The Majesty of God Expressed in the book of Psalms

As stated in an earlier post concerning Job, we found that some of the most beautiful passages concerning God's creation is found in Job 26:7-14

⁷ He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
⁸ He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds are not broken under it.
⁹ He covers the face of His throne,
And spreads His cloud over it.
¹⁰ He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,
At the boundary of light and darkness.
¹¹ The pillars of heaven tremble,
And are astonished at His rebuke.
¹² He stirs up the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He breaks up the storm.
¹³ By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
¹⁴ Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?”


Although Job suffered tremendously and even questioned God about his trials, Job was still able to see the majesty of God evidenced in the creation. Likewise the writers of Psalms could look to God's creation as proof of His majestic nature. Seventy-three of the 150 Psalms are attributed to David. Some were written after he became king, but many were written during his own trials, especially when he was running for his life. I Samuel chapters 18 through 30 describe the threat on David's life from King Saul. Like us, David had need for God's protection, provision, and favor, yet he could look to the Creator of the universe and still see God's supreme power. In spite of being the strong and mighty God, Creator of the universe and everything in it,  God still cares for man and is concerned about our day to day circumstances. In awe, David asked (in Psalms 8:4) "What is man that you are mindful of him.?"

The answer lies in the first chapter of Genesis. After God created the world, the trees, the plants, and the animals, Genesis 1:25 states, "...God saw that it was good." But after God added man according to His image and His likeness (verse 26,) Genesis 1:31 says, "...Then God saw that everything He had made, and indeed it was very good." We are His most precious creation. Psalms 100:3 says,

³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

We are His people. Knowing we would be tempted to go astray, He even provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him through the atoning sacrifice of His Son. Ephesians 1:4 says, "...He chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world."

Throughout the book of Psalms, we see the non-human parts of His creation praising Him:

Psalms 19:1 tells us, "The heavens declare the glory of God..."
Psalms 96: 11-12 tell us, "Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad...Let the field be joyful.."
Psalms 97:6 says, "...the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD."
Psalms 98: 8 goes on to say, "Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the hills be joyful together..."

If the trees and the rivers praise the LORD, I will certainly praise the LORD. I have desperate need for God's protection, provision, and favor, but like Job and like David, I will look to God's marvelous creation and give Him the praise, just for His majesty. Examples taken from the book of Psalms detailing God's awesome works are detailed below: Psalms chapter 104 elaborates not only on how God designed the universe but how He maintains it, even providing food for us and oil for our skin. What an awesome God!



Psalms 8:3-4
³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?


Psalms 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.


Psalms 24: 1-2
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
² For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters.


Psalms 33:6
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.


Psalms 65:8-13
⁸ They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

⁹ You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
¹⁰ You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

¹¹ You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
¹² They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
¹³ The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

 

 

Psalms 95:4-5

 ⁴ In His hand are the deep places of the earth;

The heights of the hills are His also.
⁵ The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.

 

 

Psalms 96:11-12

 ¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
¹² Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.

Psalms 97:6
⁶ The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples see His glory.

Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.

 

  

 

Psalms 98:7-8

 ⁷ Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord,

 

 

Psalms 104 5:24

 ⁵ You placed the world on its foundation
so it would never be moved.
⁶ You clothed the earth with floods of water,
water that covered even the mountains.
⁷ At your command, the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
⁸ Mountains rose and valleys sank
to the levels you decreed.
⁹ Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
so they would never again cover the earth.

¹⁰ You make springs pour water into the ravines,
so streams gush down from the mountains.
¹¹ They provide water for all the animals,
and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² The birds nest beside the streams
and sing among the branches of the trees.
¹³ You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
¹⁴ You cause grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth—
¹⁵ wine to make them glad,
olive oil to soothe their skin,
and bread to give them strength.
¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are well cared for—
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
¹⁷ There the birds make their nests,
and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.
¹⁸ High in the mountains live the wild goats,
and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.^[b]

¹⁹ You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.
²⁰ You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals prowl about.
²¹ Then the young lions roar for their prey,
stalking the food provided by God.
²² At dawn they slink back
into their dens to rest.
²³ Then people go off to their work,
where they labor until evening.

²⁴ O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small.

Psalms 147:4

⁴ He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.

 

"If there is hope for a tree, what about me?" A Sermon by Pastor D'Hati T. Burgess July 5, 2012.

Job 14  New King James Version (NKJV)

“Man who is born of woman

Is of few days and full of trouble.
² He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
³ And do You open Your eyes on such a one,
And bring me to judgment with Yourself?
⁴ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one!
⁵ Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
⁶ Look away from him that he may rest,
Till like a hired man he finishes his day.

⁷ “For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
⁸ Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
⁹ Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.

 

Job continued this discourse, lamenting that even though there is "hope for a tree," it appeared that there was no hope for man. In fact he began this discourse in verse 1 pointing out that life is short and full of trouble. Of course, we know by reading the end of Job's story, that Job was delivered from his troubles and there is hope for man.

 

Pastor Burgess pointed out that "temporary trouble is only for permanent improvement!"

 

In this message that there are many commonalities between man and trees:

 

Both need oxygen.

 

Both can stand upright.

 

Both have circulation.

 

Both reproduce.

 

Both grow.

 

The main commonalities are what takes place under the surface: Trees are rooted and grounded under the surface of the earth. We are rooted and grounded in the things that are of God.

 

Pastor Burgess ended his sermon by pointing out that, The cross that Jesus died on came from a tree! Our healing came from a tree over 2000 years ago! Our salvation came from the cross!

 

Pastor Burgess is not a long-winded preacher. Knowing that people can only absorb but so much in one sitting, he encourgages the congregation to read more on their own at home. In my reading, I found more in God's word concerning how God does liken man to a tree. One of my favorite passages is from Psalms 1:

 

1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
² But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
³ He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

 

Job, in Job 14:9, said that, "at the scent of water, a tree would bud and bring forth branches like a plant." What if our "water" is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God? Wouldn't we also bud and bring forth branches? Notice that Psalms 1:3 says "planted by the rivers of water." This indicates a deliberate planting. These are not trees just growing in the wild, they (we) are trees that are being nurtured! We're planted by rivers (plural) of water. Even if one source dried up, another would take its place!

 

David wrote in Psalms 52:8, " But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever."

 

 

Psalsms 92: 12-14 tells us:

 

 ¹² The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
¹³ Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,

 

Psalms 92:13 says we are "planted in the house of the Lord," then we'll flourish outside in the courts!

The nurturing and the watering that we receive in the sanctuary will be evident when we're about our daily tasks.

 

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 tells us:

 

⁷ “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear^[b] when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

 

We don't have to fear when the pressures of life come against us and we don't have to be anxious in the years of drought. There is hope for a tree and there is hope for us!

 

 

 

 

 

"The Perfect Storm" A Sermon by Pastor Burgess Jan. 29, 2012

Pastor Burgess based this sermon on Matthew 14. He pointed out that the book of Matthew shows how God took twelve ordinary men and used them to become extraordinary. Amazingly, one of these men was Judas! The Lord chose the twelve. They didn't choose each other, therefore the other eleven disciples had no choice but to be in a relationship with Judas.

The portion of this chapter Pastor Burgess dealt with begins at verse 22: "And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship." The disciples were obedient and ran right into a storm. Just because you're obedient doesn't mean that you'll have smooth sailing. It's just a matter of time before your storm will cease. Jesus knew that there was trouble ahead but he still sent his disciples into it. If the Lord sends you in a certain direction, there must be a reason up ahead.

God is in charge of the storm! Stop trying to use human skill to solve things you can't do anything about.

When Jesus walked on water towards the boat, at first the disciples didn't know who it was. In verse 28, Peter said, "If it is you, bid me come."

Just because Jesus came, it doesn't mean that the storm stopped. According to verse 30, "When he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous he was afraid and he started to sink. That's when he said, "Lord, save me!" Verse 31 tells us that "Immediately, Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him."

After all of the commotion, verse 32 tells us, "And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." The wind didn't cease while they were walking. The storm ceased when Jesus got Peter to his destination.