Names of God – HE LAYS THE BEAMS OF HIS CHAMBERS ON THE WATERS – 276


My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

276
 
HE LAYS THE BEAMS OF HIS CHAMBERS ON THE WATERS
 
Psalm 104:3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;
This is ridiculous. Didn’t the psalmist understand basic physics. The concept of loading and bearing capacity, of distributed loading to allow for structural stability.

Water, unless restricted within a form, or completely enveloped in a leak proof container, is the most unstable, unreliable material to construct a chamber on. To make matters worse, as the Psalmist was describing this chamber, he used a word that often referenced an upper chamber, a roof chamber, a secluded area for reflection and solitude. We may describe it as a loft.

Ok, so to continue on with the absurdity, if the structure was constructed on water, having the room elevated above the foundation only makes this “chamber” more unstable. One good wave and over the structure falls!

And great will be the fall of it.

That is if we think literally, woodenly and without the influence of the poetry that is so rife within the Word. Passages such as this one was completely out of my understanding when I refused to consider some (much?) of the message as figurative, messages that produce pictures in the mind and imagination. Now, don’t start thinking that I am suggesting the Word is only figurative, that passages can be interpreted willy nilly, or by any standard. I am still of the opinion that the Word interprets itself beautifully, and this passage is a fine example.

The psalmist is describing the lofty chambers the Lord resides in in the heavens, chambers that can not be touched by mankind, chambers that are not restricted by our physical laws, by forces such as gravity or actions such as waves or wind.

But Carl, he speaks of the chambers “on the waters” How should we consider this reference? Is it a reference to the water we experience in a lake or the ocean. I say yes, for this very mixture of the non physical beams of His chamber supported by our physical environment (the waters) speaks of His omnipresence, His very closeness with those He created.

His is a chamber of solitude, a restful place for His person, yet He is on the waters, in our surroundings, amongst those who, for the most part, do not realize or appreciate His company.

Yes our God is He who lays the beams of his chambers on the waters, He is One who chooses to be in His loft amongst us, and not afar off, distant and away.

He is near, even beside us, in His chamber. And He has provided a way into His chamber, through a curtain, by the blood of His Son.

Hebrews 10:20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.


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