The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
The heavens remain the Lord's own dwelling while the earth He has given to mankind as their entrusted home, possession and inheritance, with all its contents, seas and seasons preserved for them. He prepared it beforehand to be inhabited and at the first bestowed it in Eden upon upright Adam as father of the race, with dominion over fish, birds, cattle and all the earth to subdue and rule it under God. By disobedience man lost that dominion and brought curse and death upon the earth, and Satan cheated him out of it to claim it as god of this world, holding it not by right but as usurper until his lease ends. Christ by His blood as second Adam purchased the lost possession and bore its curse, and He will cleanse and renew it so the meek, righteous and obedient shall possess the whole earth forever in the restitution. What men now hold is therefore still God's property in trust, to be managed faithfully with gratitude and with a tenth reserved to Him, and His making of heaven and earth gives Him right to reign and seals the seventh-day Sabbath as His sign.
Words and Psalm Setting
The heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth has been given to the children of men as their home, possession, inheritance, and entrusted sphere. This giving is the revealed purpose of grace and promise toward humanity, on which true Bible hope rests, so that a clear understanding of the Christian hope comes from understanding what is promised in this distinction. The Creator prepared, formed, and endowed the earth before creating man to meet the physical needs of the kind of being He would make, so that man would have a home of his own rather than be homeless or intrude upon a place belonging to others. The present condition of the earth under sin and the curse has delayed but not changed that purpose, and though humanity lost dominion and another took possession, the earth remains intended to be inhabited by those for whom it was created and will be regained by the redeemed in the great Jubilee.
The gift freely and generously conveys everything connected with the earth, including its contents, the life and wonders of the sea, and the elements surrounding it. The same Creator who justly owns the heavens also promised to preserve this earthly home, keeping its seasons and cycles in place for as long as the earth remains. His grace surrounds the earth and protects it from destruction.
Psalm 115 stands among Psalms 113 to 118 sung on paschal occasions. It was sung by Jesus just before His betrayal, just before the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross, with full knowledge of the sufferings before Him, yet sung in faith in a Father too wise to err and too good to be unkind. Greater praise to Him from whom all blessings flow brings greater blessings, for offering praise glorifies God and it is good to sing praises to Him.
The psalm graphically contrasts the power of the true God with the senseless impotence and powerlessness of false gods and idols, assuring that God exercises His power for the good of His people. With scathing irony it exposes the senseless impotence of idols in contrast with the God who hears prayer and to whom all people come. It identifies the living and true God as the Maker and Creator of heaven and earth, and thereby distinguishes Him from all other gods. That fact of creatorship gives His title of royalty, the extent of His dominion, and His right to reign, makes His law valid by showing who the Lawgiver is as the Lord thy God, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them, and lies at the foundation of the seventh-day Sabbath as His seal and sign of allegiance between Him and His people that they may know that He is the Lord.
Creation Gift and Dominion
The Creator prepared and endowed the earth before creating man, so that man would have a home rather than be homeless or intrude upon a place belonging to others. The earth was formed to be inhabited and given to mankind as his home, fitted to the physical, mental, and moral needs of the kind of being God made. Human beings are those for whom the earth was made, its chief occupants with other forms of life serving their good, and it is the setting in which God's goodness and righteousness are revealed. The gift was made when man was upright, disclosing God's purpose in creation that heaven remains the Lord's while the earth is placed under human dominion.
That first giving was in Eden to upright humanity and to Adam as father and representative of the race, when all creation was pronounced very good. Eden, humanity's first home, held beauty, flowers, fruit, and bird songs for abundant delight, with joyful work in tending the garden and close fellowship with God. The earth was made to be inhabited by people, not another race, as sinless, obedient, righteous dwellers who willingly obey God and live in righteousness. God's purpose was that upright man should possess the earth, and in the beginning He purposed it to be the eternal dwelling of a pure and holy nation.
The grant conferred dominion and kingdom, putting newly created man in possession as ruler to occupy and enjoy, with man made to have dominion over the works of His hands. That dominion extends over fish, birds, cattle, all the earth, beasts of the field, fowl of the air, fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea. With it came the blessing and commission to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over every living thing upon it. This earth is man's legitimate sphere and special home, designed to be filled with a race of men placed on it to subdue it and rule over it. Man was made on the earth and of the earth and appointed to its possession as his home.
That dominion was absolute except for what God reserved to Himself, namely the use of the Sabbath day and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Heaven is God's dwelling where He keeps sole control, while the earth He made man's tenancy, given to humanity to hold in trust and to rule as God's representative under His authority and law. The entrusted care does not make the earth man's own, since it remains the rightful property of the Lord, and human rule carries responsibility to manage His goods faithfully. Man was fitted in every physical, mental, and moral function to live on the earth and to enjoy, use, and intelligently rule the things made upon it for use and comfort, needing its air, light, water, and fruit. He was not made to become a pure spirit, a holy angel, or a dweller in heaven, and no other intelligent being is fitted to occupy and thankfully use the earth.
Fall and Satan's Usurpation
The gift was made when humanity stood upright, with all creation pronounced very good, for upright people to hold the earth as dominion, kingdom, possession and inheritance. When upright man transgressed and yielded to disobedience and was tempted and overcome, he lost that dominion and possession over the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea and whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea, and was brought into bondage. Sin brought the curse upon the earth and subjected people to sin and death, with pain and death and thorns and thistles as its evidences, and the earth still groans under that curse unredeemed.
Satan, having lost his place in heaven and resolving to obtain a kingdom for himself, set out to cheat newly created man out of that dominion and make the earth his own home. Humanity lost the dominion by choosing to yield to him, and he took possession and usurped what had been given to man. He now claims man's property until man's probationary period on earth ends and his lease runs out, and is therefore called the god of this world, not as rightful possessor but as usurper by intrigue.
By transgression Adam lost everything and forfeited his dominion and inheritance, since loss of life is the greatest of all losses and includes all other losses. He could bequeath to his posterity no more than he possessed, only brief possession of a little of this world with sorrow and pain ending in death and the darkness of the grave. The historic gift to Adam in that sense gives no deep, abiding hope, and must also be taken prophetically as a future hope for the children of men in which the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth. The earth was given, not sold, and selfish human efforts to accumulate land and its treasures arise from the selfishness introduced when Satan overcame Adam and usurped dominion, and when humanity came under his rule the earth became lost territory needing redemption along with the lost people.
That loss did not come because God withdrew the gift, for He would not take it away, nor did the fall cancel His purpose that the earth still be inhabited by those for whom it was created. Although the earth was given to humanity, people did not thereby become independent of their Creator. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was reserved to God, and respecting His prohibition against eating its fruit — or even touching it — acknowledged His ownership of that tree, of humanity, and of the earth itself.
Redemption and Future Inheritance
The earth is a purchased possession, bought by the precious blood of Christ, who bore the curse of the earth as well as the curse of man when He was made a curse on the tree and wore the crown of thorns, which is the curse of the earth. As the second Adam He became man to redeem the lost home and dominion and to rule on humanity's behalf, and what was lost through sin will come through Him to the redeemed rather than remain with the usurper. Man had sold himself and his dominion to Satan and lost the dominion first put under him over the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea, being brought into bondage when tempted and overcome by the devil. Satan now claims man's property until man's probation ends and is therefore called the god of this world, not as rightful possessor but as usurper by intrigue of the dominion given to man.
The earth has not yet been redeemed but still groans under the curse, with pain and death and thorns and thistles as evidences of that curse. Like saints already bought who yet groan within themselves and will not be glorified till Christ who is their life shall appear, the earth and the inheritance of the saints wait for future redemption and renewal and restitution. It will be redeemed from the curse, purified and cleansed from sin by God's power, restored to Eden's purity and glory as a renewed paradise, made new, and remain through eternal ages to show forth His power, goodness, righteousness, and glory. Sin brought subjection to sin and death, yet God's purpose for the earth remains and will not be defeated, for Christ will purify the earth and reign there forever with His saints as its endless home under His kingdom.
That original gift was made when man was in an upright state with all pronounced very good, and the fall has delayed but not changed or cancelled God's purpose that upright man should possess the earth. The design will yet be carried out when the earth is possessed by man in an upright state, filled with immortal saints who have believed and obeyed Him, all righteous, forgiven of iniquity, and no longer sick. In the great Jubilee and restitution the redeemed will regain that intended possession and inheritance, and the meek shall inherit the earth and delight in abundance of peace as their eternal dwelling, dominion, and kingdom. The saints' kingdom will not be removed from the earth, for the earth becomes the eternal inheritance of the redeemed and is still to be inhabited by those for whom it was created.
The gift must also be taken prophetically as future hope, since Adam forfeited his inheritance by disobedience and could bequeath to posterity only brief possession of a little of this world with sorrow and pain ending in death and the grave, giving no deep, abiding hope in the historic sense alone. The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth after the wicked are cut off and only the upright and perfect dwell in the land, with the whole-earth dominion marred by sin restored by Christ and the meek inheriting the earth when the kingdom is established. Humanity was commanded to subdue the earth but failed, and it will not be fully subdued and fit for man's home until Christ completes His work and renews it at the end of the thousand years. That inheritance is sealed by the Holy Spirit as earnest until redemption, and it is not a city reserved in heaven but the earth upon which the holy city comes down, a real place and substantial home rather than a mere state, cloudland, ghosts and phantoms, dreams, myth, or a spirit-world.
Promise Hope and Sabbath
The giving of the earth discloses the revealed purpose of grace toward mankind, and on that promise true Bible hope rests. That hope is learned only from what is promised in the word, not from opinion or conjecture. The verse holds the one hope, the promise to the fathers, that the land shall be given to Abraham and to his seed. The promise looks to two parties, Abraham and his seed, and what was promised to Israel as a separate people and as the natural descendants of Abraham at the deliverance from Egypt was fulfilled in type, while what was promised to Abraham and to the fathers themselves was not then given and therefore awaits a future fulfillment that cannot fail.
The fact that the true God made heaven and earth distinguishes Him from false gods and establishes who He is. That creatorship carries His title of royalty, the extent of His dominion, and His right to reign. It makes His law valid by showing who the Lawgiver is, the Lord thy God, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them. Upon that foundation rests the Sabbatic institution, so that the seventh-day Sabbath is His seal or sign, the outward manifestation of allegiance by which His people may know that He is the Lord.
The earth was given to humanity as its dwelling place, and the Sabbath was made for people on the earth and sanctified for them. The Creator sanctified it for them with knowledge of how the rotation of the earth orders the days. God worked six days to make and prepare the earth for people, and that six-day labor is the foundation for proper Sabbath-keeping. Faithful work during those days is necessary to receive the benefit and blessing of Sabbath observance, and the Sabbath was given to help man know God and remember what God is to him, who placed him over His works.
Christ was associated with the Father in creation and made all things. As Creator He made the earth and gave it to mankind.
Stewardship and Daily Life
The earth was given to the children of men, while the heavens remain the Lord's own, so all that people possess comes from Him and is entrusted to them rather than owned absolutely. That delegated care places humanity in responsibility under His rule and does not make the earth their own, since all creation belongs to God and remains His rightful property, even held in trust under the Lord Jesus. People are therefore stewards and not the ultimate source or owners of their resources, called to manage His goods faithfully, with gratitude and unselfishness. God created and supplies the earth and everything needed to produce wealth, while reserving to Himself a tenth of its increase as His portion in the tithe. When humanity came under Satan's rule the earth became lost territory needing redemption along with the people who had been lost, yet the trust itself was not withdrawn.
The gift was made to the whole human race, giving every person a God-given and inalienable right to the earth as a means of subsistence and well-being. That right includes the inviolable right to work and to opportunity to work on just and reasonable conditions, because a right to live without opportunity to labor for the necessities of life would be a cruel mockery. No person may therefore properly be forced to surrender the right to labor so that another may rest. Such compulsion includes denial of work through labor unions and general compulsory rest on Sunday.
The gift calls those who would please God to work to improve conditions on earth and to shape study and effort toward that missionary purpose. Its resources were placed here for people to use for human welfare and blessing. For that reason the earth given for welfare and blessing supports the view that Scripture does not forbid taking living creatures for food.
The earth is meant to be used by people, but its proper use stands in contrast to selfish misuse. Human greed that crowds people into cities has helped foster iniquity.
The heavens remain the Lord's own dwelling while the earth He has given to mankind as their entrusted home, possession and inheritance, with all its contents, seas and seasons preserved for them. He prepared it beforehand to be inhabited and at the first bestowed it in Eden upon upright Adam as father of the race, with dominion over fish, birds, cattle and all the earth to subdue and rule it under God. By disobedience man lost that dominion and brought curse and death upon the earth, and Satan cheated him out of it to claim it as god of this world, holding it not by right but as usurper until his lease ends. Christ by His blood as second Adam purchased the lost possession and bore its curse, and He will cleanse and renew it so the meek, righteous and obedient shall possess the whole earth forever in the restitution. What men now hold is therefore still God's property in trust, to be managed faithfully with gratitude and with a tenth reserved to Him, and His making of heaven and earth gives Him right to reign and seals the seventh-day Sabbath as His sign.
Words and Psalm Setting
The heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth has been given to the children of men as their home, possession, inheritance, and entrusted sphere. This giving is the revealed purpose of grace and promise toward humanity, on which true Bible hope rests, so that a clear understanding of the Christian hope comes from understanding what is promised in this distinction. The Creator prepared, formed, and endowed the earth before creating man to meet the physical needs of the kind of being He would make, so that man would have a home of his own rather than be homeless or intrude upon a place belonging to others. The present condition of the earth under sin and the curse has delayed but not changed that purpose, and though humanity lost dominion and another took possession, the earth remains intended to be inhabited by those for whom it was created and will be regained by the redeemed in the great Jubilee.
The gift freely and generously conveys everything connected with the earth, including its contents, the life and wonders of the sea, and the elements surrounding it. The same Creator who justly owns the heavens also promised to preserve this earthly home, keeping its seasons and cycles in place for as long as the earth remains. His grace surrounds the earth and protects it from destruction.
Psalm 115 stands among Psalms 113 to 118 sung on paschal occasions. It was sung by Jesus just before His betrayal, just before the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross, with full knowledge of the sufferings before Him, yet sung in faith in a Father too wise to err and too good to be unkind. Greater praise to Him from whom all blessings flow brings greater blessings, for offering praise glorifies God and it is good to sing praises to Him.
The psalm graphically contrasts the power of the true God with the senseless impotence and powerlessness of false gods and idols, assuring that God exercises His power for the good of His people. With scathing irony it exposes the senseless impotence of idols in contrast with the God who hears prayer and to whom all people come. It identifies the living and true God as the Maker and Creator of heaven and earth, and thereby distinguishes Him from all other gods. That fact of creatorship gives His title of royalty, the extent of His dominion, and His right to reign, makes His law valid by showing who the Lawgiver is as the Lord thy God, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them, and lies at the foundation of the seventh-day Sabbath as His seal and sign of allegiance between Him and His people that they may know that He is the Lord.
Creation Gift and Dominion
The Creator prepared and endowed the earth before creating man, so that man would have a home rather than be homeless or intrude upon a place belonging to others. The earth was formed to be inhabited and given to mankind as his home, fitted to the physical, mental, and moral needs of the kind of being God made. Human beings are those for whom the earth was made, its chief occupants with other forms of life serving their good, and it is the setting in which God's goodness and righteousness are revealed. The gift was made when man was upright, disclosing God's purpose in creation that heaven remains the Lord's while the earth is placed under human dominion.
That first giving was in Eden to upright humanity and to Adam as father and representative of the race, when all creation was pronounced very good. Eden, humanity's first home, held beauty, flowers, fruit, and bird songs for abundant delight, with joyful work in tending the garden and close fellowship with God. The earth was made to be inhabited by people, not another race, as sinless, obedient, righteous dwellers who willingly obey God and live in righteousness. God's purpose was that upright man should possess the earth, and in the beginning He purposed it to be the eternal dwelling of a pure and holy nation.
The grant conferred dominion and kingdom, putting newly created man in possession as ruler to occupy and enjoy, with man made to have dominion over the works of His hands. That dominion extends over fish, birds, cattle, all the earth, beasts of the field, fowl of the air, fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea. With it came the blessing and commission to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over every living thing upon it. This earth is man's legitimate sphere and special home, designed to be filled with a race of men placed on it to subdue it and rule over it. Man was made on the earth and of the earth and appointed to its possession as his home.
That dominion was absolute except for what God reserved to Himself, namely the use of the Sabbath day and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Heaven is God's dwelling where He keeps sole control, while the earth He made man's tenancy, given to humanity to hold in trust and to rule as God's representative under His authority and law. The entrusted care does not make the earth man's own, since it remains the rightful property of the Lord, and human rule carries responsibility to manage His goods faithfully. Man was fitted in every physical, mental, and moral function to live on the earth and to enjoy, use, and intelligently rule the things made upon it for use and comfort, needing its air, light, water, and fruit. He was not made to become a pure spirit, a holy angel, or a dweller in heaven, and no other intelligent being is fitted to occupy and thankfully use the earth.
Fall and Satan's Usurpation
The gift was made when humanity stood upright, with all creation pronounced very good, for upright people to hold the earth as dominion, kingdom, possession and inheritance. When upright man transgressed and yielded to disobedience and was tempted and overcome, he lost that dominion and possession over the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea and whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea, and was brought into bondage. Sin brought the curse upon the earth and subjected people to sin and death, with pain and death and thorns and thistles as its evidences, and the earth still groans under that curse unredeemed.
Satan, having lost his place in heaven and resolving to obtain a kingdom for himself, set out to cheat newly created man out of that dominion and make the earth his own home. Humanity lost the dominion by choosing to yield to him, and he took possession and usurped what had been given to man. He now claims man's property until man's probationary period on earth ends and his lease runs out, and is therefore called the god of this world, not as rightful possessor but as usurper by intrigue.
By transgression Adam lost everything and forfeited his dominion and inheritance, since loss of life is the greatest of all losses and includes all other losses. He could bequeath to his posterity no more than he possessed, only brief possession of a little of this world with sorrow and pain ending in death and the darkness of the grave. The historic gift to Adam in that sense gives no deep, abiding hope, and must also be taken prophetically as a future hope for the children of men in which the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth. The earth was given, not sold, and selfish human efforts to accumulate land and its treasures arise from the selfishness introduced when Satan overcame Adam and usurped dominion, and when humanity came under his rule the earth became lost territory needing redemption along with the lost people.
That loss did not come because God withdrew the gift, for He would not take it away, nor did the fall cancel His purpose that the earth still be inhabited by those for whom it was created. Although the earth was given to humanity, people did not thereby become independent of their Creator. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was reserved to God, and respecting His prohibition against eating its fruit — or even touching it — acknowledged His ownership of that tree, of humanity, and of the earth itself.
Redemption and Future Inheritance
The earth is a purchased possession, bought by the precious blood of Christ, who bore the curse of the earth as well as the curse of man when He was made a curse on the tree and wore the crown of thorns, which is the curse of the earth. As the second Adam He became man to redeem the lost home and dominion and to rule on humanity's behalf, and what was lost through sin will come through Him to the redeemed rather than remain with the usurper. Man had sold himself and his dominion to Satan and lost the dominion first put under him over the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea, being brought into bondage when tempted and overcome by the devil. Satan now claims man's property until man's probation ends and is therefore called the god of this world, not as rightful possessor but as usurper by intrigue of the dominion given to man.
The earth has not yet been redeemed but still groans under the curse, with pain and death and thorns and thistles as evidences of that curse. Like saints already bought who yet groan within themselves and will not be glorified till Christ who is their life shall appear, the earth and the inheritance of the saints wait for future redemption and renewal and restitution. It will be redeemed from the curse, purified and cleansed from sin by God's power, restored to Eden's purity and glory as a renewed paradise, made new, and remain through eternal ages to show forth His power, goodness, righteousness, and glory. Sin brought subjection to sin and death, yet God's purpose for the earth remains and will not be defeated, for Christ will purify the earth and reign there forever with His saints as its endless home under His kingdom.
That original gift was made when man was in an upright state with all pronounced very good, and the fall has delayed but not changed or cancelled God's purpose that upright man should possess the earth. The design will yet be carried out when the earth is possessed by man in an upright state, filled with immortal saints who have believed and obeyed Him, all righteous, forgiven of iniquity, and no longer sick. In the great Jubilee and restitution the redeemed will regain that intended possession and inheritance, and the meek shall inherit the earth and delight in abundance of peace as their eternal dwelling, dominion, and kingdom. The saints' kingdom will not be removed from the earth, for the earth becomes the eternal inheritance of the redeemed and is still to be inhabited by those for whom it was created.
The gift must also be taken prophetically as future hope, since Adam forfeited his inheritance by disobedience and could bequeath to posterity only brief possession of a little of this world with sorrow and pain ending in death and the grave, giving no deep, abiding hope in the historic sense alone. The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth after the wicked are cut off and only the upright and perfect dwell in the land, with the whole-earth dominion marred by sin restored by Christ and the meek inheriting the earth when the kingdom is established. Humanity was commanded to subdue the earth but failed, and it will not be fully subdued and fit for man's home until Christ completes His work and renews it at the end of the thousand years. That inheritance is sealed by the Holy Spirit as earnest until redemption, and it is not a city reserved in heaven but the earth upon which the holy city comes down, a real place and substantial home rather than a mere state, cloudland, ghosts and phantoms, dreams, myth, or a spirit-world.
Promise Hope and Sabbath
The giving of the earth discloses the revealed purpose of grace toward mankind, and on that promise true Bible hope rests. That hope is learned only from what is promised in the word, not from opinion or conjecture. The verse holds the one hope, the promise to the fathers, that the land shall be given to Abraham and to his seed. The promise looks to two parties, Abraham and his seed, and what was promised to Israel as a separate people and as the natural descendants of Abraham at the deliverance from Egypt was fulfilled in type, while what was promised to Abraham and to the fathers themselves was not then given and therefore awaits a future fulfillment that cannot fail.
The fact that the true God made heaven and earth distinguishes Him from false gods and establishes who He is. That creatorship carries His title of royalty, the extent of His dominion, and His right to reign. It makes His law valid by showing who the Lawgiver is, the Lord thy God, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them. Upon that foundation rests the Sabbatic institution, so that the seventh-day Sabbath is His seal or sign, the outward manifestation of allegiance by which His people may know that He is the Lord.
The earth was given to humanity as its dwelling place, and the Sabbath was made for people on the earth and sanctified for them. The Creator sanctified it for them with knowledge of how the rotation of the earth orders the days. God worked six days to make and prepare the earth for people, and that six-day labor is the foundation for proper Sabbath-keeping. Faithful work during those days is necessary to receive the benefit and blessing of Sabbath observance, and the Sabbath was given to help man know God and remember what God is to him, who placed him over His works.
Christ was associated with the Father in creation and made all things. As Creator He made the earth and gave it to mankind.
Stewardship and Daily Life
The earth was given to the children of men, while the heavens remain the Lord's own, so all that people possess comes from Him and is entrusted to them rather than owned absolutely. That delegated care places humanity in responsibility under His rule and does not make the earth their own, since all creation belongs to God and remains His rightful property, even held in trust under the Lord Jesus. People are therefore stewards and not the ultimate source or owners of their resources, called to manage His goods faithfully, with gratitude and unselfishness. God created and supplies the earth and everything needed to produce wealth, while reserving to Himself a tenth of its increase as His portion in the tithe. When humanity came under Satan's rule the earth became lost territory needing redemption along with the people who had been lost, yet the trust itself was not withdrawn.
The gift was made to the whole human race, giving every person a God-given and inalienable right to the earth as a means of subsistence and well-being. That right includes the inviolable right to work and to opportunity to work on just and reasonable conditions, because a right to live without opportunity to labor for the necessities of life would be a cruel mockery. No person may therefore properly be forced to surrender the right to labor so that another may rest. Such compulsion includes denial of work through labor unions and general compulsory rest on Sunday.
The gift calls those who would please God to work to improve conditions on earth and to shape study and effort toward that missionary purpose. Its resources were placed here for people to use for human welfare and blessing. For that reason the earth given for welfare and blessing supports the view that Scripture does not forbid taking living creatures for food.
The earth is meant to be used by people, but its proper use stands in contrast to selfish misuse. Human greed that crowds people into cities has helped foster iniquity.