Praising God as Creator with
Psalm 104:
Rev. T. Adama A. Sihite[2]
Introduction
The word ‘psalm’ and ‘psalter’ are from the Latin ‘psalmi’ and ‘psalterium’
which are derived from the Greek psalmoi
and psaltẽrion. Apparently this
translation translates the Hebrew word ‘mizmor’
which is usually taken to mean “a religious song accompanied by stringed
instrument(s)’[3]
In the Hebrew Bible the title of the Book of Psalms is sẽper tehilίm or the book of praise although not all
psalms are praises. This term is a fitting name for the Psalter as whole
because the theme of praise and thanksgiving recurs again and again.[4] The
Hebrew Bible is divided into three parts: the Law, the Prophets and the
Writings. The Book of Psalms belongs to the Writing.[5]
According to German scholar, H. Gunkel, there are five types of psalms:
hymns (Heb. tehillά. Psalm
8, 19a, 29, 33, 46-48, 65, 66a, 76, 84, 87, 93, 95-100, 103-104, 11, 113-114,
117, 122, 134-136 and 145-150), communal laments (Psalms 60, 80, 126), royal
psalms (Psalms 2, 18, 20, 45, 110, 110), individual laments (Psalms 3-7, 22,
25-28, 51, 54-57, 139-143) and individual thanksgiving (Psalms 30, 32, 34, 41,
116 and 138).[6]
And in addition to these five major
types, Gunkel also recognized the existence of a number of other types. These
include the communal thanksgiving
(Psalm 124), the wisdom psalms (Psalms
1, 112), the pilgrimage psalms (Psalms
37, 49), and liturgies (Psalms 75,
85).[7]
We can divide all the psalms into five books (Psalm 1-41, 42-72, 73-89,
90-106, and 107-150) and each of those books concludes with a doxology, a
liturgical formula of praise to God (Psalm 41:13, 72:18-19, 89:52, 106:48, and
150).[8]
Form / Structure / Setting
One of the types of psalm is hymns or the psalm of praise. Actually almost
all the hymns are in the last third of the Psalter. They are post-exilic (but
not Psalm 104), while many of other psalms (though not all) in the first
two-thirds of the Psalter are pre-exilic.[9] These
psalms are called as hymns or psalms of praise because they relate to Yahweh’s
greatness and goodness as manifested on two main ideas: God’s creation of the
universe and God’s gracious acts in the history of Israel.[10] Some
of those psalms centre on the theme of creation or Yahweh’s lordship over nature.
We can find this in Psalm 19a, 29 and 104.
Although not all of them have the same structure, some of them have the
following threefold form:
1. Introduced call a praise
2. The main part of the psalm: motivation for the praise (often introduced
by kί or ‘for’)
3. Final repetition of the call to praise
The shorter psalm in the Psalter, Psalm 117, illustrates this simple
structure in the briefest possible way:[11]
1 Praise
the Lord, all nations!
Extol
him, all peoples!
2a-b For
great is his steadfast love toward us;
and
the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
2c Praise
the Lord!
Psalms 104 is so remarkable not only for the length of its content and
its concentration on the subject of creation and its striking parallels with
the Egyptian hymn to Aton by Pharaoh Akhenaten, but also for how this psalm
relate to the order of Creation in Genesis 1:[12]
Psalm 104:1-4 Cretation
of heaven and earth cf.
Genesis 1:1-5
Psalm 104:5-9 Waters
pushed back cf.
Genesis 1:6-10
Psalm 104:10-13 Waters put
the beneficial use cf.
implicit in Gen. 1:6-10
Psalm 104:14-18 Creation of
vegetation cf.
Genesis 1:11-12
Psalm 104:19-23 Creation of
creatures cf.
Genesis 1:14-18
Psalm 104:24-26 Creation of
sea creatures cf.
Genesis 1:20-22
Psalm 104:27-30 Creation of
living creatures cf.
Genesis 1:24-31
So we can see that this psalm has interesting point of similarity with
Genesis 1, especially by pointing out that creation is hardly a creation ex nihilo. This psalm also has
parallels with the Pharaoh Akhenaten’s hymn to the sun. It suggests that there
is some kind of dependency with both Genesis 1 and the hymn to Aton by Pharaoh
Akhenaten. The parallel with Pharaoh Athenaten’s hymn is particularly strong in
Psalm 104:20-30.[13] Psalm 104 has been interpreted as a
poetic version of Genesis 1. Both are
surely expressions of the same theology of creator and creation.
Structure of this psalm is:[14]
Psalm 104:1a Prelude
Psalm 104:1b-35(a) Hymn
to the Creator of the world
Psalm 104:1b-4 The majesty of God
Psalm 104:5-9 Chaotic
water is pushed back
Psalm 104:10-13 God is the
Sustainer of the world
Psalm 104:14-18 Sustenance
for humans and space for animals
Psalm 104:19-23 Sun and
moon receive their orders from God
Psalm 104:24-26 The
creatures and their Creator
Psalm 104:27-30 The Giver
of life and joy
Psalm 104:31-35 Reverent praise of God’s awesome power
Psalm 104:35(bc) Postlude
In Jewish tradition Psalm 104 is sung on the morning of Yom Kippur, as a
pledge that new life will emerge out of redemption and sorrow. It is chanted on
the evening of the new moon, consecrating another month to God. It is recited
from the Sabbath of the feast of Sukkoth
to Passover (i.e. throughout the winter), in anticipation of new life in the
spring.[15]
The Psalm 104 is lyrical and exuberant.[16]
This psalm praises the God as the one who created the world and provides
everything for all creatures that live in it. This psalm can be seen as a
poetic vision of the world and of what we in modern era call ‘nature’ as the
work of the God. Psalm 104 offers the view and language that is appropriate for
faith, full of wonder and joy at what God has made. It celebrates God’s goodness
reflected in the awesome symmetry and majesty of creations.
Psalm 104 begins and ends with the same self-exhortation that opens and
closes Psalm 103 ‘Praise the LORD, O my soul’. This sentence appears only in
these two psalms and its repetition holds them together as a pair. It speaks of
the abounding steadfast love of the God and also the innumerable creatures made
and sustained by the wisdom of the God. So the pair praises the God as the
savior who forgives (Psalm 103) and the creator who provides (Psalm 104). Both
of those psalms are kind of the expression of the God’s kingship.
As we know the form of this psalm is hymnic. It begins and ends with a
summons to praise. Between, in the body of the hymn, the praise occurs. Even
this psalm can be divided as shown in structure above it can be recognized into
three parts especially regarding the body of the hymn (vv 1b-30). The divisions
are vv 1b-9, 10-23, 24-30.[17]
From this division we can find that the first part of the body of the
hymn portrays the God as sovereign creator. It begins with an acclamation of
God’s greatness and the rest try to reveal that greatness. We can find that
this first part God is portrayed as a royal deity clothed in light itself. God
builds God’s royal residence on the waters as a manifestation of God’s kingship
over them (vv. 2b, 3a). This psalm also portrays God as a warrior using the
thunderstorm as chariot (v. 3bc) and using winds and lighting as cohorts (v. 4)
to triumph over ocean, over which God shows power of establishing the earth and
banishing the water (vv. 5, 7) that cover the earth (v. 6), so that the
mountains and valley would emerge (v. 8) and the waters be confined to an
appointed place from which they will not return to cover the earth (v. 9). This
description is an adaptation of the pattern to Israel’s theological purpose,
which are ‘The LORD reign’ and ‘the earth is secure’. This part is composed on
a myth pattern of divine activity that was well known in the ancient Near East.
The world with its processes, seasons and productivity, finds assurance in the
reign of God. The creation of the world is less an act of producing its
material reality and more an achievement of control to produce order and
function. The world always depends on the authority of God. In this psalm we
can see that the creation – all the life in the world always depends on the
reign of God.
From the second part of the body of the hymn we can find how the author
reviews the providence of God for God’s creatures. Overall the review tells how
God controls the world and provides for the life of all creatures. It occurs
interrelated and overlapping on the water (vv. 10-11, 13, 16), the food (vv.
10-15, 27), the habitat (vv. 12, 17-18) and times (vv. 19-23). From this part
we can see that all result of God’s intentional ‘making’ is to give the
creatures what is needful and good for their life. There is one interesting
point from this part. Human is considered as simply one of the creature
dependent the providing God. Human appears only in vv. 14-15 and 23 as simply
one more kind of creature that lives on the earth in the environment it
provides. In the praise of God as creator, human beings see themselves simply
as one of the creature that sustained by the providence of God. Faith in the
creator teaches humans to respect to the existences in the world and dependence
on them for life. Humans are only one among many that God made.
In the third section (vv. 24-30) we can find two observations about the
creatures that seem to sum up the preceding review. First is an acclamation of
amazement at how many creatures God in wisdom has made (v. 24). The list in
this section (vv. 10-23) is only a beginning that cannot be completed. The
emphasis is on ‘all’. Many as they
are God made them all. When we read this psalm we can see that every living
thing, no matter how strange or terrible they are, all of them are the ‘works
of God’. The world of nature in its variety and complexity is a display of the
wisdom of God. The psalmist beholds the works of God creating life and
providing for life. Nature is a reason for joyous praises, a praise that teach
that every use of nature should be informed with reverence before God the Creator.
The second observation is recognition of the absolute dependence of all
creatures upon God for food (vv. 27-28) and for life itself (vv. 29-30).
Nourishment by the products of the environment is the gift of God. We can see
the rhythm of life and death and the appearance of new life is the effect of
the relation between the ‘breath’ (ruach)
of creatures and the ‘breath’ of God. It means the notion that animates
creatures is the life-bringing breath of God. But psalmist does not identify it
with the divine ruach. The creature’s
breath is given and taken away only by God. The breath of God is sent by God to
create living creatures and to renew the earth with life. So when new creation
occurs and life appears, ruach of God
is at work.
Psalm 104 concludes with a series of wishes and vows. These wishes and
vows are psalmist responds and commits to God addressed and described in the
hymn. Psalmist wants the glory of God to last forever (v. 31). Psalmist wishes
that God will rejoice in God’s work (v. 31b). Psalmist wishes that this psalm,
psalmist’s meditation will be a pleasing offering to God (v. 34). There is a
wish that the wicked vanish from the earth (v. 35), yet they are in the world.
They live in God’s world and also benefit from God’s providence as do all other
creatures.
Conclusion
There are several important points that can be learned when we read this
psalm related to ecological discussion.
(a) God is the Creator and Sustainer of this universe. All creations are
made by the wisdom of God. All creations are the works of God, and there is
providence of God for God’s creatures. All creations exist only in communion
with God. Also we can understand that all creations have their own purposes
that God made for them in their existences, including human beings.
(b) Nature and all creations in it have dependency to God as their creator. God
is their only provider. God provides everything for all creations. God gives
them their life as a gift. All creations are dependent only on God, as their
life giver, so all creations are dependence to each other. God is principally a
provider of food. All creations dependent on God’s sustenance, presence, and
breath (ruach), because God creates
and regulates the pulse of life and death by God’s ruach. All creations is a
reflection of divine glory of God.
(c) Human beings are not the crown of creation. Human beings position among other
creations is not at above so can subdue the nature. Human beings are only a part
of whole God’s creations that also sustained by the providence of God through
the nature. However nature and all creations in it are belongs to God. Human beings can play their purposes and role
as a steward for the nature and all God’s creation, but not for subduing them.
Human beings’ role is to ‘till and keep’ the nature, to ‘take care’ and to preserve
the nature as a fellow creation that have life as a gift from God. Human beings
have to respect to the other existences in the world and take care the nature
because they are dependence to the nature for life. Human beings as a part of
the creation dependent to God and to every others creation. It can be said that
without nature and all creations are in it, human beings cannot be survived.
(d) The uses of the nature should be informed with reverence before God the
Creator. That is the reason for human beings should be more careful while using
resources from the nature, or while enjoying the beauty of nature, or while
using the nature to fulfill their needs.
(e) Nature and all creations in it are the reason for human being’s joyous
praises God. By seeing all creations and through their dependences to the
nature, human beings praise God as the Creator.
Reflection
When I read this psalm, I remember one Indonesia gospel song. This song
tells us about ‘how by God’s word, God created the universe. God created
daylight and night, heaven and earth, animals, plants and other creations.
Birds sing praising God. Flowers blossom and all the nature sing praising God’s
name. The universe sing a song praising God because God’s love. God provides
and sustains life with God’s power and wisdom. All the creations exalt God’s
name. God is worthy to be praised’. I believe that this song inspired by Psalm
104.
Reading Psalm 104 gives us recognition that the Bible has some
significant references to ecology and environment discourses. These references
may be useful for providing solution for ecological problems.
First of course this psalm gives us understanding that God is the only
Creator and also Sustainer for all creation. God creates everything not from ex nihilo state but creates everything
as continuously creation (creation
continua). It means God calls creation into life and renew it day by day.
Creation in this term is an ongoing process. As the only Creator, God owns this universe.
God owns all creations, nature and all creatures are in it. Everything belongs
to God and dependence to God and to each others.
Secondly human beings as a part of creation do not own the nature, or
being superior compare to other creations. Human beings are created by God and
come in existence last. So even we can say that human beings are unique among
other God’s creation, it is not an anthropocentrism view (being created in the
image and likeness of God). We have to reject anthropocentrism because it
becomes the root of recent ecological problems. With its unique, human beings
can be considered as ‘representative’ of divinity on earth. Human beings become
God’s vikari or stewards that have
responsibility to ‘till and keep’ God’s creation, to take care and not to
subdue. Human beings should be the responsible steward of God on earth. Human
beings are called to fulfill their roles to take care and preserve the nature,
called to participate in God’s work to renew nature and all creations.
Unfortunately human beings do not take their responsibility well. Human
beings do a lot of terrible things to the nature. Human beings do not respect
nature and other creations in the name fulfillment of life and needs. Human
beings fail to respect other creations’ intrinsic values of as a pre-condition
for living in communion with all creations. With their freedom, human beings
exploit the nature and do great damage to the nature. But with the same
freedom, human beings can do opposite things to till and to keep the nature. So
there is hope.
It can be done start from transforming our understanding about
‘position’ among other God’s creations in this particular world. Human beings
have to understand that they are dependence to the nature and other creations.
Together human beings and all other creations are dependent only God as life
Creator, Sustainer and Provider. Together human beings and all other creations
are created by God with God’s wisdom, and given life only by God. Together
should life in communion with God and depending to each others. By doing this,
human beings can learn to treat nature and other creations with respect to
their own purposes and intrinsic values. There will be a value of solidarity to
the nature.
With these two short reflections we continue with what action can be
done a Christian and as a church in its ministry. There are several proposals
than can be done as a Christian and in church’s ministry.
(1) Changing our life styles
Perhaps it is a huge step or task to make a change
globally. But it does not mean we can do anything. It can be done from small
steps from our selves, from our daily life. For instance our environment is
suffering because of plastic waste that can be decomposed easily. Plastic wastes
pollute and contaminate soil. We can make change with changing our life styles
by reducing the use of plastic bag while buying something in the market. We can
bring our own bag and use it for carrying our groceries. Or we can reduce or
even stop using paper cup in coffee shop and asking them to use non paper cup
for our coffee. In term of saving energy, we can turn off our lamps, television
or other electronic equipments that we do not use. Even we can turn off our
lamps and other electronic equipments for an hour every day to saving energy.
The reason is to produce electricity people use coal in power plants. It means
to have coals people have to open many coal mines, and to open mines people
have to deforest a lot of trees. For
short, as a Christian – as an individual, we can make our life styles more
eco-friendly. We can make our life style for simple. Through simplicity of
life, Christian and Christian communities can offer models of life style which
more eco-friendly.
(2) Church’s ministry: Churches have main tasks to always promote solidarity
with the weakness, the defenseless, the poorest and also with the nature. For
doing this, church can start with building church’s members awareness to
ecological problems and encourage them to encounter those problems with real
action. Church can do these things through teaching in Bible class, through catechism,
through sermon in pulpit and through liturgies. Church can promote
eco-spiritualism among church’s members. This spirituality is based on our deep
understanding as a Christian that all creations are created by God, renewed and
saved by God, based on understanding that human beings are called to
participate in God’s works to keep and preserve the nature.
Bibliography
Allen, Leslie C. Word Biblical
Commentary volume 21. Psalms 101-150, revised.
Columbia: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2002.
Anderson, A.A. The Book of Psalms
volume I Psalms 1-72 (New Century Bible
Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
1981.
--------------- The Book of Psalms
volume II Psalms 73-150 (New Century Bible
Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
1981.
Crenshaw, James L. The Psalms: An
Introduction. Grand Rapid: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2001
Day, J. Psalms. England:
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd. 1992.
Mays, James Luther. Psalms:
Interpretation: A Biblical Commentary for Teaching
and Preaching. Louisville: John Knox Press. 1994.
Schaefer, Konrad OSB. Psalms: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry. Minnesota:
A Michael Glazier Book. 2001
Terrien, Samuel. The Psalms:
Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary.
Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2003
.
[1]
Presented as end term paper on class God of Life : Biblical and Theological
Reflection on Life with Prof. Lee, YeongMee.
[2] Student
of Studies in Ecumenism and Social Transformation Class at Graduate School of
Theology, Hanshin University. Student number : 320 121 046.
[3] Arnold Albert Anderson. The Book
of Psalms volume 1 Psalms 1-72 (New Century Bible Commentary). Grand
Rapids: WM.B Eerdmans Publs, Co. 1981. 23.
[8] James L.
Crenshaw. The Psalms: An Introduction.
Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2001. 3.
[12] John Day. Psalms. 41.cf Arnold
Albert Anderson. The Book of Psalms
volume II Psalms 73-150 (New Century Bible Commentary). Grand Rapids: WM.B
Eerdmans Publs, Co. 1981. 717.
[14] Following the division on Samuel Terrien. The Psalms: Strophic
Structure and Theological Commentary. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2003. 706-708., cf Arnold Albert Anderson. The Book of Psalms volume II Psalms 73-150
(New Century Bible Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company. 1981. 717-725., cf Leslie C. Allen. Word Biblical Commentary volume 21 Psalm 101-150, revised. Columbia:
Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2002. 44.
[15] Konrad Schaefer,
OSB. Psalms: Studies in Hebrew Narrative
and Poetry. Minnesota: A Michael Glazier Book. 2001. 258.
[16] James Luther
Mays. Psalms: Interpretation A Biblical
Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1994.
331.
[17] James Luther
Mays. Psalms: Interpretation A Biblical
Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1994.
332-335.
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