God Did these Great Wonders

 

Matthew Maury was a young naval officer in the 1800s. He was injured in an accident and forced to retire from active sea duty. But his mind was far from retired. During his recovery, he spent time reading his Bible, and something in Psalm 8:8 caught his eye: “...whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas.”“Paths of the seas?” he thought. “That sounds poetic, but what if it’s literal”?

Maury did not treat the Bible like mere metaphor. He believed it was accurate and true in everything it said, even in its passing references to nature. So he began to search. And sure enough, he discovered consistent ocean currents and wind patterns, what we now call the shipping lanes and oceanic circulation systems. These “paths” in the sea have since saved millions in shipping time and fuel.

His charts revolutionized naval travel. His work helped lay the groundwork for modern oceanography and meteorology. And what drove him to begin? -a simple phrase in an ancient book, believed by faith to be without error. Later in life, Maury became a devout advocate for science rooted in Scripture. He even helped establish the first U.S. Naval Observatory and wrote books connecting biblical truth with scientific discovery.

He wasn’t afraid that the Bible would be contradicted by science—he was convinced it would be confirmed by it. In fact, on a plaque honoring him, one sentence stands tall: “He believed in the literal interpretation of the Scriptures” (Source: answeringenesis.org) 

Psalm 136 is a song of praise. It rehearses God’s acts of goodness in Israel history. verses1-3 say “give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His love endures forever.  Give thanks to the God of gods! For His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His love endures forever”(Ps. 136:1-3). Although our God possesses many marvelous attributes, here the psalmist highlights two: His goodness and His Sovereignty.

The phrases "God of gods," and “Lord of lords” occurs first in Deuteronomy 10:17. Moses said to the Israelites “the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome”. The title "God of gods” emphasizes the supremacy of the God of Israel over all other so-called gods. In Isaiah 45:5 God states “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God”.  

The title “Lord of lords” emphasizes God's supreme authority over all other rulers. There are many lords, but Jehovah is the Lord of them. He is the Lord of all in authority - all kings, princes, rulers. Every earthly authority, however mighty, is beneath Him. Daniel 2:21 reminds us that God “removes kings and establishes them.” Proverbs 21:1 says “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will”.

Psalm 82 calls earthly rulers “gods” in a functional sense. It paints a picture of God presiding in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”. God says to them “you are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler” (Ps. 82:1,6-7). Angels and rulers of darkness (Eph. 6:12) exist, yet all remain subject to God’s throne. He stands above every human ruler, spiritual being and cosmic force. He reigns supreme over Heaven and earth and all in them.

One day “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil.2:10-11). The Sovereign God will rectify the abuses of the underlings who now lord it over mankind. Satan is powerful, but only by the permission of the Lord of lords (Job 1:6-12). At God’s ordained time, Satan will be cast forever into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

The sovereignty of God is truly a reason to give thanks. As Paul so beautifully explains “If God is for us, who can be against us? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns?” (Rom. 8:29-39). Psalm 136:2 invites us to a life of perpetual gratitude, directed to the Sovereign God whose faithful love never runs dry. If the heathen can worship their gods with zeal, how much more intently should we praise the only true God.

Psalm 136:1-3 tells us to thank God for who he is; verse 4-9 tells us to thank God for what he has done. The Psalmist gives us six notes of praise to the Creator:  “to him who alone does great wonders... who by his understanding made the heavens ... Who spread out the earth upon the waters ... who made the great lights...The sun to govern the day... The moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever”.

God did these great wonders by His great “wisdom and power” (Dan 2:20). Psalm 135:5-7 says “I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses”.

Isaiah 40:26 tells us “lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:  Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name; Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing”. Psalm 147:4 says “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name”. There are estimated to be trillions of stars across billions of galaxies. God has the power to create and sustain every star in the sky.

God’s works are all great in wonder even when they are not great in size; in fact, in the minute objects on the microscope we behold as great wonders as the telescope can reveal. God does wonders; all the works of his unrivaled skill are done by him unaided. Whatever instruments the Lord is pleased to use in any of his wonderful works, he alone is the worker. Even when the Lord uses men as his instruments, yet the wonder of the work is his alone. The wonders of God should cause us to give thanks to Him. “Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds” (Ps 72:18).

Ps 136:5 says “by his understanding the Sovereign God made the heavens”. The Bible begins by bringing us face to face with the Almighty Creator, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen.1:1). Just as psalm 136 affirms that God is both the Creator and that He is good, so Genesis 1 affirms repeatedly that God saw all that He made and it was good.

By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place (Prov. 3:19). Wisdom was present throughout creation. In Proverbs 8 wisdom speaks and says “I, wisdom... The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was formed ... at the very beginning... I was given birth:  when there were no springs overflowing with water; before the mountains were settled in place; before he made ...any of the dust of the earth.

I was there when he set the heavens in place...when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.  Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence (Proverbs 8:22-31). It’s no wonder then that so much wisdom lies hidden in the Creation Act!

For example, the earth is situated at just the proper distance from the sun to sustain life. Any closer and all plant and animal life would burn up. Any further away and all would freeze. If the earth was just a few miles smaller in diameter, there would not be enough heat to sustain life. If it were a few miles large, heat would destroy all life. You cannot study the intricacy, balance, and design of creation without marveling at the wisdom, understanding and power of God.

 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters” (Ps. 24:1-2). God made a dry road for the Israelites to cross the red sea (Exod. 14:21-22) and the Jordan (Joshua 3:15-17). During the great flood in Noah’s day, the God who created the earth reversed the process, it disappeared into the waters for a period (Gen. 7:11). The earth is floating upon the waters today because God’s love endures forever.

God made the great lights (Ps.136:7). He established the sun and moon to govern day and night (Gen. 1:14-16). “He made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun knows when to go down” (Ps.104:19). The luminaries of heaven are unspeakable blessings to the children of men. By these luminaries God's promise to Noah is kept. God promised Noah that “as long as the earth endures, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Gen 8:22).

God made the sun to govern the day (Ps.136:8). The sun determines the day’s length, its beginning and its ending. The lantern of the world enthroned in the centre is the primary source of light and heat that sustains life on the planet. Sunlight serves as a vast, clean energy. It provides the light and warmth needed for plant’s growth and animal health. It drives earth's weather and powers the water cycle.

The God who designed the consistent sunset (Ps.104:19) changed the sunset hour twice. During a battle against the Ammorites (Joshua 10:1-15) Joshua prayed for daylight to continue, he prayed for the sun and moon to stand still. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed setting for almost a full day (vv.12-14). Again when Jesus was on the cross, darkness covered the whole land from noon until three o’clock (mark 15:33).

The sun, in its daily course; warms by its beams; guides by its light and guards from dangers. Light is the producer, in a great measure, of the beauties of the universe and the revealer of those beauties. What are eyes for in the absence of light? Whenever we sit in the sunshine enjoying its light, warmth and other operations, our gratitude to God should be kindled. Every sunbeam is an emblem of his enduring love.

He made the moon and stars to govern the night (Ps.136:9). “He made the moon to mark the seasons” (Ps.104:19). The moon’s gravitational pull generates ocean tides that help cleanse and oxygenate the oceans. These tides prevent the oceans from stagnating; they mix warm and cold waters and circulate the nutrients that support marine ecosystems. The moon light and tidal cycles dictate behavior for many animals, including breeding, feeding, and migration.

The moon with her charming changes and the stars in their fixed spheres gladden the night making it less hideous and fearful. The moon and stars walking forth in their brightness, give direction to both humans and animals at the sable hours of night. The North Star has guided many night travelers in foreign areas when a compass was not available. To these night lamps and guides of heaven we owe the blessings of navigation and commerce, binding the different parts of the world together.

When God’s time to end the world comes, the heavens will recede like a scroll being rolled up; every mountain and island will be removed from its place; all the stars will fall from the sky like withered leaves from the vine or like shriveled figs from the fig tree. The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light" (Isa. 34:4; Joel 3:15; Matt.24:29, Rev.6:10-14). In Heaven the eternal city, creation's natural light sources are obsolete. God is the light and Jesus is the lamp. Their radiant presence are the sole source of light (Rev. 21:23).