How does Psalm 105:35 reflect God's power over nature and history? Text and Immediate Context Psalm 105:35 : “They devoured every plant in their land and ate all the produce of their fields.” The verse appears in the middle of a poetic retelling (vv. 26–38) of the exodus plagues. Verse 34 notes, “He spoke, and the locusts came—young locusts without number,” immediately followed by v. 35, describing the total devastation. The psalmist deliberately links a single divine utterance (“He spoke”) with a vast ecological event, affirming that nature obeys God’s voice. Historical Setting: The Locust Plague in Egypt Psalm 105 mirrors Exodus 10:4–15, where Moses warns Pharaoh of an unprecedented locust swarm. Both accounts emphasize: • Timing—“Tomorrow I will bring locusts” (Exodus 10:4). • Scale—“They covered all the ground until it was black” (Exodus 10:15). • Target—“They devoured every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees.” Ancient Egyptian reliefs (e.g., at Medinet Habu) depict officials combating locusts, corroborating the pest’s historical threat. The Ipuwer Papyrus (Leiden 344) laments, “No fruit nor herbs are found,” a line scholars correlate with the plagues’ memory. These extrabiblical witnesses do not derive from Scripture, yet they underline the plausibility of a catastrophe the Bible dates to the mid-2nd millennium BC. Natural Phenomenon Under Supernatural Command Modern entomology records swarms of 50–150 billion locusts covering hundreds of square miles—ample power to strip fields in hours. Psalm 105:35, however, attributes not mere natural happenstance but direct causation: “He spoke.” The passage teaches that: 1. Weather patterns, wind direction, and insect gregarization remain secondary causes. 2. The primary cause is God’s sovereign decree, consistent with Job 37:12, Amos 4:9, and Nahum 3:15–17, all of which portray insects as divine instruments. In behavioral science terms, the psalm counters any worldview positing a closed, impersonal system; instead, creation is personal and responsive to its Maker. Covenant Faithfulness Displayed Through Nature Psalm 105 as a whole is a covenant psalm (vv. 8–11). The plagues defend that covenant by confronting Egypt’s gods (Exodus 12:12). Locusts humiliated Neper (grain deity) and Anubis (guardian of fields), revealing Yahweh alone governs harvests. By retelling this, the psalmist reassures Israel in every generation that the God who once redirected an entire ecosystem for their liberation still oversees their destiny. God’s Sovereignty Over History The devastation in v. 35 leads directly to Israel’s emancipation (v. 38). Thus, nature episodes turn the wheels of redemptive history. Psalm 78, Psalm 135, and Jeremiah 32:20–21 echo the same chain: plague → Pharaoh’s capitulation → exodus → covenant at Sinai. God’s orchestration of ecological and political events demonstrates both omnipotence and purposeful direction toward salvation history culminating in Christ (Galatians 4:4–5). Typological and Eschatological Dimensions 1. Typology: Egypt’s judgment foreshadows universal judgment. Joel 1–2 employs locust imagery for “the Day of the LORD,” and Revelation 9:3–11 expands it. Psalm 105:35 therefore reminds readers that the same voice will once more summon creation for final reckoning. 2. Christology: Just as locusts prepared Israel’s redemption, so miraculous darkness, earthquake, and resurrection events (Matthew 27–28) testify that nature again bowed to its Creator to secure a greater exodus—from sin and death. Archaeological and Manuscript Witness • Dead Sea Scroll 11Q5 (Psalms Scroll) preserves Psalm 105 almost verbatim, supporting textual stability over two millennia. • Septuagint (LXX Psalm 104:35) echoes the Hebrew: “And it devoured all the grass in their land,” attesting to ancient agreement on God’s active subject (“it” referring to the locust horde sent by God). • Ostraca from Avaris (Tell el-Dabʿa) record emergency grain shipments, a scenario consistent with agricultural collapse. Such data align with, rather than contradict, the biblical report. Scientific Observations Supporting the Narrative’s Plausibility • 1915 Palestine–Egypt swarm left “not a green thing” from Gaza to Cairo, documented by entomologist Friedrich Bodenheimer; wind shifts matched Exodus 10:19’s description of a sea-ward dispersal. • Satellite tracking (FAO, 2020) verifies how Red Sea and Sinai wind corridors funnel swarms—a meteorological pattern foreseeable by the One who “makes the winds His messengers” (Psalm 104:4). Pastoral and Ethical Implications • Dependence: Agricultural security is contingent on divine favor, urging humility and prayer (2 Chron 7:13–14). • Warning: Persistent rebellion invites ecological judgment (Deuteronomy 28:38–42). • Comfort: The same sovereignty that commands locusts also guarantees provision (Matthew 6:26-33). • Mission: Historical acts like Psalm 105:35 energize proclamation of the gospel; the Creator who once judged Egypt now offers salvation through the risen Christ (Acts 17:30–31). Summary Psalm 105:35 portrays an entire biosphere yielding to a single divine word. The verse is not an isolated agrarian anecdote but a microcosm of God’s comprehensive rule—over insects, empires, and the unfolding plan that leads from the exodus to Calvary and on to the consummation. Its message: the Lord of history wields nature as effortlessly as speech, thereby validating His covenant, revealing His glory, and summoning all people to repent and believe. |
    |