"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters." (Psalm 24:1-2)
The earth belongs to the Lord and the Lord alone and He created it. This statement is in every Christian’s mind and as Christians, we are expected to praise God for creating the world and also creating us. Such praising is constantly being done by King David.
In Psalm 24:1-3, David praises God the Father and acknowledges that God owns the world, and the world belongs to God. It is a beautifully crafted Psalm.
David puts emphasis on God’s ownership and spanned ownership in these verses. The verses are divided into three — with three different emphases, themes, and meanings. Let’s analyze each verse of this passage further.
1. The Earth Is the Lord’s
And everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:10).
The first verse pronounces God’s ownership to the world followed by the second line that supports the first statement of God’s ownership and expounds the span of God’s dominion.
The first verse is the boldest among the three verses. It is a strong statement that puts emphasis on the fact that God owns everything - the earth and every single tangible and intangible thing.
The verse has two themes: ownership and belonging. In terms of ownership, it talks about how God owns the earth, and yet in terms of belonging it talks about how we belong to God because God first loved us.
This idea of owning the earth and its belonging to Him are very touching themes for us to know and have — since God owns and has dominion, He takes such devotion and care of it.
2. For He Founded it on the Seas
And established it on the waters (Psalm 24:2).
The second verse is more specific. David’s praise recalls God creating the heavens the earth, which we all know was the beginning of all things on Earth:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground — everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day (Genesis 1:1-2, 26-31).
David also specifies both seas and waters and emphasizes the expanse of creation. Additionally, he mentions the words “establish” and “founded,” which are the two themes of this verse.
Establishing and founding are two words that are beyond creation. Establishing means setting up a system or organization while founding means planning the beginning of something.
These two actions mean that God did not just decide in one day to create the earth, but He planned for it and also made a system of organization. That is why the Earth works as it does — it was well-designed.
God founding and establishing the Earth through such a careful degree of meticulousness is so inspiring and comforting. It reveals more about God’s passion and love for the Earth. The Earth is His masterpiece and like an artist, He crafts it and maintains His masterpiece.
3. Who May Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place? (Psalm 24:3).
The third verse talks about the fact that no one can reach the level of the Lord. He owns the world, and no one can be like Him. Everything belongs to Him and only Him.
This last verse puts emphasis on who is worthy to be like God and concludes that no one is. It is a pressing and lucid statement that only God owns the world.
The theme of the last verse is the worth of God’s ownership of this world. It tells us that we are not worthy of Him, yet He made us and even took care of us and made us the tenants to the things that belong to Him.
It also tells us that God is so powerful and more powerful than any other being in this world. No one can surpass His power. Because He made the earth, it belongs to its power.
It also talks about assurance. We are assured that there is a God, God the Father, who is guiding us in this world that He owns.
David is bold in praising God. This reminds us that we should be bold ourselves by acknowledging that God owns the world and because He owns it, we should take care of it with all our means possible.
A Prayer for the Earth
Dear Creator God, on this Earth Day and all days, let me always be in awe of Your wonderful works of creation. I don’t want to take the details of the world You created for me for granted. Everything around me is wonderfully complex and splendid. You, Lord, are both an Engineer and an Artist that built a world to perfectly sustain life. But you didn’t stop there. You also made immense details that please all of our senses as well. There are beautiful things to see, sounds to hear, textures to feel, yummy food to taste, and even delightful aromas to bring us enjoyment. Thank you for the details of life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (by Jennifer Heeren)
For further reading:
What Is the Creation Story in the Bible?
Was the Holy Spirit at Creation?
What Happened on Each Day of Creation?
How Are We Created in the Image of God?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/RomoloTavani
Glory Dy has been a content creator for more than 10 years. She lives in a quiet suburb with her family and four cats.
