Psalm 148 Text of Psalm 148 (based on NKJV version): 1) Alleluia! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! 2) Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! 3) Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light! 4) Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5) Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created. 6) He also established them forever and ever; he made a decree which shall not pass away. 7) Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures [sea monsters] and all the depths, 8) Fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word; 9) Mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars; 10) Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl; 11) Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth; 12) Both young men and maidens; old men and children. 13) Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven. 14) And He has exalted the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints — of the children of Israel, a people near to Him. Alleluia!

Commentary on Psalm 148, with the help of Dr Bettina Schaller's class “Ecological Discourse and Theology of Creation” This poem of praise is very much marked by the creation narrative in Genesis 1, this poetic narrative of creation in six days, with as emphasized by Henri Blocher the three first days for containers (light-day/darkness-night; separation of the waters, heaven; sea/continent and verdures, fruit trees) and the next three days for content (stars, sun, moon; animals of sea and sky; animals and men).

One can cut it in 4 parts: two stanzas of call to praise to each creature, punctuated by a refrain “Let them praise the LORD” giving in two times reasons for praising the LORD. The first stanza (v. 1-4) corresponds to the celestial creatures of days 1, 2, 4, to whom the psalmist adds angels and heavenly hosts that Gn 1 doesn't speak about. The second stanza (v. 7-12) corresponds to the terrestrial creatures of days 3, 5 et 6, starting with the wildest ones. In verse 5 is found the verb create ‫א‬,‫ברָר‬, the one used in Gn 1:1,21,27. In this poem of praise, each element of the creation has its place, and man is a creature among others. Certainly, he has a special place, somewhat like at the summit of the creation, and amid the human community, God's people also has a very special place, “near” to the LORD. But it is important to emphasize that man is a creature among others, called as all others to praise God. Man shares their condition of creatures called to existence by the LORD (v. 5). The wording of the poem plays a lot on dualities; the psalmist takes pleasure in joining opposites: sun and moon, heavens and waters above the heavens, fire and hail, garden shrubs and great trees, wild beasts and cattle, creeping/terrestrial animals and flying ones, kings and peoples, young men and maidens, old men and children. There also, one can see a way to emphasize the calling to each one to praise the LORD, as creatures of the same world and therefore creatures who are similar in a certain sense, despite their differences. Then emerges from the poem a great unity of the created world. And therefore the impossibility for man to consider himself somewhat outside the creation, like a being apart who can claim the right to selfishly dominate the other creatures, or the creation in general. One can think of the notion of “complexity” developed by Edgar Morin, who tries to show the intimate connexion of the different parts of nature. One can also think of the Deep Ecology movement initiated by Arne Naess, who emphasizes a right to life equal for all species. This is therefore very far from the purely utilitarian vision of nature (justly denounced by Lynn White in 1966) which may have been favored by a certain reading of Gn 1: 27-28 “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”, with the positive

consequences (modernity, progress) and the harmful ones (abuse, pollution) that are known. One should not however place only on Christianity the responsibility for this utilitarian vision that modern science, desire for progress at all cost and thirst for wealth also favored or justified. Some Christian spiritualities are at antipodes from this utilitarian vision, like Francis of Assisi's in XIII th century, certainly inspired by this Psalm for his famous Canticle of Brother Sun, but also the great thinkers of Christian faith Augustine and Thomas Aquinas (Summa theologica, Prima Pars, Question 45, Article 7 “Whether any trace of the Trinity is to be found in created things?”) or also Calvin (“Austerity or intemperance are equally condemnable. We ought to make use of all things according to the end for which God created them. Four simple rules: 1) In everything, we must discern the Author and give Him thanks. 2) Let us use this world, as not abusing it; enduring poverty and using abundance with moderation. 3) We are the administrators of God's goods. 4) In all the actions of our life, we ought to consider our vocation.” L'Institution de la Religion Chrétienne, Book III, chap. X, ed. Labor et Fides, Genève, 1957, p. 186-192). Today, it is fortunate that Christians on the whole interpret Gn 1: 28

as a stewardship, a management, and therefore a responsibility of the human being before God. © 2011 Yannick Chiron

For the refrain “Let them praise the name of the LORD” giving in two times reasons for praising the LORD, it is interesting to note the contrast, the place of God, He who is really apart, the All-other. He is the One who commands and things are created; what He establishes remains forever, doesn't pass (therefore outside the limitations of our space-time). He alone has a name which is exalted and His glory is above the earth and heaven. God alone is sacralized, not man, nor any other heavenly or terrestrial creature. This is called the desacralization of the earth. One could get inspiration from Rashi's (a French rabbi, c. 1040-1105, famous for his commentary of the Hebraic Bible and the Talmud) commentary of Genesis 1:1 and 2:4 and thus distinguish in verse 6 the idea of God's justice, and in verse 14 the idea of God's mercy. For Rashi emphasizes that it is said “Elokim created” because “God's primary intention was to create the world according to His attribute of justice, [Elokim being the name of God when He exercises justice], but He realized that it would not subsist. Therefore He put in first the attribute of mercy attribute [Hashem being God's name when He acts with mercy] and associated it to the one of justice. Thus it is written: “the day that Hashem-Elokim made the earth and the heavens.” Similarly, one can talk of God's “love and truth intention” for the creation, or of His “wisdom and goodness”. ( Benedict XVI, message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1/1/2010, paragraph 6).

The global picture is in a certain way, for all creatures, to praise together the LORD, like a beautiful orchestra would play a harmonious symphony, each instrument in its place. The dualities evoked above invite us also to see harmony in this concert of praise, between wild and domestic animals, between reptiles and volatiles, and also in human community between political leaders and peoples, between men and women, between generations. To finish his poem, after having emphasized this striking contrast between the creation and the LORD, and thus the distance which separates us from Him, the psalmist reverses things by showing that the LORD is near to His people, like a shout of praise and hope for a relationship with the Creator. For Christians, this hope will find an accomplishment, and what an accomplishment, in the person of Christ, Emmanuel God with us, God made man. The Kingdom of heaven inaugurated by Christ is the manifestation of a creation fully harmonious, liberated from sin and death, and reconciled and in relationship with his Creator. (Rm 8:22; Ep 2:11-17; Ap 21) Christian praise, of all ecclesial milieux, gets inspiration from this Psalm for numerous hymns. Here are three examples relatively wellknown. How Great Thou Art

Psaume de la Création

God is great

from a 1885 Swedish poem of Carl Gustav Boberg – Mus. L. McGowen

Paroles et musique : Patrick Richard, écrit pour le MEJ, 1984

Lyrics and music: Marty Sampson, Martin W, 2001

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder Consider all The works Thy Hand hath made, I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy pow'r throughout The universe displayed;

1. Par les cieux devant Toi, splendeur et majesté Par l’infiniment grand, par l’infiniment petit, Et par le firmament, Ton manteau étoilé, Et par frère Soleil, je veux crier :

All creation cries to You Worshipping in spirit and in truth Glory to the Faithful One Jesus Christ, God's Son

Refrain : Mon Dieu Tu es grand, Tu es beau, Dieu vivant, Dieu très haut, Tu es le Dieu d'amour ! Refrain (2X): Mon Dieu, Tu es grand, Tu es beau, Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, Dieu vivant, Dieu très haut, How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Dieu présent en toute création. When through the woods And forest glades I wander I hear the birds Sing sweetly in the trees; When I look down From lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook And feel the gentle breeze;

2. Par tous les océans et par toutes les mers, Par tous les continents et par l'eau des rivières, Par le feu qui Te dit comme un buisson ardent Et par l'aile du vent, je veux crier : 3. Par toutes les montagnes et toutes les vallées, Par l'ombre des forêts et par les fleurs des champs, Par les bourgeons des arbres et l'herbe des prairies, Par le blé en épis, je veux crier :

Refrain (2X): Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, 4. Par tous les animaux de la terre et de l'eau, How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Par le chant des oiseaux, par le chant de la vie, Par l'homme que Tu fis juste moins grand que Toi When Christ shall come, Et par tous ses enfants, je veux crier : With shouts of acclamation, And take me home, 5. Par cette main tendue qui invite à la danse, What joy shall fill my heart! Par ce baiser jailli d'un élan d'espérance, Then I shall bow Par ce regard d'amour qui relève et réchauffe, In humble adoration Par le pain et le vin, je veux crier : And there proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"

© 2011 Yannick Chiron

All creation gives You praise You alone are truly great You alone are God who reigns For eternity Refrain: God is great and His praise fills the earth fills the heavens And Your name will be praised through all the world God is great, sing His praise all the earth, all the heavens Cause we're living For the glory of Your name, the glory of Your name All to You oh God we bring Jesus teach us how to live Let your fire burn in us That all may hear and all may see Bridge: Holy is the Lord! The whole earth sings, the whole earth sings, Cause we're living For the glory of Your name, the glory of Your name.