Psalm 114 Devotional
by Pastor Mark Hudson

This brief Psalm is a rather fun, poetic Psalm, best read enjoyably following the author’s lead.  The message is clear, and the Psalms offers an amusing path to get to that message. Kidner begins his comments on this Psalm with the following, “A fierce delight and pride in the great march of God gleams through every line of this little poem – a masterpiece whose flights of verbal fancy would have excluded it from any hymn book but this”  (Kidner, Vol 2, p. 402-403.)

In the first two verses, God is not mentioned explicitly.  God is referenced with “his” sanctuary and “his” dominion in verse 2.  Then as we read verses 3-4 and 5-6, we become aware of the crescendo and building up of suspense (Allen, Word Commentary vol 21, p. 105).  This undoubtable refers to the exodus when they “went out from Egypt”  and left their foreign taskmasters.  The strangeness and sense of oppression by enemies is found in the phrase, “a people of strange language.”  In that act, Judah or Israel become closely connected and cared for by God.

In verse 3-4, creation is responding and reacting to God, though again, He is not named.  As Allen writes, God’s power is so astounding and earthshattering that “it routed the sea, made the Jordan turn tail and caused solid mountains to leap into the air like startled lambs!”  (Allen, Ibid.).  Kidner says the psalm “shows us the scurrying and excitement set up by the Creator’s arrival with his earthly court: sea and river falling over themselves, so to speak, to make way for Him, mountains and hills no longer aloof and majestic but all animated and agog”  (Kidner p. 403).

In verses 5-6, Allen’s paragraph is exquisite, “The poet pauses over the scene in vs. 5-6, savoring it and deliberately delaying his eventual disclosure.  He revels in these past events, pretending not to know, so that its wonder may shine out afresh.   . . . the psalmist puts himself in the past and makes the worshippers feel themselves there, as if it had all just happened.  He addresses the participants rhetorically in mock astonishment to discover the secrets of their consternation”  (Allen, p. 105).

Now for the “grand denouement” (final act of a play) as Allen puts it, we read what we know was coming all the time.  Now, God, in His majestic power, working all things together for the good of His people and His own glory is disclosed.  The reason for the earth shaking and trembling is this great and glorious God who does glorious things for His own.

Trembling at the presence of the Lord is a commensurate response.  If you consider what God did in the Exodus, what He did in creation, and what He does in terms of providence, no wonder the earth trembles.  God in His providence cares for His people.  Here is the Westminster Confession of Faith’s definition of providence, 5:1. God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

I like both.  I like the poetic expression of the Psalmist which evokes something different than the confession.  Yet, I also like the clarity and how expansive the definition is in the Confession.  Both together appeal to our right and left brain.  So, we ought to be thankful for Psalms like those that say mountains skip and seas flee.  And we can be grateful for manmade Confession that assist our worship as well.  Without His power, His providence would just something we could hope for.  With it, providence is a sure and certain grace.

Lord, we love all the genres of your Word.  We love the law, narrative, wisdom, parables, epistles, and of course the Psalms.  Help us to read Psalms in the right way and the epistles in a different way.  Open vistas of Your grace to us by illuminating our minds by the power of Your Spirit.  We love Your power, Your providence, and all You accomplished in our salvation.  We will grow only deeper in our appreciation of Your love in heaven.  O, what joy awaits us there.  And what joy You provide us in this life.