Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

• “You send rain on the mountains from the your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause the grass to grow for the cattle. You cause plants to grow for people to use.” (13,14) Every environment on earth displays the glory of God by its plant and animal life. Jesus tells us that God cares about us far more than they: “And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? (Mt. 6:30) • “You allow them to produce food from the earth– wine to make them glad, olive oil as lotion for their skin, and bread to give them strength.” (14,15) The three foods represented here are the most basic and common for the human body. Jesus takes the bread and wine and transforms them into a meal for remembering his eternal sacrifice: “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Mt. 22:19) • “The trees of the Lord are well cared for–the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the firs. High in the mountains are pastures for the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for rock badgers.” (16-17) These verses show us that God is im- manent, actively present in the sustenance of his creation. He has personally planted the cedars of Lebanon implying he has directed where the various trees of the earth will flourish. Jesus uses the im- agery of trees to illustrate the Kingdom of God: “It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches.” (Mt. 13:32) Jesus also uses the wild nature of the goat to describe the untamable nature of sinful mankind: “All the nations will be gathered in his presence, he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Mt. 25:32) • “You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun that knows when to set.” (19) The reli- gious calendar of the Jews was determined by the cycle of the moon. The moon is mentioned first be- cause God measures each ‘day’ as starting the previous night. Jesus said the moon will mark the season of his return: “…the moon will not give light,…and the powers of heaven will be shaken.” (Mt. 24:19) • “You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. Then the young lions roar for their food, but they are dependent on God. At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. Then people go off to their work; they labor until the evening shadows fall again.” (20-23) The description of the night activity of the animal kingdom paints a picture of the spiritual darkness mankind experiences without Christ. “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness.” (Jn. 12:46) The devil is likened to the roaring lion de- picted in this psalm: “He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.” (James 5:8) Man is distinguished from the animal kingdom by the fact that he works for his food. Once a curse, work has become a blessing to the believer in Christ. IV WHEN TO SET - 19-23 Day 4- The Moon and Sun Created Every animal, from insect to mammal reveals the depths of God’s intelligence. He designed each of them to adapt to their environment and gifted them with special abilities that lead us to understand and glorify the creator. • Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both great and small. See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.”(25, 26) Jesus used fishing ex- tensively in his teaching and illustration of the kingdom of God. Four of his twelve apostles were fisher- men and he called them by saying: “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Mt. 4:19) Some of the most important events in his ministry took place in “ships sailing along” ; he taught from a boat on the shores of Galilee, calmed the storm from a ship and walked on water. ‘The “Leviathan” in the Book of Job, is the crocodile, but in this passage it is the name of the whale 2 .’ Jesus used the great fish found in the story of Jonah as a sign predicting his death and resurrection: “For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish (Leviathan) for three days and three nights, so I the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.”(Mt. 12:40) One translation of this passage in the psalms shows that God made the Leviathan (the whale) that he might play with him in the seas! ‘ Which you have made to play with him 3 .’ One of the original purposes of the animals was to be the companions of mankind. V VAST AND WIDE - 24-26 Day 5- Life in the Oceans and Skies Created “O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.” (24)

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