A Biblical Perspective on Conservation: Tending the Garden with Purpose

One of the first commands God ever gave humanity was this:

“Then ADONAI Elohim took the man and gave him rest in the Garden of Eden in order to cultivate and watch over it.” (Genesis 2:15, TLV)

Before sin.
Before covenants.
Before the giving of the Torah
or the coming of the Messiah,
we were given a calling to tend God’s garden.

And yet, somehow, many believers today have fallen for the idea that if the “end of the world” is coming, then there’s no point in caring for the Earth. “It’s all going to burn anyway,” people will say.

But this is far from the heart of the Creator. If anything, it's a distortion of our original mission.

What if the return of Yeshua isn’t about escape—but about restoration? What if He’s coming back not to take us away from the earth, but to dwell with us here on it, just as He walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the garden?

The Garden He’s Coming Back To

I believe Yeshua is returning to this Earth to establish His eternal Kingdom. That means the world still matters. The land matters. The creatures and ecosystems matter.

When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He called them to cultivate (work) and keep (guard) it. Those Hebrew words (“avad” and “shamar”) carry deep spiritual weight. They’re the same words used for the priests who cared for the Tabernacle.

The Jewish prophets understood the Temple to be a representation of the Garden of God—a sacred space where heaven and earth met. In fact, many ancient Jewish thinkers and commentators describe the Temple as a symbolic return to Eden.

Worship in the Temple was seen as a way for humanity to “get back to the Garden”—to experience a taste of the intimacy, beauty, and order that existed before the fall.

As believers in Yeshua, His Spirit is alive in dwells within us — making our homes a return to the Garden if we steward them well.

So when we care for Creation, we’re not just tending soil or saving bees. We are participating in the original purpose of humanity and preparing a sacred space for the King to return.

We’ve Forgotten We Were Gardeners First

We were never told to dominate the earth with greed, but to steward it with love. Genesis 1:28 uses the word "radah" (to rule), but Jewish commentators explain this as a gentle dominion, more like a shepherd than a tyrant.

In his book Nature’s Best Hope, Douglas Tallamy makes a compelling case for conservation that starts in your own yard—building native habitat, avoiding pesticides, and planting what sustains and truly supports local ecosystems.

Francis Schaeffer, a Christian theologian and philosopher, wrote Pollution and the Death of Man (1970), calling Christians to repent of environmental neglect. He argued that Christians should lead the way in caring for the environment because we believe in the sacredness of creation.

And I agree with him. We should be leading this charge, not lagging behind.

The Breath of God in Every Creature

Every creature, from the smallest ant to the soaring eagle, carries the breath of God.

Genesis 7:15 tells us that animals went into the ark with the “breath of life” in them. Psalm 104 describes how all living things look to God for their food and breath.

If animals are His handiwork, how can we say we love the Creator and disregard His creation? We show up in droves to football stadiums, but do we show up to plant trees, clean waterways, or protect endangered species?

Yeshua said the greatest commandment is to love God—and the second is like it: to love our neighbor. We can’t truly do either if we’re living lives that destroy the world our neighbors live in and the creation God called "very good."

How to Start Conserving Wherever You Live

You don’t need a farm. You don’t even need a backyard. Whether you live in an apartment with a balcony or own 10 acres, you can begin stewarding creation right where you are.

Here are some easy, practical steps:

1. Plant Native Species. Native plants support native insects, which feed native birds and wildlife. One oak tree can support over 500 species of caterpillars—crucial food for songbirds. (Tallamy, Nature’s Best Hope)

2. Avoid Pesticides and Herbicides. These chemicals don’t just kill weeds—they disrupt entire ecosystems, including beneficial insects, pollinators, and soil microbes. Choose organic or manual alternatives.

3. Compost Kitchen Scraps. This reduces landfill waste and builds nutrient-rich soil, which stores carbon and retains water.

4. Reduce Lawn Size. Grass lawns are ecological deserts. Replace part of your lawn with a wildflower patch, edible garden, or native shrubs.

5. Add a Water Source. A simple birdbath or shallow dish with pebbles can serve pollinators and birds alike.

6. Recycle & Reuse. Get creative. Use less. Buy secondhand. Avoid plastics. It all makes a difference.

7. Raise Your Kids to Care. Make conservation fun. Teach them to name plants. Count butterflies. Care for animals. Get on the ground and in the dirt to discover that life exists everywhere. Watch movies like Fern Gully and The Lorax together.

8. Take a Class. Click here to search for a Native Plant Society in your state. Take a class or even a certification. Google search Nature Centers in your area. (I just completed a Level 1 certificate class from the Native Plant Society of Texas for Native Landscaping!)

Participation over Perfection

No one can save the planet alone. But everyone can participate. If we each tend the “garden” God has placed us in—whether that’s a backyard, balcony, community park, or windowsill—we honor our original calling.

We live in a culture that idolizes productivity and speed. But God invites us back to slowness, tending, and presence. The kind of stewardship that looks up at the stars and says, “I know who made this—and I will care for it until He returns.”

Homes & Habitats

If Yeshua is truly coming back to this earth, shouldn’t we prepare it for His arrival?

Let our homes, our hearts, and our habitats reflect the kind of Kingdom He’s bringing. One that restores what was lost, heals what was broken, and brings us back to the Garden with God.

“Then ADONAI Elohim took the man and gave him rest in the Garden of Eden in order to cultivate and watch over it.” —Genesis 2:15

May you be found faithful, still tending the garden when He comes.