Frolicking in the Storm Lord’s garden: Encountering the Creator and creation in Psalm 104

Abstract

Nancy deClaissé-Walford’s scholarship and teaching on the psalms over the years has inspired countless students and peers toward a fuller understanding and connection to the psalms themselves. This essay illustrates a method for studying Psalm 104, inspired by deClaissé-Walford’s work, to introduce the idea of mindfulness of God’s interconnected creation. Born from a seminary classroom, the methods presented in this article could easily be adapted to congregational Bible studies or spirituality retreat settings. The article presents the methods used in a “Creation Theology, Spirituality, and the Arts” class, along with a brief commentary on Psalm 104, and suggestions on how to translate this method of study for various contexts.

Nancy deClaissé-Walford’s scholarship and mentorship throughout the years has heavily influenced my teaching and in particular my teaching of a course entitled “Creation Theology, Spirituality, and the Arts” (hereafter referred to as Creation Theology). Before I ever taught Creation Theology, deClaissé-Walford’s frequent reflections about gardening, her connection to the soil, and how that connection impacts her study of texts emanating from the ancient Israelite agrarian society inspired me to take up gardening as a way of connecting with some of the texts I had neglected or for which I needed a new avenue of understanding. Planting seeds each according to their kind (Gen 1:11) and learning what it means to toil for the land to yield its produce (Gen 3:17) helped me appreciate these agrarian texts in different ways than I had before. While I had always been drawn to creation myths of the ancient world, including those within the Christian canon, these new ways of being in the world transformed my understanding of the creation texts.

“Creation Theology, Spirituality, and the Arts”

During the first few times I offered my Creation Theology course, deClaissé-Walford was kind enough to host my class at her home, give us a tour of her garden (with some hands-on planting experience), and talk about her connection to the soil. I have found in the past decade of teaching the class that such experiences lead to discoveries in students’ lives about their connection to or disconnection from the earth, a reinterpretation of their relationship to food, and reflections on the nature of their connection to particular lands and spaces, as well as a recollection of their ancestors (usually parents or grandparents) who gardened and found both physical and spiritual nourishment from the practice. And, of course, one cannot talk about deClaissé-Walford’s influence without mentioning her influential scholarship on Psalms.

When students enroll in the Creation Theology course, most assume it will start at the “beginning” with Genesis 1–2. Although the course certainly turns toward those texts repeatedly, I actually begin and conclude the course with a reading of Psalm 104. Beginning the course with Psalm 104 shows students that when we talk about “creation” and “creation theologies” in the Bible, we need to break free of the debates about literal versus critical readings of Genesis 1–2 and reflect instead on the diverse ways different texts throughout the canon portray God as Creator. The goal for the course is to train current and future ministers in facilitating encounters with creation, their own personal spirituality, and the creative impulse within themselves to express aspects of their spirituality. Beginning with a psalm helps me make the connection between these three elements of the course: the creation theologies presented in the Hebrew Bible, spirituality as a practice, and artistic expression as an avenue for spiritual practice. Studying creation theology within the Hebrew Bible comes naturally as a biblical scholar, but Psalm 104 helps me connect the intellectual study of creation theology with reflections of personal spirituality, our way of being in the world. Focusing on Psalm 104 also helps me introduce the poetic artistry within the psalm as an expression of that spiritual connection from the perspective of the psalmist. Psalm 104 exhibits an observational awareness, or one might say mindfulness, of the inter-related elements of the created order. The psalm also allows readers to ponder poetry, music, or worship as artistic forms of expression that allow humans to document and share experiences of the Holy encountered in the Creator’s work.

One of the readings for the course is Christine Valters Paintner’s Eyes of the Heart: Photography as Christian Contemplative Practice. While I encourage various types of artistic expression from the students, Paintner’s work focuses on the art of photography as a way of being mindful about the world around us. Key for the course is her idea of “receiving” as a part of the artistic and spiritual process:

Part of the spiritual journey is learning how to see, not with our physical eyes, but with our spiritual eyes. Spiritual seeing simply receives the present moment without judgment or trying to make plans or set agendas, which is a lot more challenging for most of us than it might sound. ¹

Paintner suggests we use a soft gaze, beholding what is before our eyes:

To behold is not to stare or glance; it is not a quick scan or an expectant look. Beholding has a slow and spacious quality to it. Your vision becomes softer as you make room to take in the whole of what you are seeing. ²

The writer of Psalm 104 exhibits this practice of beholding, as they take in the sky, the mountains, the streams, the springs, the animals, and even fellow humans, observing them in a soft gaze that allows the writer to perceive the interconnectedness of the created order.

After discussing the concept of the soft gaze and mindfulness, I send course participants on a 15-minute mindfulness walk to prepare them for the task of observing their surroundings, as well as paying attention to the psalm itself. I invite each participant to take their camera (usually a phone), a sketch-pad, a notebook, or any other way of recording or expressing what they receive on this contemplative walk. This contemplative walk can take place in a more traditional natural environment, on a campus, or in an urban environment. Each type of location offers its own challenges and possibilities. In conversation, participants then share what they “received” from creation before we engage in an extended reading of Psalm 104. This method of studying Psalm 104 in seminary classes could translate well into congregational Bible study classes or retreats that help congregants engage scripture, creation, and self-expression. In this article, I present my methods for helping readers engage with the text as well as what I have learned from other scholars who have deeply engaged with the text.

In a typical class of 6–12 students, I will separate students into three groups to look at the three major sections of the psalm: vv. 1–9, 10–23, and 24–35. ³ Participants then return to a plenary and discuss the structure of the psalm as a whole and how the sections relate to one another. As the facilitator, I make myself available to each group to answer questions about historical and contextual questions, Hebrew terminology, literary techniques, and the like. Below, I offer a commentary on the psalm, heavily influenced by the work of deClaissé-Walford and her peer psalm scholars, to help give background to any who would wish to facilitate a similar experience.

Introduction to Psalm 104 and placement in the canon

deClaissé-Walford calls Psalm 104 “a magnificent poetic account of God’s sovereignty over all creation.” ⁴ As many have pointed out, Psalm 104 is a twin to Psalm 103. Both psalms begin and end with the phrase “Praise the Lord, O my Soul.” ⁵ Rolf Jacobson suggests that Psalm 103 is about how good God is, using the theme word h.esed, ⁶ often translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness,” or “covenant loyalty.” While Psalm 103 demonstrates how loyal God is to God’s people, Psalm 104 emphasizes God’s magnificence and majesty as the Creator of such a diverse but interdependent world. Psalm 104 evokes significant language from Gen 1–2:4a, the Priestly account of creation, but with some significant shifts in perspective and with an emphasis on construction metaphors. These construction metaphors evoke imagery from the building of the tabernacle, God’s dwelling place in the midst of the people. In this Psalm, God is creating a dwelling place for all of God’s creatures. As deClaissé-Walford suggests, the canonical placement of Psalm 104 in the Psalter brings the section of Psalms 90–103 to a fitting conclusion with its exuberant praise for the Creator. ⁷

Within the seminary classroom, students come to this text from a variety of perspectives. Some may have only had an introduction to Hebrew Bible studies, while others may have completed several biblical studies courses and even a little bit of Hebrew. As students are working on the text, I make myself available to them as a resource for looking up Hebrew words or to help them understand the historical and mythological contexts of their particular verses. This activity, however, can be adapted to fit many different contexts. Even if the leader is not equipped with a knowledge of Hebrew, they can use the commentary above or other commentaries on Psalms to help provide guidance to the group. The key for the activity, however, is to discover how each of the participants brings their own background to the study of the text. Some within the group may have extensive experience within nature. Some may have come from rural environments where they have farmed, hunted, fished, or hiked. Some may have backgrounds in scouting or wilderness activities from which they can draw or simply have a fascination with oceanography. Others may label themselves as nature-avoidant, preferring the safety of “inside” rather than the dangers of “outside.” The goal of the activity is to enable the participants to ask the questions they bring to the text without necessarily biasing them toward one interpretation or another.

One caution, however, may need stating. Whether this learning experience occurs in a secular or sacred context, some may approach the text with preconceived theological concepts. For example, the very first line may inhibit exploration with its lofty language: “Bless the Lord, oh my soul.” This line is ripe for theological questions. What does it mean to “bless”? Who is the “Lord,” and is there a separation between one’s body and one’s “soul”? Very helpful here would be to make the familiar unfamiliar by talking about the original Hebrew concept for the “soul.” The Hebrew term for “soul,” in this case, is nephesh (nepeŝ), a term that has to do with the neck, throat, and breath. This is embodied language that includes the internal, mindful being as well as the external, physical being. One’s nephesh is not separate from one’s body. Readers from certain traditions may have an impulse to “spiritualize” this idea from the mindset of Western Christianity, while the psalm suggests that the worshiper is blessing God with their whole being, not just an internal spirit.

Participants in such a learning experience may also come with a variety of images of God, many seeing God as a bearded male because of a patriarchal inheritance. To address this, a leader might provide a variety of translations participants can use as they encounter the text, perhaps for the first time. For example, the JPS Tanakh uses the third-person masculine pronoun “he” in vv. 3–5, while the NRSV employs the second-person plural pronoun “you,” remaining consistent with the voiced perspective of vv. 1–2. The mere use of the pronoun “he” may evoke this history of male imagery for God, while the non-gendered (in English) pronoun, “you,” leaves more room for mystery.

Jacobson divides Psalm 104 into five parts with an introduction and conclusion. Here is his outline:

Introductory call to praise (v. 1a)

St 1 God and the heavens (vv. 1b-4)

St 2 God and the waters (vv. 5-10)

St 3 God and the order of creation (vv. 11-23)

St 4 God and the diversity of creation (vv. 24-30)

St 5 God’s glory and the singer’s song (vv. 30-35b)

Concluding call to praise (v. 35c-d) ⁸

Loosely following this outline, I suggest dividing the participants into three groups, with the first group reading stanzas 1–2, the second group reading stanza 3, and the third group reading stanzas 4–5. With a larger population, one could divide participants into five groups, each taking a stanza. I invite each group to approach the text with a similar “soft gaze” they exercised in the prior contemplative walk. I ask them to make notes on general observations. What language piques their interest? What do they wonder about the text? What scenes incite their imagination? How do they picture each creature or the natural wonders present in the text? Finally, I ask them to articulate what they think the psalm might have meant for the ancient Israelite society and contrast that with what they think the text might mean for current communities of faith. Seminary students who have had basic introductions to biblical interpretation might have an advantage on this part of the process, but it could still work for congregants with less experience, with a little guidance. While each group discusses their stanzas, the facilitator can rove among them, offering insights about specific items in the texts from the commentary below.

Psalm 104:1–10

The first stanza (vv. 1b–4) recalls language from the Priestly story of creation in Gen 1–2:4a, but with its own twists. While Gen 1:3 describes God creating light on the first day of creation, Ps 104:2 speaks of God’s majesty as a robe of light, using the same Hebrew terminology. Instead of God setting a firmament or dome in the midst of the heavens (Gen 1:6), God spreads out the heavens like the curtains of a tent (Ps 104:2). The use of the word for “curtains” here is particularly poignant when thinking of the created heavens and earth as the dwelling place or habitat for all creatures, including humankind. The word occurs 43 times in Exod 26:1–13 and 36:8–17, referring to the curtains in texts related to the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God among the people during their wilderness wandering before the construction of the temple. This connection with the sacred space of the early Israelites transfers to the sacredness of all God’s creation that the psalmist describes. Continuing the construction metaphor, the psalmist depicts God setting rafters or beams across the sky to create the upper lofts of creation where God uses the clouds as a chariot riding on the wings of the wind. The language here is only found in two other places in the Hebrew Bible. In 2 Sam 22:11, David recounts how, when he was in distress surrounded by enemies, God mounted a cherub and descended on the wings of the wind as a storm deity to rescue him. David’s words in 2 Sam 22 are repeated in Psalm 18. The first stanza of Psalm 104 concludes with a statement of how the winds are God’s messengers and flaming fires are God’s servants, further reiterating the storm and warrior God imagery associated with God’s power as the Creator.

The second stanza (vv. 5–10) continues to celebrate God’s work as the Creator, shifting the focus from the heavens above to the earth below. In keeping with the ancient Near Eastern cosmology found in the rest of the Hebrew Bible and other texts from the region, God sets the earth upon supports or pillars in the water. These eternal pillars will never shake, according to the psalmist. ⁹ Although the word for the “deep” in v. 6 evokes its use in Gen 1:2, instead of dividing the waters of the deep to create the heavens and the earth, God places another fabric, a garment, to cover the deep and create the land. Still, as in Gen 1, God uses the Divine voice to command the waters to flee, running up toward the mountains so they could stream down to the lakes and seas (v. 8). One might wonder if v. 9 imagines a time before or after Noah because of the phrase “they will never return to cover the earth” at the end of the stanza. Verse 10 serves as a transition between the two stanzas, shifting the focus on water from the streams that flow down to the valleys to the springs that well up from the earth. The ancient Hebrews may not have had sophisticated knowledge about the processes of evaporation and precipitation that explains the water cycles in the scientific age, but their ideas about water in vv. 9–10 demonstrate keen observation of both the need for and sources of potable water to nourish themselves, their produce, the wild animals, and their livestock.

Psalm 104:11–23

The next stanza shifts the focus from the habitat to the inhabitants of the created order. The valley springs provide water for the wild animals, including mules (v. 11), while the birds make their home in the plant life around the streams (v. 12). Verse 13 depicts God as the constantly attentive gardener who waters the mountains, filling them with the fruit of God’s own work. The use of the word for fruit, and the root word for work, also recalls God’s creation of the fruiting trees in Gen 1:11 and God’s cessation of work on the seventh day (Gen 2:2). J. Clinton McCann points out that some version of the Hebrew root word for “work” is used five times throughout the psalm, establishing God’s creative acts or products a key theme of this Psalm. ¹⁰

Verse 14 shifts the focus from all life’s need for water to all life’s need for food: grass for the cattle and plants for humans to grow and make bread. But in a precursor to the idea that humans should not live by bread, leh.em, alone, v. 15 adds the production of wine to make human hearts rejoice and oil to make human faces shine. This verse illustrates God’s concern not to simply sustain God’s creatures, but to bring them pleasure and delight. In v. 16, the focus turns back to the trees of the forest, including the great cedars of Lebanon where the birds find yet another habitat. God has even created a habitat for wild goats and rabbits (v. 18).

Finally, while not following the specific order of creation in Gen 1, the psalmist evokes the imagery of the sun and moon to mark appointed times and seasons. The appointed times also evoke liturgical language associated with the tabernacle. The term is used 33 times in Exod 27:21–40:35. ¹¹ The final verses of this stanza suggest there is even a time and purpose for darkness, when the nocturnal animals such as lions come out to hunt (vv. 20–22) ¹² in contrast to humans who do their work from sunrise to sunset (v. 23). deClaissé-Walford writes that vv. 19–23 “recount the rhythm of life God has crafted for the world, the ebb and flow of daily activity, each element finding its place within the created order.” ¹³

Psalm 104:24–35

Although not a full-blown citation of Proverbs chapter 8, the fourth stanza begins with a nod to the wisdom tradition, claiming that God made all things through wisdom and the earth is full of God’s creatures. ¹⁴ deClaissé-Walford fittingly calls Wisdom the “seed-bed” of creation. The text returns to the mythological language of the sea, yām, in Hebrew, possibly corresponding to the Canaanite god of the sea, Yam, with whom the storm God, Ba‘al, was in constant conflict. Here, however, the sea is demythologized, yet another created habitat, this time for all the sea creatures great and small. Even the great sea monster Leviathan is tamed here, as the psalmist ascribes the monster’s creation to God. The most dreaded sea monster is depicted here as God’s plaything. deClaissé-Walford points out that the root word the NRSV translates as “to sport” in v. 26 is the same root word Woman Wisdom uses to describe herself “playing” before God in Prov 8:30. ¹⁵ This verb describes Woman Wisdom as a master craftsperson alongside God, who was daily God’s delight, sporting or playing alongside God and God’s creation. deClaissé-Walford nods to William Brown’s work wherein he suggests God was “frolicking” or playing alongside Leviathan, this most feared creature of the ancient deep. ¹⁶ The language describing Leviathan’s relationship with God in the book of Job is more adversarial, ¹⁷ but here the psalm simply depicts Leviathan as one among the many creatures of God, all who rely upon God for sustenance. A hint of the Joban sinister power of God displays itself in v. 29: “Conceal your face, and they will be terrified, gather their breath and they will pass away, and they will return to their dust.” This verse is yet another reminder that, while God rejoices in the creatures, they are still subject to mortality, that death itself is built into the cycle of the ecosystem. Death, however, is not the final word for the psalmist, as the stanza concludes in v. 30, depicting God as one who resuscitates the creatures with the Divine Breath and renews the earth, a possible nod to the breath of God fluttering over the deep in Gen 1:2.

The final stanza begins with vv. 31–32, returning to the theme of the terrific majesty of God and recalling the majesty and power described in vv. 1–4. The psalm concludes with the psalmist reaffirming their commitment to praise God, with a small petition for God to use their exalted power to remove sinners and the wicked from the land. The psalm ends as it began, with the refrain, “Bless the Lord, O my soul” and a final hallelujah. deClaissé-Walford suggests that vv. 27–35 offer a summary of the entire psalm: “all of God’s creation depends on God, and God alone, for sustenance and for life itself, and that the only proper response by creation is song, praise, meditation and rejoicing.” ¹⁸

As participants wrestle with the question of what these texts meant for the ancient audience and what they mean for current readers, McCann’s theological observations might offer some guidance. McCann emphasizes that the psalmist had ecological concerns, but those concerns were grounded in theology rather than science. The psalmist was able to recognize the interdependence of all created things and attributed the interdependence to their utter dependence on God as their maker. Moreover, McCann points out that much of the modern concern for the environment is borne from a fear that humans would run out of resources to maintain a current standard of living. For McCann, Psalm 104 reminds readers that a concern for the earth and its creatures should be motivated by the connection to the Creator as the source of being. The psalm frames this care with expressions of praise to God. ¹⁹ Likewise, deClaissé-Walford recounts humankind’s tendency to view itself as the pinnacle of creation. Psalm 104 offers a corrective to such anthropocentrism, reminding humankind that God created times, places, and seasons for all of God’s creatures. ²⁰

Returning to the learning experience

I conclude the learning session in the course by bringing the groups back into a plenary session. Each group presents what they theorize the text meant for the ancients and what it means for modern readers. I also encourage them to share what they still have questions about or what imagery from their stanzas was compelling to their group. We then talk about the interconnectedness of each stanza, the structure of the psalm as a whole, and its placement within the canon.

Throughout the course, I invite students to compare other creation texts back to Psalm 104, as much as I might ask them to refer to Gen 1–2. This activity could be adapted as an introduction to a retreat or congregational Bible study focused on God’s creation or as a stand-alone experience. Psalm 104 invites us to observe the creatures with whom we cohabitate, to give thanks for the ecosystems that nourishes us all, and to express our own words of blessings to the Source and Sustainer of life itself.