Every so often the media tries to revitalize the Big Bang Theory. This is the theory that Creation began in a gigantic explosion which would explain an apparent expanding universe. Evangelicals have always been happy whenever the world throws creationists a crumb. But before we feast on this rare manna from the secular media we should consider the philosophical and theological ramifications.

The Big Bang Theory is always welcomed by evolutionists because the theory has been threatened in the last few decades by some serious scientific questions. But being the only popular ungodly explanation for beginnings, its demise might actually leave the public with no alternative concept except: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

That is what we affirm in our creed, in our hearts and sometimes even in our worldly educated minds. As Christians we minimally affirm that our universe had a beginning and we prayerfully anticipate an end whenever we expectantly pray for our Lord's speedy return. And we are thus gratified whenever scientific evidence at least indicates a sympathy for a beginning and possible end. We see this as an improvement over the older steady-state theory which was is still popular.

However, by implication, any condescension on our part to affirm or accommodate any worldly theory undermines the proper understanding of the unique and absolute power of the God we profess to worship. We must learn again the proper language to affirm the mighty power of God. To that end the eminent philosopher Mortimer Adler suggests a simple word exchange for beginning. A word for ending that we may well understand is "annihilation". This literally means "to cease to exist". The opposite concept is to create from nothing and the Latin based word for this is "exnihilation". Scientists may well be able and willing to discuss a beginning and a possible end of the universe. However, to declare an exnihilation is a completely different matter! We as Christians must affirm the first verse of Genesis in the term that is not measurable nor acceptable to thoroughly modern scientists: "In the beginning God exnihiliated the heavens and the earth." With this affirmation in mind, we may better appreciate the text of Psalm Ninety-three set before us.

The first three words of verse one ought to be set off with an exclamation point since the Hebrew here has a certain decisiveness. It is a decisiveness that we need to appreciate. "The Lord reigns!" How strongly do you affirm that phrase? Our psalmist, which some ancient translations credit to David, has no doubts. In our day we well know that George Bush is president. (Ironically, those words were the same as when I first drafted this sermon) Would you put an exclamation point after that statement? Mr Gore probably wouldn't. However, I do not think that there has been a president since Teddy Roosevelt whom we could all agree deserved an exclamation point for enthusiasm! "The Lord reigns!" Say it with David, with an exclamation point! "The Lord reigns!" Our psalmist will show us why.

The second and third phrases of verse one tell us that our God is robed in majesty and armed with strength. An older translation reads "God hath put on glorious apparel ... and girded himself with strength". By contrast the world is only firmly established; it is set upon and cannot be moved from the Lord's foundations. No sense of equality in this comparison is there. This is important to remember as more and more people emphasize the primacy of Mother Earth in media and in earth summit meetings. An ancient Greek goddess term for earth "Gia" is more and more entering into the popular vocabulary.

We would do well to recognize the secondary position of our creation and emphasize the primacy of our Lord's throne. Look at verse two, the Lord's throne transcends the time bound limits of creation. Our psalmist well affirms what we ought to declare: "you are from all eternity", in the NIV translation. God was before the exnihiliation of the universe and from before He ruled as he planned and created.

How firm a foundation has been established materially for our daily benefit in the midst of the Lord's creation. And yet, the strongest elements of creation are but a hint of the mightier power of our God. In the early part of this century engineers created the mightiest ships afloat. Humans even declared the envy of their fleets as unsinkable. The unsinkable Lusitania set sail without a normal compliment of lifeboats because of her maker's confidence. A false pride prevented a full and complete use of the design elements at sea. So when the least of the Lord's floating ice palaces came into contact, the sea triumphed over the glory of the Cunard Line. Long has man stood in awe of the sea.

We see that awe in verse three. The seas have lifted up, their voice and their pounding waves. The sea and its storms have threatened coast life throughout all recorded history. Every few years major portions of the Bangladesh countryside disappears under a raging sea. Even the Carolina coast was threatened badly once in our own century.

But these awesome assaults of raging waves pale before the mightier power of our Creator God. Look at verse four where our psalmist affirms higher power of God in heaven. "The Lord on high is mightier." Mere earthly waves are minuscule in comparison. The next time you pass through a storm, as you watch the storming waters, hear the thundering sound and sense the crackle of lightning remember the Lord on high is mightier than the forces of His creation.

With that affirmation in mind let us consider an essential lesson that we should learn from this psalm. If our God is mightier than creation, if our God exnihilated every atom and each atom's relationship to all the others, should we not listen to the God of Creation? This is why the psalmist shifts our attention to higher things than the material of creation. He urges us to consider the mind of God. And here Derek Kidner tells us that character is God's true glory. And His character is affirmed in the testimonies of God's decrees, statutes, laws and assorted revelations to mankind. These our psalmist tells us stand firm, as firm as the nature of the Lord who created and loves us.

And what is that true nature? We have a hint in the second phrase of verse five. The NEB translates it in these remarkable words: "holiness is the beauty of thy temple". And that holiness is forever as we see in the last phrase of Psalm 93. May we, as we stand in awe of our God, may we learn to offer Him heartfelt worship this day and all days. Amen.

 

Resources Used:
Adler, Mortimer.	How to Think About God.
Kidner, Derek.	Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H.	The Treasury of David.
Thaman, Mike.	"Well Meaning Believers...", World, (06 Jun 92)
The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Thomas Nelson Publishers (1992)
093b.htm	14 July 92 & 17 December 00

Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.