⁷Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, before the God of Jacob, ⁸who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of water.

This psalm speaks to geographical features of creation as one would talk to a person. In verse 5, the writer addresses the sea and the Jordan River; in verse 6, the mountains and hills; and in verse 7, the earth. Verbal communication with inanimate objects is a frequent biblical-poetic way of catching our attention. In this case, God reminds His people, Israel, of the miraculous events He used to bring them out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land. (When He speaks to one generation of Jews about previous generations, God treats them as an entire people group. Thus, there has been ingrained in every generation of Jews an affinity with the whole history of God’s chosen people).

This psalm, steeped in historical significance, was written after the Israelites took possession of the land and the establishment of Jerusalem in the area settled by the tribe of Judah as home to the Jewish temple. The term “Jacob” at times is used to refer to the entire people by the name of their patriarch Jacob (grandson of Abraham), who heads up the lineage of promise (not his brother Esau or his father Isaac’s half-brother Ishmael). During the Exodus, the chosen people evolved into a nation of faith, and the name given to Jacob by God was “Israel,” which became the more prominent term of reference.

As He frequently does, God reminds His people never to forget who they are and where they came from—even after hundreds of years. One commentator writes that this is a message for “each generation to participate in this world-transforming memory” (EBC). While the group of Hallel psalms (113-118) was often recited at the feasts and celebrations, this one (114) is well suited to the Passover celebration, the yearly reminder of the final and pivotal event of God rescuing His people from Egypt.

The imagery fits well with the Exodus. In verse 3, “The sea looked and fled” pictures the crossing of the Red Sea, when the Egyptian military was destroyed. The imagery includes the Jordan River crossing into the promised land. In verse 4, the skipping of mountains and hills may refer to the area of Mt. Sinai where the Mosaic Law was given, an event accompanied by geological and meteorological phenomena. The psalmist then asks them the rhetorical question of why they had such a visceral reaction to the movement of Israel from Egypt to Palestine (vss.5-6). The answer is provided: they should rightly “tremble”—the word (in Hebrew) carries the sense of writhing. It is the most appropriate and natural reaction for God’s creation as He unfolds His plan for the world through Israel.

Secular historians belittle passages like this as fanciful myths, but nature responded to God’s movement in the formation of Israel. This is not just an incidental historical note to go alongside the formation of other nations. This one is God ordained, enacted, and sustained. No wonder nature trembles! With one last allusion to God providing water in the desert (see Ex. 17:6, Num. 10:11), the psalmist concludes this call to remember God’s actions.

The lesson for us today, as believers, is to always remember who we are and where we came from. We were once slaves to sin, alienated from God, but now we are alive in Him with the promise of eternal life. We must never, never, never forget what God has done in saving us who believe. It is the pivotal, once for all, event that separates us from the world and has determined our eternal destiny. Nature is fully aware each time a sinner repents and has been redeemed at the cross of Christ—all heaven reacts with rejoicing (Luke 15:10). And as Christians, should we not remember, thank and praise God for our salvation every time our church celebrates the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus commanded we do to remember Him as our Savior?

Lord, I remember the day I repented of my sins and trusted Christ for salvation. My life has been irrevocably changed for eternity. I praise You for saving me.