The Most Ecological Psalm

 



Through the years I've quoted Psalm 104 on a number of occasions and it's been pointed out by a number of writers that it is one of the most lyrical and earth-honouring  passages in the bible. In his Eco-Justice Notes Rev. Peter Sawtell revisits the psalm as The Most Ecological Psalm. Here is a portion of his reflection, well worth reading:



Psalm 104 is an important text for us, as well as a beautiful one.

Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler was one of the first to push modern Christian thought about environmental relationships, writing "A Theology for Earth" clear back in 1954. Sittler often described Psalm 104 as an "ecological doxology." He identified that psalm as one of two primary texts (Romans 8:19 is the other) that support his conviction that responsibility for care of the earth is a contemporary theological imperative. 

Biblical scholar Bill Brown has an extensive chapter on this psalm in his book, "The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder". He points out (p. 148) that "Novel to this biblical psalm is the claim that creation is sustained not by God's covenantal commitment but by God's unabashed joy." Ps. 104 also gets a chapter in "The Green Psalter: Resources for an Ecological Spirituality", where Arthur Walker-Jones points out the politically subversive implications of God's abundant provision of life's necessities, unmediated by kings or priests, or any human. 

 

Psalm 104 celebrates a world that includes humans, but does not center on them. The richly ecological core of the passage, verses 10-23, starts by tracing how springs of water provide for a flourishing of life, naming trees, birds and wild asses. People are beneficiaries of this abundance -- water is essential to the plants and cattle that people consume, and it allows for "wine that gladdens the human heart" -- but all other creatures also thrive in this well-watered world. The wonders of creation are seen in a web of relationships.
Trees are watered by the springs, and in them various kinds of birds build their nests. Some kinds of birds gather in the cedars of Lebanon, but "the stork has its home in the fir trees." The distinctiveness of other habitats is celebrated, with wild goats in the high mountains, and coneys in the rocks. Each of these creatures has an appropriate place to which it is well suited. 

This psalm puts humans and lions into overlapping ecological niches that modern science would define as nocturnal and diurnal. At night, the lions and other animals of the forest creep out; by day, "people go out to their work and to their labor until the evening" -- and then turn things back over to the creatures of the night.

Nowhere in the psalm is there any hint that the world was made for humans, nor does it suggest that we are in control of it all. Trees and grass, goats and lions, people and birds, day and night all are tied together in a joyous and gracious community of life. 

Much of the environmental theological reflection that I see is hooked into the themes of dominion and stewardship. Sometimes, more progressive voices speak of being "co-creators" with God, a potentially less controlling role. But texts like Psalm 104 and Job call us to greater humility when they remind us that it is not all about us. There are places where the Bible reminds us that we are simply part of the web of creation, sharing in the wonders and abundance of life.

Amen, and thanks, Peter. http://www.eco-justice.org/E-130712.asp