At thy rebuke, as if they were made sensible that they were out of their place, they fled; they hasted away they called, and not in vain, to the rocks and mountains to cover them , as it is said on another occasion Ps. Even those fluid bodies received the impression of God's terror. But was the Lord displeased against the rivers? No; it was for the salvation of his people, Hab. So here; God rebuked the waters for man's sake, to prepare room for him; for men must not be made as the fishes of the sea Hab.
Immediately therefore, with all speed, the waters retired, v. They go over hill and dale as we say , go up by the mountains and down by the valleys; they will neither stop at the former nor lodge in the latter, but make the best of their way to the place which thou hast founded for them, and there they make their bed. Let the obsequiousness even of the unstable waters teach us obedience to the word and will of God; for shall man alone of all the creatures be obstinate?
Let their retiring to and resting in the place assigned them teach us to acquiesce in the disposals of that wise providence which appoints us the bounds of our habitation.
He keeps it within bounds, v. The waters are forbidden to pass over the limits set them; they may not, and therefore they do not, turn again to cover the earth. Once they did, in Noah's flood, because God bade them, but never since, because he forbids them, having promised not to drown the world again. God himself glorifies in this instance of his power Job , etc.
This, if duly considered, would keep the world in awe of the Lord and his goodness, That the waters of the sea would soon cover the earth if God did not restrain them. Psa Having given glory to God as the powerful protector of this earth, in saving it from being deluged, here he comes to acknowledge him as its bountiful benefactor, who provides conveniences for all the creatures.
He provides fresh water for their drink: He sends the springs into the valleys, v. There is water enough indeed in the sea, that is, enough to drown us, but not one drop to refresh us, be we ever so thirsty-it is all so salt; and therefore God has graciously provided water fit to drink.
Naturalists dispute about the origin of fountains; but, whatever are their second causes, here is their first cause; it is God that sends the springs into the brooks, which walk by easy steps between the hills, and receive increase from the rain-water that descends from them. These give drink, not only to man, and those creatures that are immediately useful to him, but to every beast of the field v.
Even the wild asses, though untameable and therefore of no use to man, are welcome to quench their thirst; and we have no reason to grudge it them, for we are better provided for, though born like the wild ass's colt.
We have reason to thank God for the plenty of fair water with which he has provided the habitable part of his earth, which otherwise would not be habitable. That ought to be reckoned a great mercy the want of which would be a great affliction; and the more common it is the greater mercy it is. Usus communis aquarum-water is common for all. He provides food convenient for them, both for man and beast: The heavens drop fatness; they hear the earth, but God hears them, Hos.
He waters the hills from his chambers v. The hills that are not watered by the rivers, as Egypt was by the Nile, are watered by the rain from heaven, which is called the river of God Ps.
Thus the earth is satisfied with the fruit of his works, either with the rain it drinks in the earth knows when it has enough; it is a pity that any man should not or with the products it brings forth. It is a satisfaction to the earth to bear the fruit of God's works for the benefit of man, for thus it answers the end of its creation.
The food which God brings forth out of the earth v. Observe how various and how valuable its products are. For the cattle there is grass, and the beasts of prey, that live not on grass, feed on those that do; for man there is herb, a better sort of grass and a dinner of herbs and roots is not to be despised ; nay, he is furnished with wine, and oil, and bread, v.
We may observe here, concerning our food, that which will help to make us both humble and thankful. To make us humble let us consider that we have a necessary dependence upon God for all the supports of this life we live upon alms; we are at his finding, for our own hands are not sufficient for us ,-that our food comes all out of the earth, to remind us whence we ourselves were taken and whither we must return,-and that therefore we must not think to live by bread alone, for that will feed the body only, but must look into the word of God for the meat that endures to eternal life.
Let us also consider that we are in this respect fellow-commoners with the beasts; the same earth, the same spot of ground, that brings grass for the cattle, brings corn for man. To make us thankful let us consider, [1. The cattle that are of use to man are particularly taken care of; grass is made to grow in great abundance for them, when the young lions, that are not for the service of man, often lack and suffer hunger. Having our habitation on the earth, there we have our storehouse, and depend not on the merchant-ships that bring food from afar, Prov.
First, Does nature call for something to support it, and repair its daily decays? Here is bread, which strengthens man's heart, and is therefore called the staff of life; let none who have that complain of want. Secondly, Does nature go further, and covet something pleasant?
Here is wine, that makes glad the heart, refreshes the spirits, and exhilarates them, when it is soberly and moderately used, that we may not only go through our business, but go through it cheerfully. It is a pity that that should be abused to overcharge the heart, and unfit men for their duty, which was given to revive their heart and quicken them in their duty.
Thirdly, Is nature yet more humoursome, and does it crave something for ornament too? Here is that also out of the earth- oil to make the face to shine, that the countenance may not only be cheerful but beautiful, and we may be the more acceptable to one another. Nay, the divine providence not only furnishes animals with their proper food, but vegetables also with theirs v. Even the cedars of Lebanon, an open forest, though they are high and bulky, and require a great deal of sap to feed them, have enough from the earth; they are trees which he has planted, and which therefore he will protect and provide for.
We may apply this to the trees of righteousness, which are the planting of the Lord, planted in his vineyard; these are full of sap, for what God plants he will water, and those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God, Ps. He takes care that they shall have suitable habitations to dwell in. To men God has given discretion to build for themselves and for the cattle that are serviceable to them; but there are some creatures which God more immediately provides a settlement for.
The birds. Some birds, by instinct, make their nests in the bushes near rivers v. They sing, according to their capacity, to the honour of their Creator and benefactor, and their singing may shame our silence. Our heavenly Father feeds them Mt. The birds being made to fly above the earth as we find, Gen.
Those that fly heavenward shall not want resting-places. The stork is particularly mentioned; the fir-trees, which are very high, are her house, her castle. The smaller sort of beasts v. Does God provide thus for the inferior creatures; and will he not himself be a refuge and dwelling-place to his own people? Psa We are here taught to praise and magnify God, I.
For the constant revolutions and succession of day and night, and the dominion of sun and moon over them. The heathen were so affected with the light and influence of the sun and moon, and their serviceableness to the earth, that they worshipped them as deities; and therefore the scripture takes all occasions to show that the gods they worshipped are the creatures and servants of the true God v.
The full and change, the increase and decrease, of the moon, exactly observe the appointment of the Creator; so does the sun, for he keeps as punctually to the time and place of his going down as if he were an intellectual being and knew what he did. God herein consults the comfort of man. The shadows of the evening befriend the repose of the night v. See how nearly allied those are to the disposition of the wild beasts who wait for the twilight Job and have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; and compare to this the danger of ignorance and melancholy, which are both as darkness to the soul; when, in either of those ways, it is night, then all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
Satan's temptations then assault us and have advantage against us. Then the young lions roar after their prey; and, as naturalists tell us, their roaring terrifies the timorous beasts so that they have not strength nor spirit to escape from them, which otherwise they might do, and so they become an easy prey to them. They are said to seek their meat from God, because it is not prepared for them by the care and forecast of man, but more immediately by the providence of God.
The roaring of the young lions, like the crying of the young ravens, is interpreted asking their meat of God. Does God put this construction upon the language of mere nature, even in venomous creatures? The light of the morning befriends the business of the day v. Therefore then man goes forth to his work and to his labour.
The beasts of prey creep forth with fear; man goes forth with boldness, as one that has dominion. The beasts creep forth to spoil and do mischief; man goes forth to work and do good. There is the work of every day, which is to be done in its day, which man must apply to every morning for the lights are set up for us to work by, not to play by and which he must stick to till evening; it will be time enough to rest when the night comes, in which no man can work.
For the replenishing of the ocean v. God made not the sea in vain, any more than the earth; he made it to be inherited, for there are things swimming innumerable, both small and great animals, which serve for man's dainty food. The whale is particularly mentioned in the history of the creation Gen.
He is made to play in the sea; he has nothing to do, as man has, who goes forth to his work; he has nothing to fear, as the beasts have, that lie down in their dens; and therefore he plays with the waters. It is a pity that any of the children of men, who have nobler powers and were made for nobler purposes, should live as if they were sent into the world, like leviathan into the waters, to play therein, spending all their time in pastime.
The leviathan is said to play in the waters, because he is so well armed against all assaults that he sets them at defiance and laughs at the shaking of a spear, Job For the seasonable and plentiful provision which is made for all the creatures, v.
God is a bountiful benefactor to them: He gives them their meat; he opens his hand and they are filled with good. He supports the armies both of heaven and earth. Even the meanest creatures are not below his cognizance. He is open-handed in the gifts of his bounty, and is a great and good housekeeper that provides for so large a family.
They are patient expectants from him: They all wait upon him. They seek their food, according to the natural instinct God has put into them and in the proper season for it, and affect not any other food, or at any other time, than nature has ordained. They do their part for the obtaining of it: what God gives them they gather, and expect not that Providence should put it into their mouths; and what they gather they are satisfied with- they are filled with good.
They desire no more than what God sees fit for them, which may shame our murmurings, and discontent, and dissatisfaction with our lot. For the absolute power and sovereign dominion which he has over all the creatures, by which every species is still continued, though the individuals of each are daily dying and dropping off.
See here, 1. All the creatures perishing v. Every creature has as necessary a dependence upon God's favours as every saint is sensible he has and therefore says with David Ps. God's displeasure against this lower world for the sin of man is the cause of all the vanity and burden which the whole creation groans under.
Thou takest away their breath, which is in thy hand, and then, and not till then, they die and return to their dust, to their first principles.
The spirit of the beast, which goes downward, is at God's command, as well as the spirit of a man, which goes upward. The death of cattle was one of the plagues of Egypt, and is particularly taken notice of in the drowning of the world. Beyond the inclusio , other common features link the two psalms. A striking number of verbal connections are also scattered throughout the two psalms. In the final canonical arrangement of the Psalter, where these psalms are placed back to back, it seems very likely that they are meant to stand together as Davidic psalms.
The omission of the inscription for Psalm may be for theological reasons, to link this psalm more closely with the previous one, revealing the continuity of theological themes between the two. In the discussion that follows, the author will be spoken of as the psalmist, although, for reasons stated above, this psalmist is probably David himself. Furthermore, the entire focus of the two compositions is completely different which will be discussed later.
Hence, even if the composer of Psalm , who is perhaps David, did know of the Egyptian hymn and borrow some of its phraseology, he pressed the imagery into the service of his own original composition, and the language he did borrow may well have been with polemical as well as aesthetic intent as argued later.
The same can be said for alleged parallels between Psalm and Ugaritic literature. Scholars have recognized this psalm as one of the most, if not the most, intricately and exquisitely crafted literary productions in the entire Psalter or perhaps anywhere else in literature.
The psalm is remarkable for the movement and vividness of the images that crowd into the picture of creation. In this respect it is probably unsurpassed in literature.
Someone has said that it would be worth studying Hebrew for ten years if as a result of that study the student could read this psalm in the original. Psalm not only contains a wealth of literary artistry but is composed with incredible theological depth. Here, rigorous thinking and rapturous wonder find a compelling convergence. The world, as grand and manifold as it is, is inscribed with coherence and conviviality.
If the Genesis creation narratives were written by Moses fifteenth century BC , as assumed in this study, [12] and if Psalm was written by David tenth century BC , as argued above, then Psalm is clearly dependent upon Genesis 1 through 3 and not vice versa. Following the order of creation as given in Genesis, he [the psalmist] shows how God, in successive stages, was preparing for the welfare and comfort of his creatures. The order of topics follows that of the original creation account, beginning with light and concluding with man.
Corresponding to the seven days it falls into seven groups. Jacques B. Thematically, the following outline emerges: [21]. Day Two: creation of Firmament, reference to the waters above Ps.
Day Three: appearance of the ground: formation of the earth plants Ps. Day Four: luminaries to indicate seasons and time Ps.
Day Five: first mention of animals in terms of creatures; [22] allusion to birds; [23] and reference to the sea and living beings in it Ps. Day Six: food for animals and humankind; gift of life by God for animals and humankind [24] Ps. Day Seven: glory of God; [25] allusion to the revelation on Sinai [26] Ps. Doukhan shows that there are also thematic connections between Psalm in the sections dealing with humankind and the second Genesis creation account Gen.
Terminologically, Doukhan points out how each of the seven sections of Psalm shares significant, common wording with the corresponding section of the Genesis creation narrative Gen. In his article on creation in the Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology , William Shea examines the correspondences between the creation week of Genesis —a and Psalm [29] and presents an outline similar to that of Doukhan and others.
The psalmist presents the creation account in dialogue with real life in the here and now. Our primary focus in what follows will be upon insights concerning ultimate origins and not creatio continua that emerge from this psalm. It is assumed that the psalmist not only penetrates the meaning of the Genesis creation narratives he interprets, but as a poet inspired by the Spirit, [32] he is also capable of supplying new insights into issues of origins that may not be found explicit, or at all, in the Genesis creation accounts.
Psalm provides an answer to the long-standing question about the source of the light on the first day of Creation: The light that surrounded the person of God provided light for the earth. Psalm b—4 describes the creation of the firmament, with focus upon the waters above separated from the waters below, described in the next section , corresponding to the second day of creation week Gen.
Psalm verses 5—18 correspond to the third day of creation week Gen. You [have] covered [Piel pf. The waters stood [lit. They fled at Your blast, rushed away at the sound of Your thunder,— mountains rising, valleys sinking—to the place You established for them. You set bounds they must not pass so that they never again cover the earth. Although the waters of the deep in Psalm are not mythologized as a chaos monster with whom Yhwh must struggle, nonetheless there is a hint of the tremendous power behind their waves as they envelop the earth.
Such language may actually constitute a polemic against Canaanite mythology of the Chaoskampf , affirming that Yhwh, unlike the storm god in the Canaanite combat myth, did not have to struggle to subdue the sea; the sea obeyed his voice!
According to verse 6, mountains existed under the surface of the watery deep, even in the unformed-unfilled condition of the earth described in Genesis But none of this movement was left to blind chance.
Everything was continually under perfect divine control. This section of Psalm , when viewed in the context of what precedes and what follows, has primary reference to the third day of creation and not to the Genesis flood. Other biblical references associate creation with the formation of mountains Prov.
Elsewhere there is evidence of this two stage creation within Genesis 1 and other Old Testament creation passages, such as Proverbs 8. These verses may, like previous ones in the psalm, also contain an implicit polemic against central tenets of Canaanite religion. Verses 14 through 17 move to a description of vegetation that was created on the third day of creation week.
God made fir trees for the storks to nest in, and he made storks to nest in the fir trees. He made high, inaccessible mountains for the wild goats to run and jump upon, and he made wild goats to do the jumping and cavorting.
He created the vast expanse of rock-covered earth in eastern Jordan for rock badgers to live and play in, and he created rock badgers for the rocks. Storks and goats and rock badgers do not serve mankind. They do what is appropriate to them, and God provided a place that is itself fulfilling its function when it ministers to the needs of its special creatures.
The next section of Psalm , verses 19 through 23, provides a poetic interpretation of the fourth day of creation week as described in Genesis — The psalmist also does not follow the order in which the celestial bodies are presented in Genesis 1.
In the verses that follow, it is the night that is first described vv. Although the composer of Psalm is selective in his use of materials from the Genesis creation accounts, it does not appear accidental or arbitrary that he omits any reference to the stars when dealing with the creation on the fourth day. As has been pointed out elsewhere, [56] the grammatical structure of Genesis implies that the stars were not created on the fourth day but already existed before the commencement of creation week.
By not mentioning the stars in this section of the psalm, the poet seems to lend further support to that conclusion. As will be pointed out below, this psalm not only follows the sequence of the days of creation but also reveals a chiastic symmetry among these days.
In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions. While verse 24 is the central verse in the psalm, pointing both backward and forward, at the same time it has language that may be linked specifically to day five of creation and beyond. Psalm verses 24—26 focus on the fifth day of creation week in Genesis 1, during which God made the birds of the air and the inhabitants of the sea Gen. The creation of the birds is not explicitly mentioned in this section, perhaps because they have already been referred to twice in connection with the description of the purpose of the vegetation of the third day Ps.
This is common practice in Hebrew poetry. The main emphasis of this section is upon the creatures of the sea. Verse 25 constitutes the longest metrical line of the psalm, the only one that may be scanned with the unusually long metrical count of The psalmist, describing the ongoing benefits of creation week, does not hesitate to fill in the picture of the teeming life in the sea by noting the movement of the ships.
In the next breath, the psalmist describes the sea creature Leviathan v. Although elsewhere in Scripture Leviathan is described in terms that are likely redeployed from ancient Near East mythology—as a rebellious sea monster that has to be conquered and destroyed by God see Ps. Here, we have allusion to a theology of divine play, [67] which is further elaborated upon in Proverbs 8, with Wisdom the Son of God mediating between creatures and Yhwh in their joyous play!
You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied [as in v. While Genesis 1 gives special place to humans in the creation account as having dominion over the animals, and other psalms such as Ps. All are ultimately dependent upon God for their life and sustenance.
In His ongoing providential care for His creation, God continues to renew Heb. As we have noted above, numerous scholars have recognized that Psalm follows the same basic order as the six days of creation in Genesis 1.
What is surprising about the analysis of these scholars, however, is not what is said but what is overlooked! Kidner, H. Leupold, and others point out the development of thought in Psalm —30 that so closely parallels the six consecutive days of creation in Genesis 1. But in the commentary on the final verses of the psalm vv.
If the first thirty verses of Psalm have a clear parallel, section by section, with the sequence of the six days of creation, why is there little recognition of the possibility that the last section of Psalm might parallel the seventh day of creation, the Sabbath? Fortunately, what has been largely, if not entirely, overlooked by many recent commentators has been recognized and emphasized in that classic nineteenth-century Old Testament commentary by Delitzsch.
When the Psalmist wishes that God may have joy in His works of creation, and seeks on his part to please God and to have his joy in God, he is also warranted in wishing that those who take pleasure in wickedness, and instead of giving God joy excite His wrath, may be removed from the earth.
The link between the final stanza of Psalm and the Sabbath of Genesis —4 is finally receiving some attention in more recent scholarship. Two Seventh-day Adventist scholars have called special attention to the Sabbath allusion in Psalm — In his doctoral dissertation, Doukhan points out the thematic and terminological parallels between Genesis —a and Psalm , as cited above. Doukhan also points to the fact that both the introduction and conclusion of Psalm vv.
The other Adventist scholar to call particular attention to the Sabbath allusion in Psalm is Shea. Shea elaborates on the parallel between the seventh day of creation week and the final verses of Psalm In Genesis the account of Creation week goes on to describe the seventh day.
The psalm has something similar. They became rivers and seas when God shouted at them, verses The burning fires in verse 4 maybe lightning, that lights up the sky in a great storm. Poetry is a special way to use words.
The first part and the second part of verse 7 mean the same thing. Thunder is the loud noise we hear in the sky in a great storm. Jews are people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children. So, "when you shouted they ran away" and "at the sound of your thunder they fled" both mean the same! We do not know where heaven, the home of God, really is. But we believe that it is somewhere. In verse 9, we read "never again will the waters cover the earth".
Some Bible students think that this is about Noah's Flood, when waters covered the earth. They did cover the earth when they came from above the skies. They are not there any more, but in the rivers and seas.
This is good news when many people are afraid of "global warming". This means that the earth a ball or globe is getting hotter, so the ice will become water and flood cover with water the earth. He knew what God had told Noah in Genesis "There will never be another flood to destroy the earth". You make the rivers go between the hills. The earth is happy with the results of what you do. And you make plants grow that people can use. They are the cedar trees in Lebanon, which he planted.
The sun knows when to go down. They look for the food that God gives to them. There they lie down. They work until it is evening. But he did not go away and leave it. The next part of the psalm, verses , tells us that he stayed with it.
He still makes sure that everything happens as he wants it to. In other words, he takes care of everything. As Paul wrote, "By him everything continues to stay alive", Colossians Water comes out of the ground springs and goes into streams and rivers. These give water to wild animals and birds, verses The donkeys in verse 11 are like small horses. Many people have them to carry things but, in verse 11, they are wild donkeys.
Verse 13 goes back to the picture of the world that God made. He is still pouring water on to the mountains from above the skies!
Now we know that rain comes from the sea. It is God that makes the plants to grow. Men and animals use these plants for food, verses 14 - The oil in verse 15 is not the oil we use in cars. It is from a fruit called the olive. It helps people to have good health, so that their faces shine. He makes the tree to grow. Birds make their homes or nests in them.
The stork is a big bird with long legs, long neck and long beak. The mountains, hills and rocks near them are homes for other animals, such as wild goats and rabbits, verses
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