Psalms 3
KingCommentsPsalms 3:1
God Rules Over the Universe
Job continues his description of the greatness of God, now looking north and upward (Job 26:7). He sees the vast expanse of the universe. He looks north – the place from which God reigns (Isaiah 14:13-14) – the northern ceiling of the heavens, which is like a curtain overhanging the expanse. In that vast expanse of emptiness, where nothing can be hanged on, the earth hangs. God has hung the globe “on nothing”.
That the earth “hangs” is an established fact. If Scripture mentions anything about creation, it is God’s truth. Scientific ‘truth’ is different. Scientific language is soon outdated. Scientific conclusions have to be rewritten regularly because new insights destroy the previous ones. The Bible, inspired by God and therefore faultless, is not written in scientific language, but in everyday language and never needs to be changed. Everything God has said remains current for all ages and generations (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Thus God also wraps up the waters together in His clouds (Job 26:8; cf. Proverbs 30:4), without the cloud bursting because of its weight. It is God who gathers the fumes of the earth into thick clouds, as it were the jars of heaven (Job 38:37). It is His way of giving rain on earth wherever He wills (cf. Jeremiah 10:13; Psalms 104:3).
Above the clouds is God’s throne, which He makes invisible by spreading His cloud over it (Job 26:9; cf. Psalms 97:2). Of course this is meant to be symbolic, because even without clouds the throne of God is invisible. The throne is the center from which creation is ruled (cf. Job 1:6-12). Man, with all his knowledge and ability, is incapable of discovering Him. He also excludes God in his research on the origin and progress of the universe. He is willfully ignorant (2 Peter 3:5). As a result, he has fallen into the foolishness of evolution theory.
God not only controls the water above the earth’s surface, but also the water on the earth’s surface (Job 26:10). The water above the earth is held by God in clouds. The water on earth is held by God within the limits set by Him (Psalms 104:9; Jeremiah 5:22b).
Also in another sense God has drawn a boundary over the surface of the water. That boundary is the horizon. We become aware of this when we stand on the shore of an ocean. If we look into the distance, we see the horizon. We cannot look any further. There is the boundary between the light sky and the dark sea, the boundary between the water in the cloud sky and the water in the sea.
Also the impressive, massive, unshakable mountains, rising high above the landscape and touching the heaven, are under His authority (Job 26:11). They are poetically called “the pillars of heaven”, as if heaven is resting on them. But when He rebukes them, and we might think of an earthquake, they tremble (Exodus 19:18). Of all that imposing nothing remains. Only His majesty above all else is permanent.
Then there is also His power in the wind with which He whips up the sea (Job 26:12; Psalms 107:25; Isaiah 51:15; Jeremiah 31:35). With the same authority He also restrains the wind and causes “the storm to be still” (Psalms 107:29). What is attributed to God here we see the Lord Jesus doing in the Gospels (Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:39). It is one of the many proofs that the Lord Jesus is God.
God is not only great in His omnipotence and majesty, but also in His clearness (Job 26:13). The Spirit of God gives that clearness in heaven. We see the clearness of the sky, the clouds, the heavenly bodies. David is deeply impressed by it: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Psalms 8:3). God creates, controls and delivers (Isaiah 27:1; Revelation 20:2).
That clearness was lost by “the quick [or: fleeing] serpent”, the devil (Revelation 12:9), when he brought sin into the world. But God is in Christ the Victor over the devil. He will renew the face of the ground (Psalms 104:30) and restore creation to its original beauty. Then the devil will be bound and the corruption of creation will be taken away (Romans 8:21).
Psalms 3:2
God Rules Over the Universe
Job continues his description of the greatness of God, now looking north and upward (Job 26:7). He sees the vast expanse of the universe. He looks north – the place from which God reigns (Isaiah 14:13-14) – the northern ceiling of the heavens, which is like a curtain overhanging the expanse. In that vast expanse of emptiness, where nothing can be hanged on, the earth hangs. God has hung the globe “on nothing”.
That the earth “hangs” is an established fact. If Scripture mentions anything about creation, it is God’s truth. Scientific ‘truth’ is different. Scientific language is soon outdated. Scientific conclusions have to be rewritten regularly because new insights destroy the previous ones. The Bible, inspired by God and therefore faultless, is not written in scientific language, but in everyday language and never needs to be changed. Everything God has said remains current for all ages and generations (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Thus God also wraps up the waters together in His clouds (Job 26:8; cf. Proverbs 30:4), without the cloud bursting because of its weight. It is God who gathers the fumes of the earth into thick clouds, as it were the jars of heaven (Job 38:37). It is His way of giving rain on earth wherever He wills (cf. Jeremiah 10:13; Psalms 104:3).
Above the clouds is God’s throne, which He makes invisible by spreading His cloud over it (Job 26:9; cf. Psalms 97:2). Of course this is meant to be symbolic, because even without clouds the throne of God is invisible. The throne is the center from which creation is ruled (cf. Job 1:6-12). Man, with all his knowledge and ability, is incapable of discovering Him. He also excludes God in his research on the origin and progress of the universe. He is willfully ignorant (2 Peter 3:5). As a result, he has fallen into the foolishness of evolution theory.
God not only controls the water above the earth’s surface, but also the water on the earth’s surface (Job 26:10). The water above the earth is held by God in clouds. The water on earth is held by God within the limits set by Him (Psalms 104:9; Jeremiah 5:22b).
Also in another sense God has drawn a boundary over the surface of the water. That boundary is the horizon. We become aware of this when we stand on the shore of an ocean. If we look into the distance, we see the horizon. We cannot look any further. There is the boundary between the light sky and the dark sea, the boundary between the water in the cloud sky and the water in the sea.
Also the impressive, massive, unshakable mountains, rising high above the landscape and touching the heaven, are under His authority (Job 26:11). They are poetically called “the pillars of heaven”, as if heaven is resting on them. But when He rebukes them, and we might think of an earthquake, they tremble (Exodus 19:18). Of all that imposing nothing remains. Only His majesty above all else is permanent.
Then there is also His power in the wind with which He whips up the sea (Job 26:12; Psalms 107:25; Isaiah 51:15; Jeremiah 31:35). With the same authority He also restrains the wind and causes “the storm to be still” (Psalms 107:29). What is attributed to God here we see the Lord Jesus doing in the Gospels (Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:39). It is one of the many proofs that the Lord Jesus is God.
God is not only great in His omnipotence and majesty, but also in His clearness (Job 26:13). The Spirit of God gives that clearness in heaven. We see the clearness of the sky, the clouds, the heavenly bodies. David is deeply impressed by it: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Psalms 8:3). God creates, controls and delivers (Isaiah 27:1; Revelation 20:2).
That clearness was lost by “the quick [or: fleeing] serpent”, the devil (Revelation 12:9), when he brought sin into the world. But God is in Christ the Victor over the devil. He will renew the face of the ground (Psalms 104:30) and restore creation to its original beauty. Then the devil will be bound and the corruption of creation will be taken away (Romans 8:21).
Psalms 3:3
God Rules Over the Universe
Job continues his description of the greatness of God, now looking north and upward (Job 26:7). He sees the vast expanse of the universe. He looks north – the place from which God reigns (Isaiah 14:13-14) – the northern ceiling of the heavens, which is like a curtain overhanging the expanse. In that vast expanse of emptiness, where nothing can be hanged on, the earth hangs. God has hung the globe “on nothing”.
That the earth “hangs” is an established fact. If Scripture mentions anything about creation, it is God’s truth. Scientific ‘truth’ is different. Scientific language is soon outdated. Scientific conclusions have to be rewritten regularly because new insights destroy the previous ones. The Bible, inspired by God and therefore faultless, is not written in scientific language, but in everyday language and never needs to be changed. Everything God has said remains current for all ages and generations (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Thus God also wraps up the waters together in His clouds (Job 26:8; cf. Proverbs 30:4), without the cloud bursting because of its weight. It is God who gathers the fumes of the earth into thick clouds, as it were the jars of heaven (Job 38:37). It is His way of giving rain on earth wherever He wills (cf. Jeremiah 10:13; Psalms 104:3).
Above the clouds is God’s throne, which He makes invisible by spreading His cloud over it (Job 26:9; cf. Psalms 97:2). Of course this is meant to be symbolic, because even without clouds the throne of God is invisible. The throne is the center from which creation is ruled (cf. Job 1:6-12). Man, with all his knowledge and ability, is incapable of discovering Him. He also excludes God in his research on the origin and progress of the universe. He is willfully ignorant (2 Peter 3:5). As a result, he has fallen into the foolishness of evolution theory.
God not only controls the water above the earth’s surface, but also the water on the earth’s surface (Job 26:10). The water above the earth is held by God in clouds. The water on earth is held by God within the limits set by Him (Psalms 104:9; Jeremiah 5:22b).
Also in another sense God has drawn a boundary over the surface of the water. That boundary is the horizon. We become aware of this when we stand on the shore of an ocean. If we look into the distance, we see the horizon. We cannot look any further. There is the boundary between the light sky and the dark sea, the boundary between the water in the cloud sky and the water in the sea.
Also the impressive, massive, unshakable mountains, rising high above the landscape and touching the heaven, are under His authority (Job 26:11). They are poetically called “the pillars of heaven”, as if heaven is resting on them. But when He rebukes them, and we might think of an earthquake, they tremble (Exodus 19:18). Of all that imposing nothing remains. Only His majesty above all else is permanent.
Then there is also His power in the wind with which He whips up the sea (Job 26:12; Psalms 107:25; Isaiah 51:15; Jeremiah 31:35). With the same authority He also restrains the wind and causes “the storm to be still” (Psalms 107:29). What is attributed to God here we see the Lord Jesus doing in the Gospels (Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:39). It is one of the many proofs that the Lord Jesus is God.
God is not only great in His omnipotence and majesty, but also in His clearness (Job 26:13). The Spirit of God gives that clearness in heaven. We see the clearness of the sky, the clouds, the heavenly bodies. David is deeply impressed by it: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Psalms 8:3). God creates, controls and delivers (Isaiah 27:1; Revelation 20:2).
That clearness was lost by “the quick [or: fleeing] serpent”, the devil (Revelation 12:9), when he brought sin into the world. But God is in Christ the Victor over the devil. He will renew the face of the ground (Psalms 104:30) and restore creation to its original beauty. Then the devil will be bound and the corruption of creation will be taken away (Romans 8:21).
Psalms 3:4
God Rules Over the Universe
Job continues his description of the greatness of God, now looking north and upward (Job 26:7). He sees the vast expanse of the universe. He looks north – the place from which God reigns (Isaiah 14:13-14) – the northern ceiling of the heavens, which is like a curtain overhanging the expanse. In that vast expanse of emptiness, where nothing can be hanged on, the earth hangs. God has hung the globe “on nothing”.
That the earth “hangs” is an established fact. If Scripture mentions anything about creation, it is God’s truth. Scientific ‘truth’ is different. Scientific language is soon outdated. Scientific conclusions have to be rewritten regularly because new insights destroy the previous ones. The Bible, inspired by God and therefore faultless, is not written in scientific language, but in everyday language and never needs to be changed. Everything God has said remains current for all ages and generations (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Thus God also wraps up the waters together in His clouds (Job 26:8; cf. Proverbs 30:4), without the cloud bursting because of its weight. It is God who gathers the fumes of the earth into thick clouds, as it were the jars of heaven (Job 38:37). It is His way of giving rain on earth wherever He wills (cf. Jeremiah 10:13; Psalms 104:3).
Above the clouds is God’s throne, which He makes invisible by spreading His cloud over it (Job 26:9; cf. Psalms 97:2). Of course this is meant to be symbolic, because even without clouds the throne of God is invisible. The throne is the center from which creation is ruled (cf. Job 1:6-12). Man, with all his knowledge and ability, is incapable of discovering Him. He also excludes God in his research on the origin and progress of the universe. He is willfully ignorant (2 Peter 3:5). As a result, he has fallen into the foolishness of evolution theory.
God not only controls the water above the earth’s surface, but also the water on the earth’s surface (Job 26:10). The water above the earth is held by God in clouds. The water on earth is held by God within the limits set by Him (Psalms 104:9; Jeremiah 5:22b).
Also in another sense God has drawn a boundary over the surface of the water. That boundary is the horizon. We become aware of this when we stand on the shore of an ocean. If we look into the distance, we see the horizon. We cannot look any further. There is the boundary between the light sky and the dark sea, the boundary between the water in the cloud sky and the water in the sea.
Also the impressive, massive, unshakable mountains, rising high above the landscape and touching the heaven, are under His authority (Job 26:11). They are poetically called “the pillars of heaven”, as if heaven is resting on them. But when He rebukes them, and we might think of an earthquake, they tremble (Exodus 19:18). Of all that imposing nothing remains. Only His majesty above all else is permanent.
Then there is also His power in the wind with which He whips up the sea (Job 26:12; Psalms 107:25; Isaiah 51:15; Jeremiah 31:35). With the same authority He also restrains the wind and causes “the storm to be still” (Psalms 107:29). What is attributed to God here we see the Lord Jesus doing in the Gospels (Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:39). It is one of the many proofs that the Lord Jesus is God.
God is not only great in His omnipotence and majesty, but also in His clearness (Job 26:13). The Spirit of God gives that clearness in heaven. We see the clearness of the sky, the clouds, the heavenly bodies. David is deeply impressed by it: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Psalms 8:3). God creates, controls and delivers (Isaiah 27:1; Revelation 20:2).
That clearness was lost by “the quick [or: fleeing] serpent”, the devil (Revelation 12:9), when he brought sin into the world. But God is in Christ the Victor over the devil. He will renew the face of the ground (Psalms 104:30) and restore creation to its original beauty. Then the devil will be bound and the corruption of creation will be taken away (Romans 8:21).
Psalms 3:5
God Rules Over the Universe
Job continues his description of the greatness of God, now looking north and upward (Job 26:7). He sees the vast expanse of the universe. He looks north – the place from which God reigns (Isaiah 14:13-14) – the northern ceiling of the heavens, which is like a curtain overhanging the expanse. In that vast expanse of emptiness, where nothing can be hanged on, the earth hangs. God has hung the globe “on nothing”.
That the earth “hangs” is an established fact. If Scripture mentions anything about creation, it is God’s truth. Scientific ‘truth’ is different. Scientific language is soon outdated. Scientific conclusions have to be rewritten regularly because new insights destroy the previous ones. The Bible, inspired by God and therefore faultless, is not written in scientific language, but in everyday language and never needs to be changed. Everything God has said remains current for all ages and generations (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Thus God also wraps up the waters together in His clouds (Job 26:8; cf. Proverbs 30:4), without the cloud bursting because of its weight. It is God who gathers the fumes of the earth into thick clouds, as it were the jars of heaven (Job 38:37). It is His way of giving rain on earth wherever He wills (cf. Jeremiah 10:13; Psalms 104:3).
Above the clouds is God’s throne, which He makes invisible by spreading His cloud over it (Job 26:9; cf. Psalms 97:2). Of course this is meant to be symbolic, because even without clouds the throne of God is invisible. The throne is the center from which creation is ruled (cf. Job 1:6-12). Man, with all his knowledge and ability, is incapable of discovering Him. He also excludes God in his research on the origin and progress of the universe. He is willfully ignorant (2 Peter 3:5). As a result, he has fallen into the foolishness of evolution theory.
God not only controls the water above the earth’s surface, but also the water on the earth’s surface (Job 26:10). The water above the earth is held by God in clouds. The water on earth is held by God within the limits set by Him (Psalms 104:9; Jeremiah 5:22b).
Also in another sense God has drawn a boundary over the surface of the water. That boundary is the horizon. We become aware of this when we stand on the shore of an ocean. If we look into the distance, we see the horizon. We cannot look any further. There is the boundary between the light sky and the dark sea, the boundary between the water in the cloud sky and the water in the sea.
Also the impressive, massive, unshakable mountains, rising high above the landscape and touching the heaven, are under His authority (Job 26:11). They are poetically called “the pillars of heaven”, as if heaven is resting on them. But when He rebukes them, and we might think of an earthquake, they tremble (Exodus 19:18). Of all that imposing nothing remains. Only His majesty above all else is permanent.
Then there is also His power in the wind with which He whips up the sea (Job 26:12; Psalms 107:25; Isaiah 51:15; Jeremiah 31:35). With the same authority He also restrains the wind and causes “the storm to be still” (Psalms 107:29). What is attributed to God here we see the Lord Jesus doing in the Gospels (Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:39). It is one of the many proofs that the Lord Jesus is God.
God is not only great in His omnipotence and majesty, but also in His clearness (Job 26:13). The Spirit of God gives that clearness in heaven. We see the clearness of the sky, the clouds, the heavenly bodies. David is deeply impressed by it: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Psalms 8:3). God creates, controls and delivers (Isaiah 27:1; Revelation 20:2).
That clearness was lost by “the quick [or: fleeing] serpent”, the devil (Revelation 12:9), when he brought sin into the world. But God is in Christ the Victor over the devil. He will renew the face of the ground (Psalms 104:30) and restore creation to its original beauty. Then the devil will be bound and the corruption of creation will be taken away (Romans 8:21).
Psalms 3:6
There Is Much More
After all that has been said about the heavens and the earth, it must also be said that these are but the fringes of His ways. It is, so to speak, only the glory of the hem of His garments (Isaiah 6:1). In creation only “His eternal power and divine nature” are seen (Romans 1:20). These are the borders of God’s power that a man can see. He cannot see any further. Reality is so much greater than a man can comprehend, let alone describe it. In order to see more, man needs the revelation of the Spirit.
The language God speaks in creation is clear and overwhelming (Psalms 19:2-7). They are visual words. Yet they say so little compared to the fullness that is in Him. In comparison with Who God really is, they are merely whispering words. If these “fringes of His ways” show us only a glimpse of His infinite power, how could anyone understand “His mighty thunder”? Here Job means the full unfolding of the power of God.
Man is incapable of understanding God’s power. Who is not impressed by an approaching thunderstorm with deafening thunderclaps and blinding flashes of light? But what do we actually understand of the power of God Who controls it? If God showed His full power, man would be blown away, wiped out, crushed and consumed.
The New Testament believer is able to see more of God than just His eternal power and divine nature. He has received the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit he is able to know the thoughts of God, “for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). Children of God can behold God’s glory in Christ, the “glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Psalms 3:8
Introduction
Job gagged Bildad (Job 26:1-4) and overruled Bildad’s insight into the majesty of God over the lights in the sky with his praise of the majesty of God over the realm of death (Job 26:5-14). After that the friends remain silent – they have finished.
Job now begins a monologue that runs through Job 31. In Job 27 he addresses his three friends in a few sentences one more time. His tone is calmer than in the previous chapters; the language remains fascinating.
Job Maintains His Righteousness
The words of Job 27:1 appear here for the first time (cf. Job 29:1). It means that the usual order of speech is broken here. It would have been Zophar’s turn, but he is silent. So Job “continues” his discourse. But it is not an answer to a speech of one of the friends that would have preceded it.
Job begins his monologue with swearing an oath (Job 27:2), but in his words his struggle and incomprehension about what God has done to him resounds. He is firmly convinced of God as the Living One. What has happened to him, has been done to him by God. But he does not agree. God has taken away his right. This is incomprehensible to him, because he sees no reason for it in his life. Although he struggles with that, he knows that God as the Living One keeps him alive and supports him. The Almighty has embittered him, but he does not know for what he has deserved it. Similar words can be found with other believers, for example with Naomi (Rth 1:20).
What Job says is the saying of someone who has a good conscience. But there is a self-righteousness in it that does not match the self-knowledge of someone who is in God’s presence. Job is not there yet. He struggles and at the same time has the certainty that God has given him life. As long as he lives, he knows that God keeps him alive (Job 27:3). He owes his life, his breath, to God.
As long as he lives, his lips certainly will not speak unjustly, nor will his tongue mutter deceit (Job 27:4). He will never give up the conviction of his innocence. His friends have tried everything to convince him that he is wrong. But there is no question of him agreeing with them (Job 27:5). The friends have taken as their starting point the misery in which he finds himself. Their reasoning was simple: God punishes sins with suffering; Job suffers, so he must have sinned; he even suffers very much, so he must have sinned very much.
Job will reject this accusation until his last breath, until he gives up the spirit. If he did agree with them, he would lie, he would cheat with his tongue, he would give up his righteousness, for he really has not done what they claim. He will hold on to his righteousness and underlines that statement by adding that he will not let it go (Job 27:6).
Job can look back on every day of his life as a day on which he has served God in sincerity. There is no contempt in his heart for a day that would not have been well spent. His life is an open book, against which there can be no accusation. As long as he lives, he will hold on to his righteousness and thus to the fact that he suffers innocently.