Praising the LORD for His  REIGN & PROVISION. -{ v 15-18}

Seeing God’s Reign over the elements of His Creation, testifies to us that He is in control.

God’s control of the seasons

15 He sends forth His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He casts forth His ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 He sends forth His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.”- v 15-18.

Note the word “He” and how often it is used in this passage. How wonderful to know that there is someone other than “fate, mother earth,” in control. God takes responsibility and His involvement is clear for all to see and know the LORD God is at work, and is to be praised as a result of what you see, feel, know.

The elements of creation do not happen by accident, happen-chance, luck, but by God, who…

“…sends forth His command to the earth!”   

“Sends,” is a verb. He continually sends forth His command  to the earth. The Hebrew word “earth” is “erets” which can be translated “countries and their lands.”How wonderful, powerful, great and gracious is He He that  what  and where He purposes will happen!- “Praise the LORD!”

“…His word runs very swiftly.”

The word “runs” is the Hebrew word  “ruts,” and is a verb and speaks of “courier runs, carried them speedily, dash to and fro, run.” Run as opposed to standing still, stagnant. walking but to run! It is used in Genesis 24:17, “Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” Also in Genesis 41:14, “Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; ” It is used of  Samuel when God called him and his response, “that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”  Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” -1 Samuel 3:4-5. His Word runs  hurriedly, swiftly, throughout the earth,countries and lands. His Word is on the move because God commands it to!

Swiftly,” the word means hurriedly, speedily.It is used in 1 Samuel 20:38 -“And Jonathan called after the lad, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” In Joel 3:4 it is also used where we read, “But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense on your head.” There is an urgency, quick movement from His Word because “He” who is in control, commands “Praise the LORD,”

His Word running swiftly in creation and the elements is manifested in that…

“… He gives snow like wool;”

Again note, it is not happenstance, but “He” is involved and “He Gives..” the word is used in genesis 13:15, “for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.” Under no obligation, or persuasion but of His own free will, his doing, He acts, He gifts, He makes it happen- Praise the LORD. Note what He gifts the earth, “Snow!” Snow was unusual  in this part of the world, but note when “He” deemed it necessary He used the snow to bring about victory, ” When the Almighty scattered the kings  thereIt was snowing in Zalmon.”-{Psalm 68:14}. “He scattered…” “He gives…” He is Sovereign over His creation and the elements that exist and come into being at various times, like snow because He reigns! Praise the LORD!”  Job 37:5-6, “God thunders with His voice wondrously,Doing great things which we cannot comprehend. “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’…”

He commands the snow, He gifts the snow, He reigns!  He uses “snow” figuratively in regards our sins,  “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord“Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; “-{Isaiah 1:18}. “He”sends snow like wool upon His earth and we see it and how blind we often are, we do not see Him who sent it, whose snow it is. See Him, ask Him to help you see Him as you look at His creation, including His snow! Again”He” does it, He  is active, “He” is in control, doesn’t your heart just  just want to “Praise the LORD!” And even if you are so low, emotionally, spiritually, go ahead and “Praise the LORD,” because He is worthy, and you love Him! The next time you see snow falling from the sky or awake to snow, know God is still alive, and reigning and speaking through His creation to you, to me, of Himself! –“Praise the LORD!”

“…He scatters the frost like ashes….He casts forth His ice as fragments;” 

“Frost,”-“querach,” the Hebrew word and from a word “quarach” and used to speak of ” frost, ice, hail.” It is used of Jacob when speaking to Laban, “Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.”-{Genesis 31:40}. It is used when God spoke to Moses about how He would deliver  His people from Egypt, “Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”-{Exodus 9:18-19}.God in control and God using the elements to bring about His plan! 

The Hebrew word, “Scatters,” “shalak” means “to throw, fling, cast.” And who does this? The LORD, God does it!” He” does it. Again,”He” is active, the “frost” He scatters, it is a verb, the frost you see, feel, is Him involved and He scatters it, throws, flings, casts like ashes! Creation and it’s elements cry out and point to Him. See Him in your world and “Praise the LORD!” The frost reminds us to Think who is behind it, who is causing it?  He controls it, He controls the intensity, severity  gentleness where it falls, when it falls, over who it falls and sweeps over! HE IS in charge of It!

“Ice,” can be dangerous and also fun. As a child growing up near our house was a slight incline and a footpath that boys would water,a nd it would freeze and then beginning at the top of the hill running and sliding down unto it until you ran out of footpath and unto the road… thankfully there was little or no traffic, but how wonderful the ice! It is “He” who casts forth ice. Again it is Him. “Praise the LORD!”

The NIV translate it this way, “He hurls down his hail like pebbles.”
    

“…Who can stand before His cold?”

Who can take their stand against what He does in regards His “cold?”   “Praise the LORD!”

 

“… He sends forth His word and melts them;”

Note, “He” again who is in control, in His time uses His power and the  snow, frost, ice , cold, He acts and “melts” them.  The Hebrew word, “masah,” a verb and is translated, “melt, dissolve, be liquefied.”

Without His doing they would not melt! Think on that. Who could reverse what He establishes? No one can stop, hinder, keep Him from sending forth snow, frost, ice and cold. For if they could it would mean someone else had control over Him! But no one does, He is God- “Elohim,” the “Mighty, powerful, Sovereign God, all powerful! Whenever you see the the snow, ice cold melt, you are seeing Him in action! How amazing He is! Stand in awe! And how does He do this. what means? “His Word!” With His Word He commands these  things to come into being and with his word He dispenses of them. Glory, Behold your God! See Him in creation, see Him in the elements, see Him in the seasons, See Him and… “Praise the LORD!”

“…He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.”

The wind, we can’t see it, but we can feel it. We can feel the gentleness of it’s breeze that soothes, comforts helps regulate us on a hot scorching summer day and it feels good. Then we see its effects on a violent ocean erupting and waves been hurled into the sky and deep down into the ocean. The roar of the sea, can be frightening. The winds that whip up and tornadoes that are explosive and destructive in their  wake for anything caught up in it. We read in Psalm 135:7,”… He brings out the wind from His storehouse.” The NLT version says, “… and RELEASES  the wind from His storehouse!” What a picture!

God is in charge;

God had flooded the earth and its inhabitants and they all drowned except Noah and members of His family and the animals on the ark. Note how powerful He is over the wind to accomplish His purpose; “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.“-{Genesis 8:1}

The song of Moses and the people after God had delivered them from the bondage of Egypt and drowned the enemy who pursued them, ” “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be gratified against them; I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.  “Who is like You among the gods, O LordWho is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? “You stretched out Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.” -{Exodus 15:9-12}. God controls the winds, God uses the winds to bring about His purpose as He pleases and who can stay His hand? No one! The response if to be as Moses and worship Him, the LORD of the winds!

“…And Waters To Flow.”

“…He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.'”-{Job 37:6}.

“Praise the LORD!”

God spoke to Job a series of questions including these…

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
Which I have reserved for the time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?
“Where is the way that the light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?”– {Job 38:32-33}

He asks Job the questions … and He speaks to Him of the elements of creation in regards His greatness, Sovereignty.

 

To those whom the Psalmist wrote to in Psalm 147, four times he calls the people to “Praise the LORD,” who had built up Jerusalem after it had been destroyed.- {v2}. He gathered the “outcasts,” -{ v2}. He Healed the “broken-hearted,” -{v3}. He bound up their wounds.-{v3 }. He supported the “afflicted.”-{v6} and again in this portion beginning in verse 12, he calls the people who have experiences His greatness and goodness to “Praise the LORD!”

Consider His work in your life and in the elements of creation you experience or see on tv, etc and know He is working, He is revealing Himself though His powerful works and…

  1. – Join in and “Praise the LORD.”
  2. – Remind others of His works in the elements and reach out to them and call them to also “Praise the LORD!”

 

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“He also mentions snow, frost, ice, and cold, which Jerusalem only rarely experiences. Psalm 68:14 mentions a victory that God brought about when “it was snowing in Zalmon” (a place of uncertain identity, but the Lord brought a rare snowstorm to rout the enemy). The Lord who can send bitter cold and ice also “sends forth His word and melts them” (v. 18). God is in control of the forces of nature, which He not only created, but also actively governs on behalf of His people.”- {Steven Cole.}