This Psalm underscores the creative power of God that continually controls His creations. This particular Psalm, believed to be sung by Jesus prior to His crucifixion, signifies the ultimate re-creation of man in His image. Contemplating what may have occupied the mind of Jesus while He sang this song during the meal that preceded the commencement of His sufferings and death for our sake can provide us with a renewed perspective on this Psalm.
God’s Sanctuary
When Israel came out of Egypt,
Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Judah became God’s sanctuary,
Israel his dominion. – Psalms 114:1-2 (NIV)
The Psalmist recounted the remarkable deliverance of God in times of distress caused by those who spoke foreign tongues. The vernacular of various regions significantly influences the cohesion of individuals sharing the same language, often thereby excluding others from their communities. Despite this, it is observed that such groups frequently subject those they perceive as outsiders to discrimination. A historical examination reveals that it was God who instituted the division of languages and dispersed mankind to avert opposition against Him.
In essence, this act was intended to foster unity with God rather than estrangement, even as people became scattered across the globe. Notwithstanding God’s efforts to draw them nearer to Him, linguistic diversity has led people to congregate according to their languages, often resulting in unjust actions towards speakers of other languages. Nevertheless, in His mercy, God delivered the Israelites from the oppressive hands of the Egyptians, allowing them to worship Him freely.
In the contemporary context, God has liberated us from darkness and from the profane and abusive language to which we have become accustomed. He has called us to repent so that we may receive His language filled with love. Nevertheless, we often find ourselves struggling to embrace the language of God while yearning for the gift of tongues, which we perceive as a sign of spiritual maturity.
Instead of solely desiring such gifts, if we focus on restraining our tongues from uttering profane words (Ephesians 4:29), we position ourselves to be utilised by God as His mouthpiece (Jeremiah 15:19). Just as God liberated His people from the shackles of slavery, He has likewise freed us from the bondage of sin, thereby transforming our bodies into His Holy Sanctuary (1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 12:1).
God’s Creations Obeying Their Creator
The sea looked and fled,
the Jordan turned back; the mountains leaped like rams,
the hills like lambs. Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Why, Jordan, did you turn back? Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
you hills, like lambs? – Psalms 114:3-6 (NIV)
The Creator maintains complete authority over His creations, compelling them to adhere to His commandments. The Psalmist contemplated the remarkable events that transpired at the Red Sea and the Jordan River, fostering a curiosity regarding their occurrence. This inquiry arises from the observation that, although we are His people and creations, we do not conform to His commands with the same alacrity as nature does. Instead of questioning why His creations obey, we ought to investigate why we, who have been created in His image, fail to do so.
We are created in God’s own likeness; however, with this recognition, we inadvertently diminish His sovereignty by attempting to recreate Him in the image of His creations. It is imperative to reflect upon our transgressions concerning this misguided act, as failure to achieve resolution will hinder our perception of God in His sovereignty. Thus, rather than marvelling at how His creations comply (Matthew 8:27), we must comprehend that He is the originator of all that exists on this earth, making His actions unsurprising when we acknowledge Him as our Creator.
The challenge we encounter stems from the fact that God has endowed us with “Free Will,” a privilege not granted to His other creations. Regrettably, this capacity for free will often leads us to choose evil over good. Consequently, Father God redeemed us at the price of the blood of Jesus. God’s intention was not to enslave us but to adopt us as His own children. As His children, we are called to exercise our free will in obedience to Him. Frequently, the devil misleads us into believing that obedience is a form of enslavement and that one should not be subjugated. Therefore, we must not perceive God’s discipline as a burden; rather, we should find joy in obeying our Father in all respects (Hebrews 12:7-11).
Living Water
Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool,
the hard rock into springs of water. – Psalms 114:7-8 (NIV)
At the conclusion of the Psalm, the author earnestly urged all inhabitants of the earth to revere the presence of God. In this context, the Psalmist intentionally chose the name of God as the God of Jacob to illustrate the agape love of God, who bestowed His love upon an imposter, designated him as His child, and established his descendants as a great nation.
God’s ability to bring water forth from the rock signifies His unwavering desire to transform hardened hearts into hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). He fills our hearts with His Own Spirit, enabling us to become sources of living water that will quench the thirst of many seeking a true understanding of God. Jesus Himself bestowed these blessings upon His children.
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. – John 7:38 (NIV)
Father God, we beseech You to renew our hearts and fill them with Your love, so that Your Living Water may flow from our hearts to quench the thirst of many who place their trust in the rivers You have created. Rather, may they partake of the Living Water. Amen.
The Jordan Valley 
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