4. Silence? Not! Nature is Noisy with Praise after Creation

4. Silence? Not! Nature is Noisy with Praise after Creation.

”For you shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap (macha) their hands…”  (Isaiah 55:12); “Let the rivers clap (macha) their hands! Let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord! (Psalm 98:8).

“Macha” – A Hebrew praise word that means to clap, to strike your hands together. This term of worship occurs only twice in the Hebrew Bible, in Psalm 98:8 and Isaiah 55:12, and both passages reveal nature in the midst of noisily worshiping God. The Jewish worshipers were so intent on God receiving praise that they delightfully invited all of nature to worship Him! They, with their fertile imaginations, imagined that creation itself, God’s handiwork, is able to praise their Maker. Who’s to say they are wrong?

The Electrons are Dancing! Atoms, the building blocks of all created matter on the earth, are all comprised of impossibly small particles that have synchronized movement. They have an innate knowledge that enables them to cooperate in a natural “dance.” God created them with the ability to move together faster than the speed of light. Electrons move so fast that an electron could race around the earth in eighteen seconds. Scientists have discovered that each atom is “extremely turbulent,” that these particles in the atom “move and interact endlessly.” Surprisingly, these particles all seem to “vibrate coherently.” This discovery of coordinated movement in the atoms suggests that there may be a mysterious intuitive consciousness even at the cellular level in all of creation. Evidently, even inanimate objects have movement and are animate at that basic level.

The great Christian novelist Flannery O’Connor once suggested that we need to discover “a way of reading nature which includes the most possibilities.” Might any of these statements be among those “possibilities”?

(1.) The movement at the cellular level is a form of creaturely self-expression; this “self” is foreign to human experience or knowledge;

(2.) The synchronized movement of the electrons and protons are their form of dancing, of rejoicing, of being expressive according to the way God created them;

(3.) Each cellular particle of every part of creation is vibrating with joy in praise of their Creator, rejoicing in its own existence, and dancing to God’s rhythm;

(4.) All of creation has been blessed to have its own relationship with God; each creature has its own unique way of communicating with God, even at the level of the atom’s inner particles; nature has its own “language” that God can understand;

(5.) Since all of creation is able to “groan” (Romans 8:19-22) under the fall’s curse, creation is thus able to rejoice, now and with the future restoration;

(6.) God’s creation is mysterious to humans to the point that it contains elements that are at the same time fact and symbol, reality and imagination, flights of natural fancy that are so elegant and “perfect” that they must be true;

(7.) Trees are clapping their hands at the subatomic level, expressing joy in their own way, unbeknownst to humans; trees clapping and mountains singing are a “living reality” according to Christian poet and scientist Virginia Stem Owens;

(8.) The following may be literally true, and not a mere metaphor, or picturesque language, or poetic license:

1. “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ Let the sea roar and all its fullness; let the field rejoice, and all that is in it. Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth.”  (1 Chronicles 16:31-33).
2. “You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance. They drip on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, and they also sing.” (Psalm 65:11-13).
3. “Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout for joy, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Israel and glorified Himself in Zion!” (Isaiah 44:23).
4. “The beast of the field will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:20).
5. “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him from the skies! Praise Him, all the armies of heaven! Praise Him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! Praise him, skies above! Praise Him, vapors high above the clouds! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued His command, and they came into being. He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked…”(Psalm 148:1-6);
6. “Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey Him, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and young women, old men and children…”(Ps. 148:7-12);
7. “Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For His name is very great; His glory towers over the earth and heaven!” (Psalm 148:13).

The Scripture seems to take seriously the idea that all creation is able to rejoice, to praise God and worship Him, from the smallest creature to the kings of the earth. As author and writing Professor Laurel Lee once wrote, “Some things have to be believed to be seen.”

“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; Let the sea resound, and all that is in it! Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; Let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord!” (Psalm 96:11-13).

Loud Speech Without Words. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim His handiwork. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”  (Psalm 19:1-4).

Our Noisy Natural World. According to David, creation has a voice that speaks without words. Creation has its own language, a unique way of communicating truth about its Maker. In Psalm 19 we find David extolling the greatness and splendor of God’s handiwork in the heavens. Can you imagine what David would say now, with what we have discovered in the modern era? Back when he wrote that psalm, the entire universe consisted of what they could see in the skies, the vast galaxy that we have named the Milky Way. They thought back in David’s time that their sight captured the whole universe. What would he say now? Our Milky Way galaxy is just one of billions of galaxies! In our galaxy alone there at least 100 billion stars with their orbiting planets. David saw one galaxy and declared the greatness of God, and now there are billions. We have come to discover the unthinkable vastness of God’s creation in the skies above us, and we still haven’t reached the end of it. The heavens do indeed proclaim God’s glory, the weighty splendor of His presence in the world. In the Scripture, all the stars point to a Star-Maker, the planets to a Planet-Maker, the universe to a Universe-Maker.

Creation Has Kept Its Voice. And creation hasn’t lost its voice. It continues to speak to us every day and every night of God’s powerful existence, of His unimaginable craftsmanship. They tell us in very noisy wordless speech. The skies display so many things… His character, His beauty, even His righteousness. “The heavens proclaim the Lord’s righteousness; every nation sees His  glory.” (Ps. 97:6). Creation has its own nonverbal language. Creation-talk speaks volumes of unspoken truth about the unlimited power of God’s creativity. To a believer, nature is a sacred book that speaks of God’s intelligence, His imagination, His miraculous attention to detail, His sheer perfection. As Eugene Peterson suggests, it’s as if God’s glory is on a personal tour. The scientists continue to exclaim that, as vast as it is, the universe is still expanding. Creation continues. Is God personally stretching out the heavens like a farmer casts his seeds, or did He create a system that is able to expand itself? Either way, God’s creative ability is beyond comprehension. And the skies continue to declare His splendor and greatness. Without words, God’s creation is speaking loud and clear for all the world to see and understand. With our eyes wide open, His glory is on magisterial display.

Excellent! “Yahweh Lord takes pleasure in all He has made!” (Ps. 104:31). An artist with high standards always delights in his/her masterpiece. A composer always takes great pleasure in his/her best piece of music. An architect is profoundly pleased when the finished product is every bit as excellent as what was in his/her imagination. An author is delighted when his/her written piece exceeded expectations. God created an astounding universe, so complex and beautiful that it is world’s away from human comprehension. And what did Creator God do after His six days of creative work? “Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good!” (Genesis 1:31). The Lord took stock of His creation, and was supremely pleased with His handiwork. He took great pleasure in looking it all over when finished. He delighted in the finished product of His efforts. God didn’t say “good enough,” He didn’t even say “good” when He was completed with creation. God said, “Very Good!” The Hebrew word actually means, “Excellent! Beautiful! Just what I was hoping for!’ In fact, He was so completely satisfied with His creation that He took the next day off to celebrate it.

Creation Sings and Shouts. Many have said that the cosmos is God’s playground. It certainly looks it when God took delightful pleasure with Job when He recounted various aspects of His creation in Job 38-41. God was obviously pleased with His handiwork as He celebrates the cornerstone of the earth, its foundations, and when the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted for joy. Those were precious memories for God as He recounted the initial stages of His creative work.

Job was in awe as God delighted in the boundaries of the seas, and the rising of the dawn. He took pleasure in the origins of light and the hidden storehouse of snow and hail. God was pleased by the source of the east wind, the path of lightning, the tender grass springing up in the parched ground after a satisfying rain.

Job was suitably silenced as God delighted in the movement of the stars and planets, the path of the constellations through the seasons. God celebrated the hunting skill of the lioness, the birthing of wild goats and deer. God took pleasure as He talked about the freedom of the wild donkey and the wild ox.

Job heard loud and clear that God wasn’t done with marveling joyfully at some of His creatures. He was pleased at the antics of the ostrich, the strength and courage of the horse. God celebrated the soaring hawk, the majesty of the eagle. God even mentioned some mysterious creatures call the Behemoth and the Leviathan, which could be ancient and powerful monsters of the deep.

Job must have been convinced… God loves his creation, He delights in it, He celebrates it. And there is nothing that could match God’s power and skill and creative genius, an incomparable genius beyond all human genius. God’s creativity is the source of man’s creativity, and comes from a whole different place, an eternal place, a perfect place. God’s creativity is perfectly genius. The fact is that the Lord indeed takes eternal pleasure in all his works. As Augustine said in his Confessions, “The life of God is simultaneously work and rest, because all God does, working and resting, He does with the majestic ease of play.” 

Creation Joy. There is an overwhelming sense of delight in Proverbs 8 as the Holy Trinity works together on the creation project. There is joy in the heart of God as the Three-in-One cooperate in creating the world. Isn’t it wonderful to know that our existence, the existence of the world, brings pleasure to our God? God’s will resulted in the creation of this spectacular world, He clearly delighted in the process of creating the universe, and there are plenty of Scripture  passages that highlight that fact:

1. “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and stars you set in place – what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority – the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!” (Psalm 8:3-9);
2. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.” (Psalm 19:1-6);
3. “O Lord, what an amazing variety of all you have created! Wild and wonderful is this world you have made, while Wisdom was there at your side. This world is full of so many creatures, yet each belongs to you! And there is the sea! So vast! So wide and deep – swarming with countless forms of sea life, both small and great.” (Psalm 104:24-25);
4. “How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in Him should ponder them. Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember His wonderful works! How gracious and merciful is our Lord!” (Psalm 111:2-4);
5. “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born!” (Psalm 139:13-16);
6. “Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and fitting! He sets His stars in place, calling them all by their names. How great is our God! There’s absolutely nothing His power cannot accomplish, and He has infinite understanding of everything. He fills the sky with clouds, sending showers to water the earth, so that the grass springs up on the mountain fields and the earth produces food for man. All the birds and beasts who cry with hunger to Him are fed from His hands. He sends out His orders throughout the world; His words run as swift messengers, bringing them to pass. He blankets the earth with glistening snow, painting the landscape with frost. Sleet and hail fall from the sky, causing waters to freeze before winter’s icy blast. Then He speaks His word and it all melts away; as the warm spring winds blow, the streams begin to flow.”  (Psalm 147:1,4-5,8-9,16-18);
7. “By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding He created the heavens. By His knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.” (Proverbs 3:19-20);
8. “God made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, spread out the sky by His understanding. When He thunders, the waters in heaven roar, He raises clouds from the ends of the earth, He makes the lightning flash in the rain and brings the wind out from His storehouses. He is the Creator of everything that exists.”  (Jeremiah 10:12-16);

God Delights in Each of Us. When we happily consider how the Godhead rejoiced over creation in a celebration of His will, and how Wisdom Himself delighted in the creation of mankind, we can easily see how human life is precious and sacred in His sight. We were created in joy by God to have a relationship with Him. One can appreciate that God is a Seeker-Savior who delights in our existence, that He rejoices over every person created, then and now. We can easily imagine, and should be encouraged by, the Lord’s promise to us… “The Lord your God will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with the singing of joyful songs.” (Zeph. 3:17).