousness on the part of the earth. But man failed to co-operate with the earth in her manifestation of the Lord’s righteousness; and his disobedience imparted weakness and decay to the earth.

The Effect of Sin on the Land.

When man sinned in Eden, he was immediately cast out of the place, and the earth also, where he was compelled to abide, fell under the curse of sin. Man’s transgression was imparted to the earth, and blight and mildew were manifested instead of righteousness.
When Cain killed his brother Abel, the Lord said to the guilty man, “When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength.” Gen. 4:12. As sin increased, its poisonous influences became more deadly, marring life and greatly curtailing its joys.
Among the ancients, where sin was uncurbed for a few generations, the land became defiled, and its inhabitants were cast out. Lev. 18:25.
When Israel became very sinful, the Lord said, “I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled My land.” Jer. 16:18.
Since mankind have spread over all the world, and carried sin everywhere, the prophet calls attention to the situation, and says: “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” Isa. 24:1-5.
This blighted condition is now seen, but redemption’s work is to correct all this evil, and bring our earth into that condition which the Creator primarily intended it to maintain. Read a few of the Bible promises.
To Abraham the Lord said, “All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.” Gen. 13:15. Again He spoke to him of “all the land of Canaan,” promising it to him and his seed for an everlasting possession. Gen. 17:7, 8. Later, the Lord confirmed these promises to Abraham by an oath, pledging His existence as security for their fulfilment. Gen. 22:16-18. These pledges and covenants were repeated to Isaac and Jacob, assuring them of their future and endless intent. Gen. 26:3-5; 28:13-15.
Paul, commenting on the significance of these promises, showed that Abraham was in them promised the heirship of the world. Rom. 4:13.
The martyr Stephen, in his sermon before the Jewish court, proved that Abraham had not received, as an inheritance, land enough “to set his foot on.” He showed, however, from the Scriptures, that the promise was yet to be fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Of Abraham’s sojourn in the land of promise he said that the Lord “gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him.” Acts 7:5.
The promises to Abraham were made jointly to him and his seed forever. In commenting upon the promises which underlie the Christian faith, the apostle said, “Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. . . . And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:26, 27, 29.
The Spirit, through David, spoke of the future state of our world, saying, “Evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Ps. 37:9-11. Jesus quoted from the writings of David, and applied the promise to a future inheritance when He said, “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. 5:5.
From the time Paradise was lost until now, this earth has, to a great extent, been in the possession of wicked men. Thus far in earth’s history the meek have been burdened, driven. Want and care have been their portion. The majority of them have belonged with the poor of this world. Yet they have been rich in faith and heirs of a kingdom which is to fill the whole earth. James 2:5; Dan. 7:27.
WM. COVERT.