The Tumult of the Peoples

King David marveled at God's creation. His numerous references to the sea in so many Psalms is clearly a reminder that the God who formed the universe as a work of his hands is capable of being near to us in moments of hardship. In much the same way, the sea was the King's reminder of God deliverance of Israel from their Egyptian captors. God truly could have delivered his Chosen Nation from Egyptian captivity in many ways. King David found comfort in the truth of Psalm 77, our focal point yesterday, that..."his way was through the sea" (Psalm 77: 19, ESV). This morning, while staring at the Atlantic Ocean the words of Psalm 65 touched me, especially verses 5-8:

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation,

the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; 6 the one who by his

strength established the mountains, being girded with might; 7 who stills the roaring of

the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, 8 so that those who dwell

at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the

morning and the evening to shout for joy.

Psalm 65: 5-8, ESV

King David didn't live in royal isolation. He was aware of the needs of the people around him---family, palace guards, his household, military personnel, priests, and the people of his kingdom. Even more were the threatening challenges of opposing nations, the often violent collision of human sinfulness, the crowds seeking to pursue and fulfill their sinful ways, the masses in turmoil. The King knew that the God who could calm and quiet the stormy seas could just as mightily bring peace to sinful, enraged people.

Yes, they were all his creations---the seas, the winds, the rains, the mountain peaks, and the human creature. David's point in God's stilling the tumult of the people is that the human creature is willfully resistant, sinfully self-absorbed, prone to crowd dynamics and the safety of group plunder. King David saw the sea, great and wide, and it reminded him of human restlessness and uncontrolled movement, the tumult of the people. Our mighty God can quiet the noise of the rampaging seas and the heat of human disobedience.

The truth of that lesson gripped me this morning. You see, we've learned a few things about the tumult of the peoples recently. Storming the White House, clashing in the streets, racial tension, election mysteries, political hype, media sway, viral pandemic, rebellion and uprising in the winds. The evidence of an enraged electorate continues to peek through the seams of our governing documents and the rule of law. King David reveals a truth: human systems cannot remedy the tumult of the peoples. Nor government, nor education, nor civic organizations, not even the contemporary, voiceless church.

King David saw the sea great and wide, and he thought of his glorious God. As he rehearsed God's rule over creation he remembered that only God can still the tumult of the peoples. Right now the people can use a little stilling.

The Day of Trouble

You can't seriously study the Psalms apart from an awareness of King David's personal trials and difficulties. The King of Israel, "the man after God's own heart..." (see 1 Samuel 13: 14; Acts 13:22), experienced sinful distance from God, family drama, the dangers of wartime, political intrigue, and periods of spiritual darkness. In extended times of frustration and loneliness he repeatedly asked "How long, O Lord...?" (Psalm 13: 1, one example), his plea for endurance and perseverance, for an awareness of God's presence. The weight of life burdened him greatly.

Psalm 77 is one of those mournful hymns. The opening verses set the stage of this particular sorrowful lament---

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. 2 In the day of my trouble I seek

the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be

comforted. 3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

Psalm 77: 1-3, ESV

But, King David knew something. In moments of crisis he turned to his heavenly Father. Verse 2 is so revealing---"In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord...". Verses four through twenty are then a recitation of God's provision for the King and Israel as they served him. And, yes, there are mentions of the waters and especially the sea---

Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; and your footprints

were unseen. You led your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 77: 19-20, ESV

Yes, King David knew the history of Israel and their miraculous delivery from Egyptian captivity. Being delivered from Egyptian troops at the Red Sea was no doubt the King's reference point. It was perhaps the most memorable occasion of God's intervention in the history of Israel. This morning as I stare at he sea in my dry, warm indoor perch with a view through the sliding glass doors, I am convicted by King David's faithful response to a time of trouble. In that moment of personal crisis, King David remembered the works of God from the past. He countered the question marks of doubt with the firm exclamation points of what God had done in history. He remembered that God's way for Israel when the Egyptian armies were closing in was through the sea.

The Atlantic is beautiful this morning, clear skies overhead, a cold yet calm scene. The currents and wave appear strong however, stretching to the horizon and beyond view. When Israel stood at the edges of the Red Sea, no doubt praying for a miracle, God could have stretched out his hand to deliver them hundreds of ways. This morning I am reminded that his way was through the sea. In times of doubt, or any personal crisis for that matter, I will remember King David's lament about the sea, and remember what the angel said to young Mary---"for nothing will be impossible to God" (Luke 1:37, ESV).

Here is the sea, great and wide...

Staring at the sea.

The sea is a recurring image in King David's lyric poetry and songs. Scrolling through the Psalms Sunday afternoon I was taken by the profound ways he was influenced by that singular reference, the sea. His personal ocean going experience was most likely very limited. The King had been an earth bound shepherd boy and soldier throughout his years. What he knew about the sea was most likely learned in the scrolls of ancient Judaism or from the rabbis and colleagues who counseled. Still, his written Psalms resound with sea talk. They were profound elements of his faith, personal growth and development, the lessons of the sea in the epoch of Israel.

Yesterday, Psalm 104 gave me pause as the King extolled the majesty and glory of our Creator God. It is a Psalm about God's greatness, the wonders of his creative hand, the immovable foundations, the waters that stood above the mountains (see verses 5-6), and the limits of the created order. The simple phrase "Here is the sea, great and wide..." (verse 25) registered deeply with me. You see, King David could not explain the physical dimensions of the earth's waters, or define what differentiates an ocean from a sea from a lake, a gulf, sound, or river. He could not have known that 71% of the earth's surface was water or that these waters stretched .3 billion miles, averaged 12,080 feet in depth, or even imagined the 873,000 square miles of the Bering Sea.

What King David did know what that God "...covered it with the deep as with a garment, and waters stood above the mountains" (Psalm 104: 6). He knew that "You make water spring forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field...from your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work" (Psalm 104: 10, 13). King David probably only actually saw three or four of the 77 seas on this earth. But, he knew who created them. His Psalms mention the seas numerous times. But, these Psalms aren't about the seas. They are about the glorious God who created them all.

So, right now I'm staring at the sea. Harriet and I are blessed to be part owners of a beach front condominium in Garden City, South Carolina. We have four weeks each year to stare at the Atlantic Ocean, one of our glorious God's seas. What does the sea say to me right now---

Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things

both small and great. 26 There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in

it. 27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. 28 When you give it

to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works, 32 who

looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!

Psalm 104: 25-28, 31-32, ESV

So, that's the deal this week. Old Sonny staring at the Atlantic Ocean and knowing, "Here is the sea, great and wide..." Glory!