The Theological Links of God the Creator with God as Lord, Judge, and Savior, Part 1
The Theological Links of God the Creator with God as Lord, Judge, and Savior, Part 1
Job and the Psalms
(avg. read time: 6–13 mins.)
One theme of the Bible that I have wanted to explore in greater depth for years now is the linkage made between God’s Lordship, work as Judge, and expectations of him acting as Savior with the fact of God as Creator. That God is the Creator is the first thing we learn of him in Genesis and throughout the Bible and post-biblical tradition it would continue to be a basic affirmation of who God is. As such a basic fact affirmed in so many expressions of faith, it also has many theological links of significance to explore.
These theological links undergird the eschatological hope of the OT and NT, including in its particular details such as resurrection. The God who created is the same one invested in exercising his sovereignty and showing his love for what he created in his salvific work. Indeed, a major problem that developed among early Christians in the various teachings and movements deemed heretical was that attempts were made to distinguish and utterly separate the Creator from the Redeemer and King. If the God of the OT who is the Creator is not the God of the NT, then even the NT itself becomes incoherent because of how it depends and builds on the OT so extensively, including the theological links explored here. If the God who is the Creator is responsible for the problems that need to be overcome by the God who is the Redeemer (as in Gnostic mythology), then the NT picture of resurrection, new creation, and the kingdom coming on earth as in heaven cannot be maintained. Given the canonical and historical importance of these links, it is worth exploring them in their many manifestations here.
One can, of course, find it resonating throughout stories like that of the exodus, where God demonstrates his power at work in and in sovereignty over creation. One can also find it at the basis of the great covenantal promises, even where it is not explicitly invoked. But for the sake of simplicity, I will be focusing here on the statements that make these links in a more immediate fashion. The one exception is the first text that I will consider, as its function will serve to better orient us to this subject.
Job 38–41
Although this text from Job does not draw the link as directly as other texts, its rhetorical force is ultimately dependent on the shared assumption of such a link. The four chapters in which God makes his long-awaited response to Job and everything that has been said throughout the book are often mistaken as God “flexing” in front of Job. It can appear like a grand show of force in an attempt to silence Job’s objections as to how he has suffered. It would seem Job’s problems and concerns, shared by the audience, go unaddressed and God’s grand soliloquy would essentially say, “I’m God, look how powerful I am, so shut up.” Or so many more embittered readings understand this text.
Rather, what we see throughout God’s survey of creation are demonstrations of the relevance of the fact that God is Creator to addressing the problems identified throughout Job. It is not merely a display of power, though God’s power demonstrated in creation is certainly relevant, but God’s power was not what was in dispute throughout Job. It is also a display of wisdom, care, and faithfulness, all of which are related to what has been in dispute about God throughout the book (as these qualities are all also connected to God’s justice). After all, God’s action as Creator is not simply linked to the act of originating things or giving life, but to their being sustained, to their direction/guidance, and, most importantly, to the designations of their purposes. The fact that God’s will rules over all of these things and encompasses them from origin to purpose is what lies at the foundation of the connection of creation with God’s governance or Lordship. It is also this link that provides the source of hope that the God whose will, wisdom, and power makes this creation exist and function is able and willing to address these deep problems of the world as it is. Why he does not do so more immediately is not answered, but the point of citing all of these many facets of creation in testimony is to show how God is trustworthy in all of these other respects, and so should be trusted in matters that are unclear. And as I have noted elsewhere, waiting upon the Lord is a crucial aspect of cultivating biblical faith.
We see this reasoning manifest throughout these chapters in various ways. When God first questions Job about where he was when he laid the foundations of the earth, the differential pointed out is not between God’s power and Job’s, but God’s understanding (or wisdom) and Job’s (38:4–7). The point about the limits placed on the sea implicitly declares God’s power even over forces associated with chaos, but more importantly it points to his governance and his designation of limits and purposes (38:8–11). The points about commanding the dawn and causing the light to shine on the world is both a demonstration of his faithfulness to sustain the daily operations of the world, as well as an acknowledgment of the concerns of justice (38:12–15). The next section about the extremes of depth and expanse are also about wisdom and knowledge, not power, and they are also related to God’s sovereignty over life (and what sustains life) and death (38:16–18). The references to the places of light and darkness are, of course, related to the governance of creation, but also to God’s initial act of distinction in designating the purposes of creation, so that the light was for the day and the darkness for the night (38:19–21; cf. Gen 1:3–5). Much the same can be said for the storehouses of snow and hail (38:22–24). The points about God as the source for rain and ice are related to his wisdom and his faithfulness in sustaining creation (38:25–30). The guidance and governance of the stars, with the reference to the seasons, are linked to God’s overall governance of creation and designation of times and purposes thereof (38:31–33). Points about power, governance, and wisdom (including the provision of wisdom to others) are brought together in the series of questions in 38:34–38. The catalog of creatures that follows generally shows God’s designation of place/purpose for these creatures, his faithfulness in sustaining them, and his wisdom in directing them (38:39–39:30).
More directly related to God’s power is his initial answer to Job’s reply in 40:9–14, though this is also inherently related to God’s justice, as the expression of his power manifests primarily in terms of bringing down the proud and treading down the wicked. Also related to God’s power is his exposition on the behemoth and its greatness (40:15–24). But here we also see it related more generally to God’s glory and his sovereignty—implying his Lordship—over creation. These points are also demonstrated in the long section on Leviathan (41), as it opens with noting that even this mighty force of chaos is ultimately subservient as a vassal to God.
The opening of Job’s final answer to God in 42:2–3 also demonstrate that this logical link has been upheld. On the one hand, Job acknowledges that God can do all things, thus affirming his power, as well as that no purpose of his can be thwarted, thereby affirming God’s Lordship over creation as the one who designates purpose. On the other hand, he acknowledges that God’s wisdom concerning the operations of creation and the handling of its affairs is far beyond his own and thus he concedes and repents.
The Psalms
Such links are more common and more direct in several of the biblical psalms. Psalm 65 begins its point with the declaration that God saves by awesome deeds of deliverance and that he is the hope of all the earth (v. 5). The larger context that the psalmist gives such praise is God’s acts of creation. On the one hand, his power is demonstrated in the reach of his deeds, in the glories of creation—such as the mountains—and in his control over the seas (vv. 6–8). On the other hand, the provision of water and fertility throughout creation demonstrates God’s faithfulness in sustaining creation (vv. 9–13). Both power and faithfulness demonstrated in God’s work in creation are thus connected to the hope of God’s salvation.
Psalm 74:12–23 also links God’s kingship and salvation with his work in creation. Indeed, in describing God as King “from of old,” the deeds that are “from of old” that are recited are works of creation in separating, designating, and directing (vv. 13–17). Obviously, God’s wisdom in doing these things is invoked, but the more prominent aspect in these illustrations is the demonstration of God’s power. These things are then invoked for the purpose of calling upon God to act to deliver his covenant people and to rout those whose voices clamor against him (vv. 18–23)
The whole of Ps 89 is primarily concerned with God’s action concerning the Davidic covenant, the lamentable state of affairs in the present, and the hope for rectification. Immediately after the summary point is made in reference to God’s covenant with David and his line (89:3–4), the psalmist looks to creation to magnify the glory of God as the incomparable one, whose faithfulness surrounds him (vv. 5–8). That last statement from v. 8 thus provides a framework for the subsequent examples from creation that attest to God’s Lordship and power/might (vv. 9–13). This framework is reinforced by v. 14, with its invocation of righteousness and justice as the foundation of his throne, and of how his faithful love and truth go before him. Of course, these qualities are not only linked to his faithfulness to sustain creation, but also to the fact that he is Judge who is both merciful and just. It is these things that God has revealed about himself through creation that undergird statements of his Lordship/Kingship, his justice in judgment, and expectation of salvific action, especially when that action is linked with a covenant.
These various points and links are made more succinctly in Pss 93 and 97:1–6 (cf. 98). The Lord’s reign is connected with the fact that the world he has made, over which he rules, is firmly established (93:1–2; 97:1), and that creation testifies to his power and Lordship (93:3–5; 97:4–6). And as in Ps 89, it is also declared in the midst of such praises that righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne (97:2), although it is also more directly connected with retribution here in how fire goes forth from the Lord (97:3). Indeed, it is in response to the Lord coming to set the world aright that the praises of creation are called forth in 98:7–9.
Psalm 102 is a case in which the testimony of creation is presented in a more complicated fashion. When the psalmist calls upon God for deliverance in Ps 102:25–28, two points about God being Creator are invoked. One, he is the one who made the heavens and the earth, and thus one can expect that he can deal with the troubles within. Two, the fact that God created these things shows that he endures beyond their bounds of time; his integrity remains the same forever and ever. Thus, the second point uses creation as a contrast to the Creator, while the first point appeals to it in a more straightforward fashion.
Psalm 104 provides the most extended reflection of this theme in its celebration of the work of God the Creator. The first few stanzas attest to God’s glory and Lordship based on his awe-inspiring work of constructing the created world with all of its various dimensions and various purposes according to his will (vv. 1–9). Purpose and governance are also shown in how the various creatures have their respective habitations, as well as the fact that different times and seasons are appointed for different ends (vv. 17–22, 25–26), realities explicitly attributed to God’s wisdom (v. 24). Extending from this governance/direction of creation according to his will is also the fact that God faithfully/reliably sustains the existence and flourishing of creation with his provision of water, food, and fertility (vv. 9–16, 21–28). Indeed, God is so attributed with this sustaining work because his withdrawal of the same means death (v. 29), which expresses a point we have noted at multiple points in the Resurrection in the OT series about God’s sole sovereignty over life and death. Conversely, God’s sending forth his Spirit or breath means both the giving of life as well as “creation” and all that is thereby entailed, per the rest of this psalm (v. 31; cf. Gen 1:2). These qualities of God the Creator—which also entail that he is Sustainer and Lord/King—call forth praise (vv. 31–34), but they are also a reminder that God is Judge and will set the world aright, including by removing those in rebellion to his created order and Kingship (v. 35).
The remaining cases from Psalms appear in short segments, so I will treat them together. In the midst of a praise of God in his election of Israel and prior to a short recitation of history through appeal to the events of the exodus and conquest, the author of Ps 135 declares the Lordship and power of the Lord as demonstrated in creation and the direction thereof (vv. 5–7) as being connected with these great acts. Psalm 136, known for its refrain of “his steadfast love endures forever” (or some variation thereof), also attests to God’s power, wisdom, and Lordship in creation and designation of purpose as being connected to his salvific action and provision for Israel (vv. 5–9). Indeed, the provision of God the creator practically brackets this praise in v. 25 with the note that God gives food to all flesh. Likewise, the Lord’s faithful love expressed as King and Savior are linked to his provision of food and sustenance for all in Ps 145:15–16. More focus is given to his salvific action in connection with his work in establishing and faithfully sustaining creation in Ps 146:5–7. Finally, Ps 147 provides us with a more complex intertwinement of these themes in how it is structured in praise of God, at different stages appealing to God’s power and wisdom attested in the stars of the heavens (vv. 4–5), his faithful sustaining of creation (vv. 8–11), and his direction/governance of creation, including in the execution of judgment (vv. 14–18). All of these more universal blessings are intertwined with more specific ones directed to Israel, all as reminders that the God of Israel—the one they know as Lord/King, Savior, and Judge—is the same God who is the Creator (and thus Sustainer) of all.