Psalms 114

Psalm 114 celebrates God's mighty acts during Israel's exodus from Egypt, a land of strange language. It recounts how the sea and Jordan fled, and mountains trembled, all in response to the divine presence. The psalm concludes by commanding the earth to tremble before the Lord, who can turn rock into water.

Psalm 114 vividly describes the awe-inspiring events surrounding Israel's departure from Egypt, a land of foreign tongue. It declares that Judah became God's sacred dwelling and Israel His sovereign domain. The psalm then uses powerful imagery to depict the natural world's reaction to God's presence: the Red Sea parted, the Jordan River reversed its flow, and the mountains and hills seemed to leap with trepidation. Rhetorical questions are posed to these elements, inquiring into the cause of their extraordinary behavior. The answer is revealed as a command for the entire earth to tremble before the Lord, the God of Jacob. This God is further glorified as the one who miraculously provided water from a rock, demonstrating His absolute power over creation.

Psalm 114 opens by recalling the momentous occasion when the children of Israel departed from Egypt, a nation characterized by a strange language. This pivotal event marked the establishment of Judah as God's sanctuary and Israel as His dominion, signifying a unique covenantal relationship. The psalmist then employs striking poetic imagery to illustrate the profound impact of God's presence on the natural world. The Red Sea is depicted as seeing God and fleeing, while the Jordan River is described as being driven back, referencing the miraculous partings of water. Furthermore, the mountains are portrayed as skipping like rams and the little hills like lambs, a powerful metaphor for the earth's response to divine power, perhaps alluding to the trembling of Mount Sinai. The psalm then shifts to a series of rhetorical questions, directly addressing the sea, the Jordan, the mountains, and the hills, asking them to explain their extraordinary actions. These questions serve to heighten the dramatic effect and underscore the supernatural nature of the events. The ultimate answer is provided in a direct command: the earth is to tremble at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. This declaration emphasizes God's supreme authority and the reverence due to Him from all creation. The psalm concludes by reiterating God's omnipotence, specifically mentioning His ability to transform a hard rock into a flowing spring of water, a clear reference to the miracles in the wilderness, thereby affirming His power to sustain and provide for His people.