Praise to the Lord from Creation

 

Psalm 148

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.
6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens; old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 And He has exalted the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints—of the children of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the Lord!

One struggle many people have when reading the Bible is trying to determine when it is speaking literally and when it is speaking metaphorically. One passage that may offer difficulty in this area is Psalm 148. This chapter of Scripture offers a detailed description of the praise that issues forth from Creation in honor of its Creator. 

In this psalm, the author addresses every aspect of our natural environment including land and sea animals, plants, stars, angelic hosts, humans, weather events and even the earth itself.  In his description, he uses the word halal as the Hebrew word for praise which means “to clamorously praise, to celebrate”.[1]  By using this word he is clearly stating that Creation makes physical sound in praise of its Creator. However, this also leads us to the question: If all of Creation is praising God, why can we not hear it? Thankfully, scientific advancements in technology can provide an answer to this question.

As technology has advanced, researchers have made interesting discoveries regarding naturally occurring sounds outside our hearing range.  Animals, stars, and the earth all make noise that can only be detected either by other animals or scientific equipment. For example, one of the loudest animals in the world, the blue whale, has been recorded bellowing at 188 decibels, which is louder than a jet engine at take-off. Other whales can hear the calls more than 1,000 miles away.[2]  Yet we cannot hear these sounds because the loudest bellows are of such low frequency that they are outside our range of hearing.  Even more interesting is that earthquakes, volcanoes, and oscillating stars produce sound that is too low in frequency for us to hear.[3]  It is not that our natural environment is not making noise, the sounds being made are just outside our limited hearing range.  Science has revealed that the author of Psalm 148 is being literal in his statements, all of Creation praises God, we just cannot hear it.

Now knowing the sounds produced by Creation, take a moment to consider what it must be like to be God.  Every single plant, animal, rock, star, and angelic host praises Him.  Think about the sheer volume of sound that reaches the throne room of God, enveloping Him in praise continuously.  If He had created us to be able to audibly perceive these praises, it would be deafening.  Yet our God is so great, He enjoys and receives this praise without hindrance.  Even more amazing is that by limiting our range of hearing, God created a way for us to enjoy a child’s whisper, a well-played melody, a laugh, or a chorus of songbirds while He also receives the praise that He is due from Creation.  His design for Creation is perfect!  As you consider this truth, does your appreciation of His works fill your heart with the desire for clamorous praise?  If so, join with the rest of Creation in lifting your voice to praise the God of the Universe!  Praise the Lord!

[1] Church of the Great God. “Greek Hebrew Definitions” Strong’s Concordance.  Accessed via web January 31, 2014.

[2] Davies, Ella (2016) “The world’s loudest animal might surprise you” BBC.com. April 1, 2016. Accessed via web January 30, 2021.

[3] National Institutes of Health (US) (2007) “Information about Hearing, Communication and Understanding” Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, NIH Curriculum Supplement Series. Accessed via web January 30, 2021.

 

 
Christa Jewett