God and nature are inseparable in Psalms. We're talking peanut butter and jelly, popcorn and movies, Barry White and singing about love inseparable. God was originally considered a storm god, so it's no wonder he's in tune with nature.
What does God do with this connection? He puts on a show. If the Israelites needed an enemy destroyed, he would rain down a storm of fire and water. And it's a two-way street: God demanded sacrifices from nature in the form of animal offerings.
If God's domain was the sky, what do humans get? Well, according to Psalm 147, we get earth. Oh, and God.
Questions About Man, God, & The Natural World
- What is God's role in creating and overseeing the natural world in Psalms?
- Do the different translations change the way we think about God's relationship with nature?
- In Psalms, what is man's relationship with man? How do humans have to care for the land? How are they victims of it?
- Why is God described in Psalms as both a "rock" and as the one who makes mountains move? Does that make any sense?