Psalms of Creation and Worldview

There are four psalms that are commonly classified as Psalms of Creation. These are Psalms 8, 19, 29, and 104. There are many other psalms that contain several verses about the creation of the world, but these four psalms are set apart from the others in the way that their primary focus is on a particular aspect of the created world. Psalm 8 highlights the place of mankind in the cosmos. Psalm 19 speaks to the testimony of the heavenly realm to the glory of God. Psalm 29 displays the mighty power of God expressed in meteorological events both in the sky and on the earth. Psalm 104 presents the earth as a beautiful, bountiful garden of life.

In each of these psalms, God is presumed to be the creator and sustainer of all things, just as Psalm 24 declares:

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. the world, and all who live in it;

For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. – Psalm 24:1,2; (NIV, 1984)

Yet each of these four psalms of creation has a different focus. In order to appreciate and understand the language of the psalmist when he writes of creation, it is important to understand the ancient Hebrew understanding of the created world. This cosmology can be determined by considering not only the account of creation in Genesis 1 but also other texts about creation in the rest of scripture. In addition, light can be shed on ancient Hebrew cosmology by way of comparison to other cultures of the time.

Hebrew cosmology was not unlike that of other cultures in the ancient world in many ways. People made common sense observations from the world around them and then drew logical conclusions about that which they could not see. For example, they observed that water fell from the sky. They assumed then that there must be a solid surface above them that contained the waters until they were released by the authority of the gods who had responsibility for them. In Hebrew, this solid surface is referred to as the firmament, or raqia. Likewise, they observed that water also came from below the surface of the earth in the form of springs and wells. Thus, they surmised that the earth was “founded upon the seas”. The earth itself was moored and supported by “foundations”, the unexpected movement of which was experienced as an earthquake. Everywhere the inhabitants of the earth might travel, from east to west or north to south, they would eventually run into water, leading to the conclusion that the earth was surrounded by water. All of these observations were common sense and reasonable based on the information at the time, and even though in modern times there are more detailed scientific explanations of these phenomena, these observations still hold true in a functional sense.

The earth was the only part of the cosmos that was knowable. The region below the earth was unknowable and was referred to as Sheol -- the realm of the dead. The bodies of the dead were placed in the earth, and since their functioning status was unknowable, there is very little that the scriptures have to say about the characteristics of this aspect of the cosmos. Likewise, the heavens were unknowable because mankind could not go there. Thus, mountains were important places to worship because they brought one closer to the heavenly realm where the gods dwelt. The gods dwelt above the heavens, went about their business of making sure the world functioned, and at times held council with one another.

While the Hebrew worldview was similar in some ways to this ancient view, there are also several significant distinctions. First, God was the great king above all gods (Psalm 95:3). While there might have been other gods that people worshiped, the psalmist is clear in his belief that YHWH reigned supreme. The prevailing view in the ancient world was that gods were regional in their power and authority. Each culture had their own pantheon of gods who functioned similar to the way in which governors, kings and dictators might function in the modern world. They had authority over their particular realm, but beyond their borders, authority fell to the gods of that neighboring region or natural realm. This is in strong contrast to the Hebrew worldview which declares that YHWH is superior to all other gods. For this reason, the first of the Ten Commandments was “to have no other gods before me”. This wasn’t necessarily a denial of the existence of other gods, but it was rather a declaration that YHWH was above them all in every way.

Second, worshipers of YHWH were forbidden from making images of him. In the ancient world, temples and holy places abounded, and they were always accompanied by images of deity. Yet idol worship was expressly forbidden in the Decalogue: “you shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” (Exodus 20:4). There was a practical and a theological reason for this. The practical reason was that human nature being what it was, the people would be tempted to fashion God in their own image. This was true of the gods of the ancient world. They always bore a striking resemblance to the men that had created them, complete with their many shortcomings. The theological reason is stated in Genesis 1:26 where God says, “Let us make man in our image”. God already has image-bearers in each human being that He creates. Thus, the psalmist declares, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). There is no need to make idols, for his creation itself is intended to display His glory. The glory of God cannot be contained in an object fashioned by human hands. This is why Psalm 8:5 declares, “You made [man] a little lower than elohim, and crowned him with glory and honor.” The purpose of man is to reflect the image of God, so idols are unnecessary.

Third, God was a benevolent and immanent ruler. The psalmist speaks of meeting with God (42:2), of the blessing of dwelling in God’s house (84:4), and of seeing him in the sanctuary (63:2). Now it is true that other gods had temples where priests mediated their presence to the people, but the psalmist makes it clear on many occasions that God dwells among his people in a unique way. This had always been true from the time of the patriarchs to the age of temple worship. Whether it was a cloud by day or fire by night or whether it was the glory of God filling the tabernacle and later the temple, YHWH was present with his people. Moses declares this clearly in Psalm 90: “LORD you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” (90:1) and the Sons of Korah confirm it later in when asserting that “there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the most high dwells” (Psalm 46:4).  YHWH is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). It’s difficult to conceive of any god in the ancient world that was such a familiar presence to his people.

One’s view of the world is the lens through which everything is seen. These four psalms of creation are each, what I have termed, worldview psalms. They answer the big questions of what it means to be human -- the questions of origin (we are created by God), purpose (we are God’s image-bearers), identity (we are “made a little lower than god/the angels and crowned with glory and honor” -- Psalm 8:5), and destiny (“in his temple all cry ‘glory’” -- Psalm 29:9). We are made to worship.