Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord, for he is coming—for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness. (96:11-13)
I love these anthropomorphisms that are reminiscent of Isaiah. An “anthropomorphism” is when human characteristics are given to inanimate objects, animals or other things. The Psalmist speaks of Creation as if it is a living—even a human, thing. Heavens are “glad” and the earth is “rejoicing.” The ocean and all the life in it is “resounding” and even fields are “celebrating” and trees “shouting” for joy. What a splendid picture of God’s Creation celebrating Him and giving Him the praise He deserves. Yet, why are they praising Him? They are praising Him because He is coming—and more importantly because He is coming to judge the entire earth. In Psalm 98, again, rivers are “clapping their hands” and mountains are “shouting for joy” because He is coming to judge the world. I am not sure what is more interesting, the Creation acting with human characteristics or the fact that it is rejoicing because of the judgment that is coming to the inhabitants of this world. The key is that Creation is not afraid of His judgment, but literally longing and groaning for it. With the coming of Jesus and the consummation of all things, comes the final restoration of what was broken by sin… including Creation.
Creation longs for a coming judgment because it knows something; it knows that “He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with faithfulness.” Of course, rivers don’t clap and mountains don’t shout… at least not in the human way of doing it, but in their own way they display the splendor and glory of their Creator. He is a Creator who can be trusted. He can be trusted to fix what is broken, to bind up the wounded, and to restore and revive what sin has marred. People on the other hand are not as joyful about the prospect of a coming judgment. This is because they don’t all know Him as I do. If you are a child of God, you too can rejoice at the prospect of coming judgment because you know He bore your wrath on the cross. If you are not His child then you have every reason to be apprehensive about His return. Repent and be restored today and you too can shout with the mountains and clap with the rivers as you anticipate the return of the King!
