Nature and natural phenomena are used throughout the Psalms to illustrate God’s power. The vivid natural depictions of Psalm 104 present a portrayal of a God who rules over all the Earth and all its creatures. However, this Psalmist takes a very interesting approach to God and the natural world by drawing very close parallels (and even mixing together) examples of how God provides for man and animals needs alike. This approach seems much more naturalistic than more modern religious depictions that suggest a hierarchy of God above man above animal. Verses 21-23 “The lions roar for prey they seek from God their food. When the sun comes up, they head home, and in their dens lie down. Man goes out to his work and to his labor until evening.” depict animals calling to God and behaving in the same way that man does. This differs greatly from modern religious belief, which tends to shun any notion of animal spirituality.
It seems clear from the vast natural depictions in the Psalms that the Hebrews valued the beauty of nature and saw it as a testament of their God’s power. Their texts suggest that additionally, nature is dependent on God- in a way that is in tune with his will. Why then has time changed Western religious views of nature to an entity separated from God and spirituality and that only God and man have a special spiritual bond that extends beyond life? I believe the advances in the natural sciences may be involved in this apparent shift. As we become able to explain natural phenomena, they may seem to be somewhat separated from the mysterious and very present hand of God that the Psalms depict. Today, especially in Christian tradition, the closest connection people see to God is through prayer and miracles, two phenomena that cannot be explained. I think this interpretation is fitting with the ancient tradition of man attempting to understand and explain the mysteries of his world through God.
The irony, I think, is that the incredible beauty and complexity of the science of our world is not appreciated more in modern western religious thought than it was by the Psalmists.
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