Let the sea roar; and all that fill it;
The world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills sing for joy together
Before the Lord, for he comes
To judge the earth.
Psalm 98: 7-9
The biblical perspective on the Creation is that first and foremost it belongs to God and exists for His glory. The inspired psalmist confirms that the entire creation sings hymns of glory to God. These hymns are heard first by Him. They are unto Him; His ears reverberate to the glorious orchestra and choir.
The trees, the grasses, the seas and all that is in them, the animals and birds, the sun and the moon--they all sing to God's glory. When we see them and rejoice in the glory of this created world we see what non-Christian folk struggle to comprehend--we comprehend that the Creation is singing to God and the magnification of His glory before it sings to us. That makes the Creation even more glorious to our eyes and ears.
If we are listening to a choir singing we may be profoundly moved by the beauty of the music. When we realise that the beauty is first heard by God Himself, appreciated by Him, and loved by Him before it is known and appreciated by us, the glory of the music becomes more weighty, more significant, more holy. The services of the choir become all the more valuable in our eyes.
When the vast rollers break upon the shore, their loud roaring trumpets in celebration of the glory of God. The world is clapping God, its Creator. The glory of the purple hills at sunset is a song of joy raised to God. And because they magnify Him, the hills become even more precious to us, their beauty more sacred. These are things which the Christian sees and knows. He sees more than Christless eyes.
Heaven above is softer blue
Earth around is sweeter green;
Something lives in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen
Birds with gladder songs o'erflow
Flowers with deeper beauties shine
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine
No comments:
Post a Comment