What other scriptures highlight God's authority over natural elements like in Psalm 147:17? Setting Psalm 147:17 in Context “He hurls down His hail like pebbles; who can withstand His icy blast?” The verse pictures God flinging hailstones and releasing frigid wind. Scripture consistently presents Him as the unrivaled Lord of every element—snow, wind, water, fire, even the movement of the sun and moon. Key Old Testament Passages • Job 37:9-13 — “By the breath of God the ice is formed… He commands…over the face of all the earth.” • Job 38:22-23 — “Have you entered the storehouses of snow or observed the storehouses of hail…?” • Psalm 29:3-4 — “The voice of the LORD is over the waters… The voice of the LORD is powerful.” • Psalm 104:6-9 — At God’s rebuke the flood-waters flee and mountains rise. • Psalm 135:6-7 — “He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind out of His storehouses.” • Exodus 14:21 — The LORD parts the Red Sea with a strong east wind. • Joshua 10:12-13 — Sun and moon halt at Joshua’s request: “So the sun stood still.” • Nahum 1:3-6 — “He rebukes the sea and dries it… The mountains quake before Him.” • Jonah 1:4 — “The LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea.” Weather Under His Command – Snow and Hail: Job 38:22-30; Psalm 147:16 (“He gives snow like wool”) – Wind and Storm: Psalm 148:8 (“stormy wind, fulfilling His word”); Amos 4:13 – Thunder and Lightning: 1 Samuel 7:10; Job 36:32-33 Seas, Rivers, and Floods – Psalm 93:3-4 — “The floods have lifted up… but the LORD on high is mightier.” – Psalm 107:23-29 — He stills raging waves for sailors in distress. – Isaiah 50:2 — “I dry up the sea with My rebuke.” – Isaiah 51:10 — The parted waters of the Red Sea form a redeemed highway. Celestial Control – Genesis 1:16-18 — He appoints sun, moon, and stars “to govern the day and the night.” – Job 38:31-33 — “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades…?” – Isaiah 40:26 — He calls the starry host by name, “because of His great power.” New Testament Confirmations • Matthew 8:26 — Jesus rebukes wind and sea; “it was perfectly calm.” • Mark 4:39 — “Silence! Be still!” The wind obeys immediately. • Luke 8:24 — Disciples marvel: “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water.” • Matthew 14:25-32 — Jesus walks on the waves and the wind ceases at His word. • Revelation 7:1 — Angels hold back the four winds until God’s purpose is complete. Takeaway The same God who “hurls down His hail like pebbles” in Psalm 147:17 rules every cloudburst, earthquake, and sunbeam. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture speaks with one voice: natural forces are never random; they remain firmly in His hand, accomplishing His sovereign will. |
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