David's Sermons - Seeing God in Nature

Psalm 19 v 1-6

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

This passage takes a look at the skies around us, and marvels at them. How obvious it is that God exists, and how glorious He must be!

v1: We don't need to rely exclusively on the Bible to see God. The creator is evident in all aspects of His creation. This verse tells us how the skies are evidence of God's existence and His creative power. We can appreciate something of God's character by looking at the beauty and majesty of the skies. In fact in today's society where more and more time is spent indoors, it does one good to go outside, sit quietly watching the skies and appreciate something of what God really is.

v2: The heavens speak daily of God's great power and His artistic ability. The skies are no static piece of art which, once viewed, causes a lesser impression when viewed for a second time. They are always changing, showing off a new beauty every day, which we can never tire of watching.

v3-4a: The skies are universal, as God is universal. They clearly show His existence to all the world, from the centre of the Christian world to the land which has never heard God's Word proclaimed. This leaves no man with the excuse that they never knew God. It may be true that someone in a "Christian" country who has been brought up with the gospel commits a greater sin in rejecting God than the one in a far off land who has never heard of Jesus, but the world around us and our very natures within cry out God's existence. As Paul says in Romans 1 v 19- 20, God is evident in His creation so that man has no excuse in rejecting Him.

v4b-6: David compares the sun to a bridegroom, coming out in all his glory. It is interesting to note that the image of a bridegroom, rather than a bride, is used here, perhaps indicating the lower importance given to women at the time.

God's Care For His Creation

Psalm 65 v 5-13

By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

This psalm shows God's abundant blessing on us by reflecting on how He cares for nature. This portion starts in verse 6 by emphasizing God's power in His creation. It was He who created the mountains. Verse 7 talks about God's calming influence over His creation. He makes the world a pleasant place to be. Verse 8, as in Psalm 19, talks of how God is universal. He may have been God of the Jews, His chosen people, but He is also God over the rest of the world.

Verses 9-13 present a lovely picture of God's care for nature. He brings the rain to feed the crops to feed the people (v9). This theme of God bringing the rain continues in v10. We must remember how important the rain is to the Jewish people, who live in a hot, dry land. In verse 11 the harvest time is seen as a glorious part of the year, with God's blessing evident in His rich provision. In verse 12 the crops are shown as a direct blessing: "the little hills rejoice on every side".

The psalm finishes in verse 13 with a mention of God's provision in livestock as well as crops. The whole land cries out with happiness: nature sings for joy at the presence of the Lord. This psalm shows how closely God is involved in caring for what He has created, and the blessings he has for us.

God's Anger Seen in Nature

Psalm 18 v 7-15

Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

This psalm gives us quite a different picture of God, but again from nature. Here we see the wrath of God. We see how mighty and powerful He is. This is no picture of a cosy, benevolent, unquestioning God, but one who can be angry and, when made angry, truly a God to be feared.

The image we see here is of a volcano erupting - an awesome sight. There is so much pent up power in the volcano that the land around shakes (v7), then it erupts forth, spewing smoke, fire and burning rocks high into the air. God is shown appearing on the scene riding on clouds and on angels, using the wind to propel Him. Although we have here an angry God, He is still a God that is in control of His creation: His rule is absolute. The psalm continues by describing a thunderstorm, possibly that created by the volcano erupting, in which case the mention of dark rain clouds in verse 11 could be a pointer to rains of ash which often accompany a volcanic eruption.

The image of God firing lightning bolts down on those He is angry with is perhaps a cliched one, but provokes the thought of how powerful God really is, and how He does punish those who are against him.

God is Mightier than Nature

Psalm 93

The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

This psalm focuses on two parts of God's nature: His might and His stability. Both of these are expressed with metaphors based in nature.

v1: A declaration of God's royalty. He rules and is a fitting ruler, being clothed with a majestic quality. He is powerful and He cannot be moved. This verse compares the unyielding nature of the Earth to God's stability and steadfastness. No matter what damage man does to this Earth, it is very unlikely he will move it from its current orbit. In the same way, God is immovable, and a fitting foundation for our lives.

v2: Like the Earth, God has been around for a long time. Unlike the Earth, God has been around forever.

v3: Nature responds to God: the seas lift up and pound the land at His command. The seas cry out for the Lord and so often we don't see it. We think nature just runs its course, obeying some simple rules. How often do we think of the weather conditions around us being a direct result of the personality of God?

v4: The sea is a mighty force. Its waves can destroy the strongest sea wall; it erodes away the land year by year; its waters are often perilous to cross. Yet God is mightier than the sea. He is in control and is greater than all His creation.

v5: Just as God stands firm forever, so His holy law is eternal and unchanging. The law gives all men a standard by which they will be judged. No man can meet that standard, and so it is with gratefulness that we receive the grace which gives us power over and freedom from sin.

Conclusion

We have seen in these four extracts how the psalms use nature to give us a glimpse of the God who created all. We see in this glimpse that God is a personality: He is a loving, caring God who wants us to know Him intimately. He wants us to know about Him, even if we don't read our Bibles. He makes it clear that He is there. Yet He is not a God to be fooled with. If God's anger is provoked He is more frightening and awesome than the most destructive forces in nature. Truly He is a God to be feared.

Every one of us should occasionally take the time to go outside and contemplate God's creation. The wonders we see around us are just a taste of how glorious God really is.

Seeing God Through Nature

Introduction

The Heavens Declare God's Glory

God's Care For His Creation

God's Anger Seen in Nature

God is Mightier than Nature

Conclusion