◄ Psalm 95:4 ►
In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.
Study Bible
In His hand
The phrase "In His hand" signifies God's sovereign control and authority over creation. The Hebrew word for "hand" is "yad," which often symbolizes power and possession. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the hand was a symbol of strength and capability. This imagery reassures believers of God's omnipotence and intimate involvement in the world. It is a reminder that everything is under His dominion, providing comfort and security to those who trust in Him.

are the depths of the earth
The "depths of the earth" refer to the most profound and inaccessible parts of the world. The Hebrew word "mechqar" can denote the hidden or mysterious aspects of creation. This phrase emphasizes God's omnipresence and His knowledge of all things, even those beyond human understanding. Historically, the depths were often associated with chaos and the unknown, yet this verse affirms that even these are within God's grasp, highlighting His mastery over all creation.

and the mountain peaks
"Mountain peaks" symbolize majesty, stability, and the grandeur of creation. The Hebrew word "toaphoth" refers to the heights or summits, which in biblical times were often seen as places of divine encounter. Mountains are frequently mentioned in Scripture as sites of revelation and worship, such as Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. This imagery underscores the idea that from the lowest valleys to the highest peaks, all creation is under God's authority and reflects His glory.

belong to Him
The phrase "belong to Him" asserts God's ownership and lordship over the entire earth. The Hebrew concept of ownership is not merely about possession but also about responsibility and care. This declaration serves as a reminder of God's covenant relationship with His creation. It calls believers to recognize His rightful place as Creator and Sustainer, encouraging a response of worship and reverence. The acknowledgment of God's ownership invites trust in His providential care and governance over all aspects of life.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God (Yahweh)
The central figure in this verse, representing His sovereignty and creative power over all creation.

2. Depths of the Earth
Symbolic of the most profound and hidden parts of creation, indicating God's dominion over all aspects of the world.

3. Mountain Peaks
Representing the highest and most majestic parts of the earth, also under God's control and ownership.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Creation
Recognize that every part of creation, from the depths to the peaks, is under God's control. This should lead to a sense of awe and reverence for His power.

Trust in God's Control
Understanding that God holds the earth in His hand can bring comfort and assurance in times of uncertainty. Trust in His ability to manage the complexities of life.

Worship and Praise
Acknowledge God's majesty and power in worship. Let the knowledge of His dominion inspire heartfelt praise and adoration.

Stewardship of Creation
As God owns the earth, we are called to be responsible stewards of His creation. This involves caring for the environment and using resources wisely.

Humility Before God
Recognize our place in the grand scheme of creation. Humility should characterize our approach to God, acknowledging His greatness and our dependence on Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's sovereignty over the depths and peaks of the earth affect your view of His power in your personal life?

2. In what ways can you incorporate the themes of God's ownership and control into your daily worship practices?

3. How does the concept of stewardship, as derived from God's ownership of creation, influence your actions towards the environment and resources?

4. Reflect on a time when trusting in God's control brought you peace. How can you apply this trust to current challenges you face?

5. How do the themes in Psalm 95:4 connect with the creation account in Genesis 1, and what implications does this have for your understanding of God's role in the world today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1
The creation account establishes God's authority over all creation, similar to the themes in Psalm 95:4.

Job 38
God's questioning of Job highlights His control over the earth's foundations and the natural world, echoing the themes of divine sovereignty.

Isaiah 40
This chapter speaks of God's greatness and His power over the earth, reinforcing the message of God's dominion found in Psalm 95:4.

Colossians 1
Paul describes Christ's role in creation, affirming that all things were created through Him and for Him, aligning with the idea of divine ownership.

Revelation 4
The worship of God as Creator in heaven reflects the acknowledgment of His authority over all creation, as seen in Psalm 95:4.
Sermons
The Strength of the HillsA. Mursell.Psalm 95:4
The Strength of the HillsR. S. Storrs, D.D.Psalm 95:4
Christ the Rock of Our SalvationJ. W. Hardman, LL.D.Psalm 95:1-11
Inciting One Another to Praise GodPsalm 95:1-11
Praise the Outcome of Divine InfluencePsalm 95:1-11
PsalmodyJ. W. Reeve, M.A.Psalm 95:1-11
Public Worship - its Necessity and AdvantageC. Short Psalm 95:1-11
The Genesis of PraiseW. G. Horder.Psalm 95:1-11
The Grandest of Creature ServicesHomilistPsalm 95:1-11
The Invitatory PsalmS. Conway Psalm 95:1-11
The VeniteD. Laing, M.A.Psalm 95:1-11
The Beautiful and Sublime Calling to DevotionR. Tuck Psalm 95:4, 5
The Material Universe and its LessonsC. Short Psalm 95:4-6
People
Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Belong, Deep, Depths, Heights, Hills, Mountain, Mountains, Peaks, Places, Strength, Strong, Tops
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 95:4

     4227   deep, the

Psalm 95:3-6

     1090   God, majesty of

Psalm 95:3-7

     8608   prayer, and worship

Psalm 95:4-5

     1265   hand of God
     4203   earth, the

Library
Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

O Come, Loud Anthems Let us Sing
[1180]Park Street: Frederick M. A. Venua, c. 1810 Psalm 95 Tate and Brady, 1698; Alt. DOXOLOGY O come, loud anthems let us sing, Loud thanks to our almighty King, And high our grateful voices raise, As our Salvation's Rock we praise. Into his presence let us haste To thank him for his favors past; To him address, in joyful songs, The praise that to his Name belongs. For God the Lord, enthroned in state, Is with unrivaled glory great; The depths of earth are in his hand, Her secret wealth at his …
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

Weighed, and Found Wanting
'And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3. And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4. And they said one …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Temporary Hardening.
"Lord, why hast Thou hardened our heart? "--Isa. lxiii. 17. That there is a hardening of heart which culminates in the sin against the Holy Spirit can not be denied. When dealing with spiritual things we must take account of it; for it is one of the most fearful instruments of the divine wrath. For, whether we say that Satan or David or the Lord tempted the king, it amounts to the same thing. The cause is always in man's sin; and in each of these three cases the destructive fatality whereby sin poisons …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Epistle xxxi. To Phocas, Emperor .
To Phocas, Emperor [218] . Gregory to Phocas Augustus. Glory to God in the highest who, according as it is written, changes times, and transfers kingdoms, seeing that He has made apparent to all what He vouchsafed to speak by His prophet, That the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will (Dan. iv. 17). For in the incomprehensible dispensation of Almighty God there are alternate controlments of mortal life; and sometimes, when the sins of many are to be smitten, …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Fundamental Oneness of the Dispensations.
Hebrews iii. i-iv. 13 (R.V.). "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High-priest of our confession, even Jesus; who was faithful to Him that appointed Him as also was Moses in all his house. For He hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by so much as he that built the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some one; but He that built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity the Careful Walk of the Christian.
Text: Ephesians 5, 15-21. 15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk [See then that ye walk circumspectly], not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; 19 speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks always for all things …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

The Shepherd and the Fold
... Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.' EXODUS XV. 13. What a grand triumphal ode! The picture of Moses and the children of Israel singing, and Miriam and the women answering: a gush of national pride and of worship! We belong to a better time, but still we can feel its grandeur. The deliverance has made the singer look forward to the end, and his confidence in the issue is confirmed. I. The guiding God: or the picture of the leading. The original is 'lead gently.' Cf. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Arguments Usually Alleged in Support of Free Will Refuted.
1. Absurd fictions of opponents first refuted, and then certain passages of Scripture explained. Answer by a negative. Confirmation of the answer. 2. Another absurdity of Aristotle and Pelagius. Answer by a distinction. Answer fortified by passages from Augustine, and supported by the authority of an Apostle. 3. Third absurdity borrowed from the words of Chrysostom. Answer by a negative. 4. Fourth absurdity urged of old by the Pelagians. Answer from the works of Augustine. Illustrated by the testimony …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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