When the Mountains Skip like Rams

³ The sea looked and fled;
    Jordan turned back.
⁴ The mountains skipped like rams,
    the hills like lambs.

⁵ What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
    O Jordan, that you turn back?
⁶ O mountains, that you skip like rams?
    O hills, like lambs?

⁷ Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
    at the presence of the God of Jacob,
⁸ who turns the rock into a pool of water,
    the flint into a spring of water. (Psalm 114)

In this Psalm we are reminded of the mighty presence of God that rescued and set apart a people for Himself. We are reminded of a God who worked in history to do so, with the remembrance of real historical events. This teaches us that history is the Lord’s, and that what He is doing in history is redemptive and righteously self-exultant. Should we resist His purposes, how much more trembling we should do than the great mountains and mighty seas!

As this Psalm remembers the work of the Lord, it does so with a tenor of victory, with an attitude similar to what the Apostle Paul would later describe as “boasting in the cross.” As inspired Holy Writ, the Holy Spirit boasts here in the work of God. Egypt was one of the greatest and mightiest empires in that day when Israel came out of it, and yet the Lord of Hosts so handedly brought his people out and triumphed over them that they are described as nothing more than a people of strange language. Their might, power, and gods are not remembered for anything. Their former world glory is remember now as nothing more than strange babbling. Such becomes all nations who would oppose the God who speaks. All babbling will be stopped and turned to praise as the gospel proceeds to every tongue. Out of pagan darkness comes a redeemed people. This is how God works.

After handling the most powerful nation, the Holy Spirit turns to boasting in God’s victory of the greatest forces of creation. What is the world’s strongest man to the strength of the sea? What is it to the majestic heights of the mountains? Yet these forces of power and majesty turn in to men with sinking hearts when they see the judgment of God upon the land. It is right that they turn like rams and lambs to run at the sight of God’s judgment, for the mountains and seas have more sense and awareness than the most intelligent Egyptian in rebellion to the God of all.

As we consider the mighty waters that fled out of the way of God’s people as He marched through with them, and then immediately swallowed up the Egyptians in death, we remember our own smallness and dependence on the presence and hand of God. The mighty waters that would swallow us up in an instant were it not for Christ are a reminder of our own immortality and death. Below the seas, it leads down to Sheol. The sea is a graveyard. God’s people were lead out of death. They walked right through it.

This boasting in victory over death reminds us of another instance, made more clear. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, quoting from Isaiah,

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Greater still than the waters of the Red Sea and of the Jordan, we are lead by Christ through the waters of the grave. Death turns to flee when we enter into death united with Christ. The presence of God is with us and the gravestones begin to skip like lambs.

As we go forth with Christ in this world, it is the day of conquering. It is the day of announcing His victory. It is the day that those who speak a strange language can be given tongues of fire to speak the gospel. Whatever demonic creatures are hiding out in the trees and rocks will turn to run like little lambs when the pronouncing of the gospel of the Kingdom comes and says, “Christ reigns here!”

May the earth both tremble and rejoice at the presence of the God of Jacob, who is our God. He has won, and now His dominion is over all the earth, as there is no longer Jew or Gentile, but all are one in Christ Jesus. There are no longer land ties to certain acreage, but wherever the feet of God’s people tread, there it is His. As Israel conquered by passing through the water of the Jordan, so the Church is victorious as she passes through the nations with the presence of God with them.

So let us remember the work of God that He has done through our fathers. This is not Jewish history. This is our history – Christian history. Jacob was a Christian because God loved him and he believed the promise. It is the same reason we are Christians. This almighty God has love us, and so we believe. We learn His love and faithfulness, and remember His power and might by singing songs of remembrance, songs of ancient Christian history, like Psalm 114.