because an intimate, personal God watches over them. Animals eat on schedule not just because their habitat contains adequate food, but because God gives them their food "at the proper time." Every breath of life depends on his will. So do the weather, the winds and clouds, the water supply, the very stability of the earth. The psalmist doesn't just marvel over the complexity and beauty of nature; in it he sees the work of God.
When modern people think of ecology, they are preoccupied with the fear of overcrowding and poisoning nature. The psalms show now such fear, for overcrowding and pollution were not major problems in that preindustrial civilization. Yet interestingly enough, this psalm ends with a wish that God would clean up the earth - cleanse it of sinners, who mar its perfection by their rejection of God's will. The beauty of the earth, made by God, calls out for purity - purity of the heart.
Life Questions: How does nature affect you? How do you affect it? |
