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.