114 When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.
Section Overview
This hymn of praise celebrates the special status of God’s people in his plan: the Lord is the one that all nature obeys—and even trembles before. And yet he has chosen little Israel to be his own, and he exerts his power on her behalf.692 The psalm mentions the exodus from Egypt, the covenant at Sinai that made Israel God’s “dominion,” the crossing of the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership, and God’s provision for his people as they traveled through the wilderness. When the believing congregation sings this, it is better able to accept its current circumstances as under God’s governance as well.
The psalm uses exuberant personification, describing the Red Sea and Jordan River as if they fled from God, the mountains as skipping like lambs, and the earth as trembling at God’s presence. The imagery conveys how powerful is the Lord: even the strongest natural forces would not dream of resisting him. The events of the psalm, however, are not simply displays of raw power; God has used his power for the sake of his people.
The flow of the psalm is quite easy to see. The opening verses are a “when . . . then” combination (vv. 1–2), while the next section speaks of the sea, the Jordan River, the mountains, and the hills (each twice; vv. 3–6). The final section speaks to the earth about responding to God’s glorious self-manifestation (vv. 7–8).
Section Outline
I. Israel Became God’s Holy Kingdom (114:1–2)
II. The Red Sea and the Jordan River (114:3–6)
III. Tremble, O Earth, at God’s Presence! (114:7–8)
Response
As does Psalm 113, this psalm works more fully in the context of the entire Hallel. Singing of this particular selection of events in sacred history stresses the Lord’s supremacy over all in order to strengthen the confidence of tiny Judah that the Lord will indeed bring about his purposes. Stories from the Jews’ experience under the Hellenistic empires show the power of the temptation simply to assimilate to the overwhelming might of the Gentile powers and to abandon faithfulness to the Lord (1 Macc. 1:41–50). The Hallel seeks to build thankfulness and loyalty toward the Lord, on the part of Israel and on the part of Christians.Psalm 114
Psalm 115