Day 189: Good News for Green Thumbs (2 Chronicles 26:10)

“He had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.”
—2 Chronicles 26:10 (ESV)

Through the Bible: 2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 26

Throughout Scripture, we’re repeatedly called to love God, God’s Word, and God’s people (see Deut. 6:5; Ps. 119:97; John 13:34–35). Loving God’s wisdom and righteousness is also commended.

But whenever Scripture speaks of loving anything else, it’s usually a warning.

• Achan loved the treasure hidden beneath his tent more than he loved obedience (Joshua 7).
• Solomon loved many foreign women, and they turned his heart away from the Lord (1 Kings 11:1-4).
• Demas loved this present world and deserted Paul (2 Timothy 4:10).
• Others loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19) or the praise of man more than the praise of God (John 12:43).

Knowing all this makes a tiny little aside in 2 Chronicles stick out like— well, like a green thumb:

“He loved the soil” (v 10).

The Hebrew word is ’ahav—the ordinary Old Testament word for love. It’s the same word used for loving God, your neighbor, and your spouse. The Chronicler doesn’t say Uzziah merely worked the soil or managed the soil. He says he loved it.

As far as I can tell, this is the only place in Scripture where someone is explicitly said to love a created thing, and that love is presented positively.

Why?

Because Uzziah wasn’t worshiping the land. He was stewarding it.

God placed Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Before there were cities to build or nations to govern, there was a garden to cultivate. Caring for creation has always been part of humanity’s God-given calling.

Whether you farm hundreds of acres, tend a backyard garden, grow tomatoes in a raised bed, or simply smile when your hydrangeas bloom, you’re participating in something God declared good.

I love that little detail (Oops. That just slipped out).

Maybe that’s the point. Loving the soil isn’t a rival to loving God when it’s an expression of loving the God who made it. Sometimes a green thumb is simply gratitude with dirt under its fingernails.

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