Q. 9. What is the work of creation?

A. The work of creation is, God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good. 

Q. 10. How did God create man?

A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. 

Q. 11. What are God's works of providence?

A. God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.

Children, who made you? What else did God make? Did God make this bread? This is where you need to understand how providence works. God did not make this loaf of bread. A person did. A creature made this loaf of bread. A long time ago, God created the first plants, and he has powerfully, actively, day by day by day, preserved and governed all his creatures, and all their actions, so that a few months ago a farmer harvested the wheat that God gave him, a few weeks ago a miller ground it up with the tools that God provided, and yesterday a baker baked this bread with the wisdom and skill that God has given. So no, God did not make this bread. But God made everything that went into the bread, and he governed the whole process. So when we say that God made all things, we mean that in the beginning, God created all things out of nothing, and that ever since then, he has been preserving and governing all things.

In our day the doctrines of creation and providence have fallen on hard times. The doctrine of creation is generally ignored as many devote their energies to debating the length of the creation day, or the relation between Genesis 1 and modern science. And the doctrine of providence is equally forgotten, as we look increasingly to technology to replace the hand of God.

The length of the creation day and the questions of modern science and technology have very little to do with the doctrines of creation and providence. So let us set aside those questions, and let us come to the Word of God and ask, what does God say is important? Psalm 104 is one of the most extensive discussions of creation and providence in the scriptures. But Psalm 104 gives us a very different perspective on nature than we get today. Today we tend to view nature in terms of natural processes. We look at the sky and think about the likelihood of lake-effect snow this week. We think in terms of the food-chain, so that if we don't get enough rain, then the cows won't get enough food next year, and then milk and meat prices will go up... Psalm 104 calls us to look at creation with new eyes.

Bless Yahweh, O my soul! O Yahweh my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. (104:1-4)

Verses 1-4 set forth the glory of God in the heavens. The psalmist speaks of how God has clothed himself with splendor and majesty, and how he has stretched out the heavens like a tent. Now, we are speaking here of the heavens. Only in verse 5 will he speak of the earth. So the waters referred to here in verse three are the waters above the heavens. In Genesis 1 we are told that God separated the waters above from the waters beneath, by means of a firmament (Hebrew-raqia). This "firmament" God called "heaven"-what we normally call the sky. Everywhere in scripture this firmament is assumed to be a solid object. (Which is what everyone thought until the 16th century.) And when God appears to various prophets (Ezekiel 1, or the 70 elders in Ex. 24), he appears at the peak of the firmament. In other words, as verse 3 says, he lays the beams of his chambers on the waters. God's dwelling place is at the pinnacle of the heavens. The clouds are his chariot. God comes from the heavens riding on the clouds, He rides on the wings of the wind. Indeed, the very winds come as his messengers, and the flaming fires of lightning are his servants. 

How often do you think this way? How often do you look at the heavens, and behold the dwelling of God. No, I'm not talking about some place way up there light-years beyond the stars. That's the language of modern science. I'm talking about right up there at the peak of that blue sky. Now, the biblical authors knew that God's dwelling was not so easy to find. Solomon speaks of how the heavens, and the heaven of heavens, could not contain God. But they speak of God's dwelling as being that close to the earth, because it is. He is exalted over all, and yet he stretched out the heavens as a tent, He built the heavens and the earth, as a place where he could dwell with his people. Psalm 150 speaks of this when it declares, "Praise the Lord in his sanctuary, Praise him in his mighty firmament." It compares the sanctuary of the temple--the place where God dwelt with Israel--to the firmament--the place which God created to dwell with all men. The heavens and the earth were created to be a temple. The earthly temple was needed only because of sin. Do you think of the heavens this way? Do you look up at the sky and see the vault of the temple? The glorious tent that God spread over the place where he would dwell with man? Verses 5-9 speak of the earth in language that could apply either to the creation or the flood. In the first creation God separated dry land from the waters, and in the flood (a second creation, in a sense) he did the same thing. But either way, this speaks of the power of the voice of God over creation. "At your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight."

All of creation obeys the voice of the Lord. Verses 10-23 explore this theme. Verses 10-13 speak of how God provides water for the beasts and the birds. "From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work." It is not enough to say that God is the one who set the natural laws in motion. If we believe that "God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions," then we must see the hand of God working powerfully in nature. "You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart" (v14-15). Livestock, wine, oil, and bread--the four staples of the ancient Jewish economy, and the four most important substances in Israelite worship. Economics, worship, indeed, all of daily life, are brought together under the most holy, wise and powerful providence of God. It is in this sense that all of life is an act of worship, since the world we live in was created as a temple to God.

Verses 16-23 speak of how God has provided for every creature under heaven. He has given the trees as homes for the birds, and the high mountains for the wild goats. He is the one who has made both the light and the darkness. He is the one who gives the young lions their food. The beasts of the forest work by night--and God provides. Man works by day--and God provides.

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Verses 25-26 then speak of the sea creatures, including the great monster Leviathan. Leviathan was a mythic sea monster from pagan mythology that was supposed to have done battle with the gods. Genesis 1 includes a reference to these sea monsters, but they do not do battle with God: they are viewed as one of the tame creatures that do God's bidding. Psalm 104, by explicitly referring to Leviathan, is continuing the apologetic thrust of Genesis 1. Yahweh is bigger and stronger than the gods of the nations. The gods of the nations had to fight against Leviathan. Our God created Leviathan--"which you formed to play" in the sea. The image is striking. Imagine it. This horrific sea monster of mythology is here portrayed as a frolicking fish, just playing in the water. "These all look to you, to give them their food in due season" (v27). The storks, the goats, the lions, the sea creatures, even Leviathan, all look to God for their food. "When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground" (28-30). All things in God's creation temple serve him.

Do you believe that? Our culture wants us to think that the regular forces of nature provide food. Scientists have explored in great detail the natural processes. And they have understood much about the ordinary method of God's providence. But the psalmist reminds us that it is the hand of God that feeds all creatures.

And the psalmist reminds us that providence does not only include the good, it also includes the bad. We often speak of some special event as being "providential." If we meet somebody unexpected who gives us a lead on a great new job, we say, "that was providential!" That's true--but it's no more providential than the fact that your toilet backed up last week. The story has been told of a young man going to visit Princeton Seminary professor Samuel Miller. Dr. Miller lived outside of town along a bumpy road, and the young man was thrown from his horse as it stumbled into a ditch. Unhurt, the young man made it to the Miller's house and said, "Dr. Miller, I can tell you of the remarkable providence of God. Though I was thrown from my horse along the road, I have hardly a scratch!" Dr. Miller looked at the young man and said, "I can tell you of an even more remarkable providence of God. I have ridden that road now for thirty years, and never have I been thrown by my horse!"

Some people try to "discern the hand of God" in their lives. They often sound quite pious, but in reality they are thoroughly secular. One who believed in the providence of God would understand that God's hand is in everything. Such people often try to understand "the will of God for my life." They come to a major life decision and try to discern the will of God. This is a magical, superstitious practice, no different from palm reading or crystal balls. God's will is very simple: "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." If you are facing a choice between two paths, do I marry this person or not? Do I take this new job, or stay at my old one? Do I eat at Olive Garden, or at Applebee's? If either choice would glorify God, then whichever one you choose will be God's will for you. Back in my charismatic days I had to choose between staying at Westmont College, or transferring to Wheaton. I liked Westmont. I had visited Wheaton and I really didn't like it. But I was under the influence of pietism, so I tried to discern the will of God. I asked for signs. The next day a Westmont friend walked into the room wearing a Wheaton sweatshirt. Wow, I thought. A couple more coincidences later, I saw a Wheaton Van Lines moving truck parked alongside the road. But these didn't convince me. So I asked that if God wanted me at Wheaton, he should have a friend of mine from Westmont tell me to go to Wheaton. The next day a senior at Westmont told me that she was sick and tired of Westmont, and that I should go to Wheaton. That didn't work either. Like I said, I was a charismatic back then, and I believed myself to be a prophet. A couple weeks later, I thought that God was directly telling me that he wanted me at Wheaton. That didn't work either. I still wanted to stay at Westmont.

You may be thinking, doesn't this prove that God does communicate in special ways to tell us what he wants? But I was looking for these things. During these same weeks, I saw the name "Calvin" innumerable times, but I never thought of going to Calvin College. I could also recite stories of people who followed the same procedure I did, married the person that followed their prescribed formula, only to discover that the person was a syphilitic con man.

What finally convinced me to go to Wheaton was when I finally asked the question, which school would best prepare me for service in the kingdom of God?

I finally understood that the choice was mine; and that my exercise of the limited freedom and sovereignty that God had given me, would be the way that God's infinite freedom and sovereignty would be most glorified.

When you understand that God's providence works in everything, then it frees you up to do that which God puts in front of you to do. By all means pray about your decisions! Ask God for wisdom to know how you may best serve him. Seek to understand the implications of your decisions before you make them. And then give glory to God and do the next thing! There's no possible way for you to miss out on the will of God for your life. Sure, you can make some really stupid choices! But as we saw last week, it is from the hand of the Lord that both good and bad comes. When you make stupid choices, you repent of your folly, and learn wisdom. And that was God's means of teaching you wisdom, so that next time, you won't make such a stupid decision!

The Psalm concludes with a doxology: May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works, who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke! I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

The next line may seem out of place: "Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!"

Does that make sense to you? In this Psalm of praise to God for his wonders of creation and providence, why does the psalmist conclude with a prayer for the destruction of the wicked? Because the doctrines of creation and providence are inseparable from the doctrine of redemption.

When the psalmist thinks about creation and providence, and how God rules over all things, he cannot help but think about how that rule extends also to humanity. If God is the one who gives life and death to all creatures, then we must pray that he will bless his people, and destroy the wicked.

So Psalm 104 concludes with a prayer for the coming of the Messiah, a prayer for the coming of the new creation, where God will indeed rejoice in his works, because once the wicked are no more, then the whole of the new creation will sing for joy before the Lord. The creation temple has been marred by sin. Humanity can no longer worship properly because their hearts have been twisted by sin. There must be a new temple--a new creation--where God and man can meet.

Jesus, then, is the singer the Psalm 104. He is the new temple--the new creation--where God and man meet. And he is the one who was sent to seek and to save that which was lost. As he looked over the land of Canaan, the land of Promise, he beheld the marvelous providence of God. He saw with human eyes the work of his own hand. He prayed that the glory of the Lord would endure forever (thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven) and in his death he brought destruction to the wicked, and salvation to his people. And in his resurrection, as he tells us Matthew 28, "All authority, whether in heaven or on earth, has been given to me." This is what Paul speaks of in Ephesians 1:20-23. Jesus has now been raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father, "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." The Creator and Preserver of all things, has now become the Redeemer. You see, all that we have talked about with respect to creation and providence, must be seen in the light of Christ. It is your savior who rules and governs all things. It is the one who died for you and lives and reigns at the right hand of God, "as head over all things to the church," who now orders all things according to his purposes. It is Jesus, your brother, who opens his hand to give you your daily bread. It is your Father who cares for you, and disciplines you to teach you his ways. So that we can say with the apostle Paul, that we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Copyright © 2003 Peter J. Wallace