Tremble, Thou Earth, at the Presence of the Lord

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver

When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language; Judah was His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion. The sea saw it, and fled; Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. "What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters." (Psalm 114)

Man is the prized creation of the Lord. In the hierarchy of earthly creation, men are at the top. They have been given dominion and are created in the image of God Himself. And though, a little lower than the angels, they will be crowned with glory and honor. God has made men His place of habitation and in His working with them, in them and through them, He has most clearly and thoroughly manifested His glory.

Judah Was His Sanctuary. The Lord was with Judah; He was residing with Israel. This is the experience of believers. There is no power in the people themselves. The reason the earth was getting out of the way so Judah could leave Egypt, escape from Pharaoh, and be sustained in the wilderness is because God was with them. They were His sanctuary; His place of residence. If God was with them, it did not matter who was against them.

Creation Saw It. The Red Sea fled from Judah and Israel. The Jordan River was driven back. The Mountains and hills trembled and skipped. The rock became a fountain of waters. The God of Jacob was near and the earth and the sea and the rivers responded. Creation was and is aware of God's working in some capacity. Here the text says, "the sea saw it and fled." When God is carrying out His purpose and someone or something is in the way, they will either move or be moved. For, "none can stay His hand" (Dan 4:35) and "no purpose of [His] can be thwarted" (Job 42:2, NASB).

The King and His Kingdom. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Ps 24:1). God is a King that does as He pleases and there is no end to His reign. Jesus, even in His humbled state, drove out demons, calmed the sea, raised the dead, cursed the fig tree, turned water into wine, walked on water, and fed the multitudes. He was actually tempted by the devil to turn a stone into bread...because He could. This was all a manifestation of His "God-ness" and that God is the ruler of all creation.

If He is bringing Israel out of Egypt then the sea will flee, the rivers will stop, the rocks will produce water and bread will come up from the midst of the ground. If He sees fit to judge men, then the earth will open up and swallow them, the heaven will pour forth fire and brimstone to consume cities or He will cause rain to fall for forty days and nights to consume all flesh. He can cause the rain to cease, the sun to stand still, and darkness to pervade the land at noon. He can cause a storm to rise on the sea, a fish to swallow His prophet and then spit him back out. He can make a donkey speak, a priest to go mute and a mountain to tremble. This answers the questions about where "natural disasters" come from. "If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?" (Amos 3:6, NASB).

The "natural world" is at God's disposal and He uses it according to His purpose and good pleasure. The Earth trembles at the presence of God for it is subject to His will. Is there any limit to what the Lord can do? Is there any cause for worry or fear among God's people. Truly the Lord can do all things - even manipulate the earth to fulfill His purpose. 

Think about this and in faith commit your prayers unto the King of Glory. Order your prayers aright and anticipate great working from the Lord. It is His manner to make a way - when there is no way. He is the God of impossible.