Creation Expressions and Allusions Through the Bible

Creation Expressions and Allusions Through the Bible

Creation ideas thread through the entire Bible. Often in the middle of a passage telling of God’s great rescue of God’s people, there may appear an obvious allusion to something in the Genesis creation accounts. The Old Testament scholar, Terence Fretheim commented,

The deliverance of Israel is ultimately for the sake of all creation (see 9:16). The issue for God is finally not that God’s name be made known in Israel but that it be declared to the entire earth. God’s purpose in these events is creation-wide.
Exodus 15.8

The chart below is a collection of over 200 instances in the Old and New Testament where the text makes an obvious evocation of a word or idea that recalls the fact that God made and cares for all things. The impression given by these passages is that the creative work is ongoing and didn’t end with the first and second chapters of Genesis.

The list below is impressively long and probably far from complete. At the very least it is a powerful reminder that creation keeps coming up. Readers of the Bible may have lapsed into a habit of gliding over a creational allusion, but this assembly of references powerfully reminds that creation is ongoing and entails the whole of the world.

The chart is under construction. Texts are hyperlinked to Bible Hub which is a good resource for providing translation information and tools for study.

The chart will be updated frequently and is free to the public to use and copy.

The Presence of Creation Expressions and Allusions through the Bible
Chapter and Verse Text Comment Word Word
1 Corinthians 1.21 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.      
1 Corinthians 15.24-28 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For he “has put everything under his feet.” c Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.      
1 Corinthians 8.6 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.      
1 John 1.1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our a joy complete.      
1 John 2.13-14 12I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
14I write to you, dear children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.		      
1 John 5.19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.       
1 Kings 8.12 12Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 13I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”      
1 Peter 1.20  20He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.      
1 Timothy 4.4  4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,       
2 Corinthians 3.18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate a the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.      
2 Corinthians 4.4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.      
2 Corinthians 4.6  6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” a made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.      
2 Corinthians 5.17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: a The old has gone, the new is here!       
2 Kings 19.15 15And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.      
2 Maccabees 7.28 28 I beg you, my child, to look at the heaven and the earth and see everything that is in them and recognize that God did not make them out of things that existed.[f] And in the same way the human race came into being.  Creation ex nihilo    
2 Peter 3.5-6 5But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6through whichb the world of that time perished in the flood. 7And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. The word is not a sound but an act    
4 Ezra 6.49-52 22Do you not fear Me?”
declares the LORD.
“Do you not tremble before Me,
the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea,
an enduring barrier it cannot cross?
The waves surge, but they cannot prevail.
They roar but cannot cross it.		      
Amos 4.13f When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.		 Creation ex nihilo Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Amos 5.8ff 8He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns midnight into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.
9With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.		 This allusion to the creative work of God reinforces the seriousness and threat of coming judgment. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Amos 5.8ff 5The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Amos 9 5The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;
6he builds his lofty palace a in the heavens
and sets its foundation b on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.		 This text lacks much of the signature creational language or themes.  Punishment, which is executed by God, is focused on the land and waters. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Amos 9.2-3 Delay not, O God, to recompense them on their heads,
  To turn the pride of the dragon into dishonour. p. 107
And I had not long to wait before God showed me the insolent one		      
Amos 9.5f The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;
6he builds his lofty palace a in the heavens
and sets its foundation b on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Apocalypse of Baruch 14.28 1 And I answered and said: ‘Behold, you have shown me the methods of the times, and that which shall be.

(25-27) And you have said unto me that the retribution which was spoken of by you shall be endured by the nations.

(27-32) 2 And now I know that those who have sinned are many, and they have lived . . . , and departed from the world, but that few nations will be left in those times to whom . . . the words (which) you did say.

(32-33) 3 And what advantage (is there) in this or what worse than (these?)		      
Apocalypse of Baruch 21.4 4 ‘O you that have made the earth, hear me, that have fixed the firmament by the word, and have made firm the height of the heaven by the spirit, that have called from the beginning of the world that which did not yet exist, and they obey you. 5 you that have commanded the air by Your nod, and have seen those things which are to be as those things which you are doing. 6 you that rule with great thought the hosts that stand before you: also the countless holy beings, which you did make from the beginning, of flame and fire, which stand around Your throne you rule with indignation.       
Colossians 1.17 15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.      
Colossians 3.10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.      
Deuteronomy 26.5-10 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. 7Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him.      
Ecclesiasticus 14.14-5 Blessed is the man that doth meditate good things in wisdom, and that reasoneth of holy things by his understanding.
21He that considereth her ways in his heart shall also have understanding in her secrets.
22Go after her as one that traceth, and lie in wait in her ways.		      
Ecclesiasticus 40.1 Hard work was created for everyone,
    and a heavy yoke is laid on the children of Adam,
from the day they come forth from their mother’s womb
    until the day they return to[a] the mother of all the living.[b]		      
Ecclesiasticus 42.15ff  I will now call to mind the works of the Lord,
   and will declare what I have seen.
By the word of the Lord his works are made;
   and all his creatures do his will.
16 The sun looks down on everything with its light,
   and the work of the Lord is full of his glory.
17 The Lord has not empowered even his holy ones
   to recount all his marvellous works,
which the Lord the Almighty has established
   so that the universe may stand firm in his glory.
18 He searches out the abyss and the human heart;
   he understands their innermost secrets.
For the Most High knows all that may be known;
   he sees from of old the things that are to come.
19 He discloses what has been and what is to be,
   and he reveals the traces of hidden things.
20 No thought escapes him,
   and nothing is hidden from him.
21 He has set in order the splendours of his wisdom;
   he is from all eternity one and the same.
Nothing can be added or taken away,
   and he needs no one to be his counsellor.
22 How desirable are all his works,
   and how sparkling they are to see!
23 All these things live and remain for ever;
   each creature is preserved to meet a particular need.
24 All things come in pairs, one opposite to the other,
   and he has made nothing incomplete.
25 Each supplements the virtues of the other.
   Who could ever tire of seeing his glory?		      
Enoch 60.7-9 34“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us,
he has thrown us into confusion,
he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
and then has spewed us out.
35May the violence done to our flesh f be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.		      
Ephesians 1.4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he b predestined us for adoption to sonship c through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9he d made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.      
Ephesians 2.11-22  10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.		      
Ephesians 4.24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.      
Exodus 1,2,and 5   Genesis 1-9: Early in the story of both books is the tale of humanity’s sinful departure from God’s intention in creation.    
Exodus 1.12 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13and worked them ruthlessly. 14They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. The population growth is fulfillment of a creational vocation.  The oppression by Egypt is anti-creation.  Oppression in Egypt is the equivalent to the primeval chaos.    
Exodus 1.20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. The midwives being helpers with the population increase prove to be in alliance with what God is doing in the world.    
Exodus 1.7 the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous See Genesis 1.28: “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”    
Exodus 1.7-14 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Note the exagerated description of Israel’s population increase.  This fulfills the commission given to all of humanity in Genesis 1.28    
Exodus 14.21ff   Genesis 6-8: In both Genesis and Exodus deliverance comes through water which is controlled and divided by God.  In both texts the water is reminiscent to the original waters of chaos    
Exodus 15.1-21 But you blew with your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
11Who among the gods
is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?		 This text is a merger of creation and redemption.  The overall tone is triumphalistic.  The redemptive triumph here is painted in violent creational language. The dividing and control of the waters makes this rescue a near reenactment of the creation.  By invoking the creation story, Israel here sees its redemption as having universal significance.    
Exodus 15.18 “The Lord reigns
for ever and ever.”		 Even nonhuman elements like wind and water affirm God’s control over the created order.    
Exodus 18.8-12 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God. The fact of Israel’s rescue demonstrates the Lord’s universality to Jethro    
Exodus 19 4-9 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6you a will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ The rest of the world will be the objects of Israel’s priestly vocation.  Israel will minister to the rest of the world    
Exodus 19.5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession Genesis 9.8-11:  The establishment of covenant after the deliverance from waters.    
Exodus 19.5 You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, God takes a special liking to Israel which does not contradict the greater truth of creation, namely that the Earth belongs to God    
Exodus 2.1   Genesis 3 to 6 Noah and Moses are counterparts.  They both fulfil their callings as human co-creators with God and they rescue their people from the judgment in the form of chaos that results from human anti-creational behavior    
Exodus 20.4 You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. The mention of heaven and earth, the twin elements of the created order are fundamentally distinct from the Creator.  This infinite qualitative difference should not be breached.    
Exodus 40.34=38 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

36Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out through all the stages of their journey. 37If the cloud was not lifted, they would not set out until the day it was taken up. 38For the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel through all their journeys.		 The tabernacle is a microcosm of the whole cosmos.  When the cloud and fire hover over it and guide it, we see the vision of the entire world being led as was Israel.  The vision here is of Exodus for the whole earth.    
Exodus 7-11   Genesis 6-8: The Flood and the Plagues are roughly parallel in the sense that both represent the consequences of human anti-creational (sinful) activity.    
Exodus 8.22 ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23I will make a distinction a between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’ ” Goshen is an ideal plot of land in Egypt that becomes, through Joseph’s maneuvers, Israel’s temporary homeland.  They are said to be free from ecological upset in this territory.    
Exodus 9.14 This time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. YHWH has power not simply among the Israelites but also over the king of a great empire.    
Exodus 9.16 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16But I have raised you up a for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. The plagues are of limited destruction because their purpose is to advance God’s worldwide project    
Exodus 9.29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.” God’s ownership of the world is a universal truth to be disclosed to Pharaoh by the public acts of Moses.    
Ezekiel 29.3-6a Then didst thou ordain two living creatures, the one thou calledst Enoch, and the other Leviathan;
50And didst separate the one from the other: for the seventh part, namely, where the water was gathered together, might not hold them both.
51Unto Enoch thou gavest one part, which was dried up the third day, that he should dwell in the same part, wherein are a thousand hills:
52But unto Leviathan thou gavest the seventh part, namely, the moist; and hast kept him to be devoured of whom thou wilt, and when.		      
Ezekiel 30.6,8 5He set the earth on its foundations,
never to be moved.6You covered it with the deep like a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7At Your rebuke the waters fled;
at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away—
8the mountains rose and the valleys sank
to the place You assigned for them—
9You set a boundary they cannot cross,
that they may never again cover the earth.		      
Ezekiel 32.2-8 “ ‘You are like a lion among the nations;
you are like a monster in the seas
thrashing about in your streams,
churning the water with your feet
and muddying the streams.		      
Ezekiel 36.26-28 For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.       
Ezra 6.49-52        
Galatians 4.9  3So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces a of the world.      
Galatians 6.15 15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.       
Genesis 1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.      
Genesis 14 18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”		      
Genesis 6.6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.      
Genesis 7.11 11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.      
Genesis 8.2  2Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.      
Genesis 8.22 22“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will nevercease.”		      
Genesis 9.13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.       
Genesis 9.6 6“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.		      
Habakkak 3 7I saw the tents of Cushan in distress;
the curtains of Midian were trembling.
8Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD?
Was Your wrath against the streams?
Did You rage against the sea
when You rode on Your horses,
on Your chariots of salvation?
9You brandished Your bow;
You called for many arrows.
You split the earth with rivers.
10The mountains saw You and quaked;
torrents of water swept by.
The deep roared with its voice
and lifted its hands on high.
11Sun and moon stood still
in their places
at the flash of Your flying arrows,
at the brightness of Your shining spear.
12You marched across the earth with fury;
You threshed the nations in wrath.
13You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
to save Your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of the wicked
and stripped him from head to toe.
14With his own spear You pierced his head,
when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,gloating as though ready

to secretly devour the weak.

15You trampled the sea with Your horses,

churning the great waters.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Habbakuk 3 Were you angry with the rivers, Lord?
Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea
when you rode your horses
and your chariots to victory?
9You uncovered your bow,
you called for many arrows.
You split the earth with rivers;
10the mountains saw you and writhed.
Torrents of water swept by;
the deep roared
and lifted its waves on high.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Hebrews 1.2-3 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.      
Hebrews 11.3 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. God speaks the world into being.  Creation ex nihilo    
Hebrews 2.5-9 “What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?
7You made them a little a lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
8and put everything under their feet.” b c
In putting everything under them, d God left nothing that is not subject to them. e Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. f 9But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone		      
Hebrrews 4.3 3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” b
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” c 5And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”		      
Hosea 2.6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.		      
Hosea 4.3 3Because of this the land dries up,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish i the sea are swept away.		      
Isaiah 1.3 3The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”		      
Isaiah 11.6-9 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling a together;
and a little child will lead them.
7The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.		      
Isaiah 17.12-14 12Alas, the tumult of many peoples;
they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations;
they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters.
13The nations rage like the rush of many waters.
He rebukes them, and they flee far away,
driven before the wind like chaff on the hills,
like tumbleweeds before a gale.
14In the evening, there is sudden terror!
Before morning, they are no more!
This is the portion of those who loot us
and the lot of those who plunder us.		 Bad human behavior is like the primeval chaos Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 27.1 In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword— his fierce, great and powerful sword— Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.      
Isaiah 27.1 11“Therefore I will not keep silent;
I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep,
that you put me under guard?
13When I think my bed will comfort me
and my couch will ease my complaint,		      
Isaiah 29.15-16 15Woe to those who dig deep
to hide their plans from the LORD.
In darkness they do their works and say,
“Who sees us, and who will know?”
16You have turned things upside down,
as if the potter were regarded as clay.
Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
“He did not make me”?e
Can the pottery say of the potter,
“He has no understanding”?		 This passage suggests God’s sovereignty over persons.  No creation-language here.    
Isaiah 3.6 6For this is what the LORD says:
The allies of Egypt will fall,
and her proud strength will collapse.
From Migdol to Syened
they will fall by the sword within her,
declares the Lord GOD.
7They will be desolate among desolate lands,
and their cities will lie among ruined cities.
8Then they will know that I am the LORD
when I set fire to Egypt
and all her helpers are shattered.		      
Isaiah 30.6-7 Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.		      
Isaiah 30.6-7 7. And on that day were two monsters parted, a female monster named Leviathan, to dwell in the abysses of the ocean over the fountains of the waters. 8. But the male is named Behemoth, who occupied with his breast a waste wilderness named †Dûidâin†, on the east of the garden where the elect and righteous dwell, where my grandfather was taken up, the seventh from Adam, the first man whom the Lord of Spirits created. 9. And I besought the other angel that he should show me the might of those monsters, how they were parted on one day and cast, the one into the abysses of the sea, and the other unto the dry land of the wilderness. 10. And he said to me: ‘Thou son of man, herein thou dost seek to know what is hidden.’      
Isaiah 40 21Do you not know?Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.		 The remembrance of God’s creation of the whole earth, surely a mighty act, gives assurance that the Creator God is up to the task of delivering the people in their condition of Exile.  Once again, I don’t see how this is anything but creational thinking.   My  hypothesis is that redemption and judgment are subsidiary from creational thinking. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 40
selected verses		 9You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
…
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn f will be exalted.
25I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.		 This Psalm celebrates the establishment of David’s throne as Israel’s leadership in perpetuity.  Notice its easy merger with strong creational themes Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 41.17-20 17“The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the Lord will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
19I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
20so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.		      
Isaiah 42.5 5This is what God the LORD says—
He who created the heavens
and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and its offspring,
who gives breath to the people on it
and life to those who walk in it:		 The remembrance of God’s creation of the whole earth, surely a mighty act, gives assurance that the Creator God is up to the task of delivering the people in their condition of Exile.  Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 42.5 1The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4Yet their voice b goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.		 Von Rad sees the communicating characteristics of creation as an innovation with this Psalm and not widely repeated elsewhere in the Old Testament. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 43.1 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.		 Von Rad only comments on the first verse here saying that II Isaiah has completely merged creation theology with redemption.  The creation of Israel and Judah are the first events of redemption in the Old Testament.  The creation of the people like the call of Abraham and the advent of Jesus Christ (John 1.1f) are new works of God on the analogy of Genesis 1. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 44.24 Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
you forests and all your trees,
for the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
he displays his glory in Israel.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 45.11 I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8“You heavens above, rain down my righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.		 This psalm from Isa 45 ponders God’s choosing and bringing success to Cyrus, who does not believe in YHWH. Israel’s puzzlement over God’s choice of Cyrus is answered by the reminder, reminisceht of Job, that God created the world.  The rescue coming through God’s use of Cyrus is embedded in and continuous with creational reality.    
Isaiah 48.12-13 12“Listen to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:
I am he;
I am the first and I am the last.
13My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.		 It is as if redemption alone would seem like simple good fortune without identifying God as the universal creator.  The creation stands as a certification of the identity and power of the redeeming God that Israel knows.    
Isaiah 51.9-10 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD;
         Awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago.
         Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces,
         Who pierced the dragon?
10Was it not You who dried up the sea,
         The waters of the great deep;
         Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
         For the redeemed to cross over?		   Rahab Dragon
Isaiah 51.9-10 Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!…“Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2Can you put a cord through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?…12“I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,
its strength and its graceful form.
13Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor a ?14Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
ringed about with fearsome teeth?		      
Isaiah 51.9f Awake, awake,
put on strength, O arm of the LORD.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations of old.
Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces,
who pierced through the dragon?
10Was it not You who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made a road in the depths of the sea
for the redeemed to cross over?		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 54.5 He is called the God of all the earth.
6For the LORD has called you back,
like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit,
like the rejected wife of one’s youth,”
says your God.
7“For a brief moment I forsook you,
but with great compassion I will bring you back.
8In a surge of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”
says the LORD your Redeemer.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 55.12 10As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,		      
Isaiah 59.15.15b-20 Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”
13He who forms the mountains,
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.		 Like the passages above this remembrace of God’s creative prowess is brought out here to inspire awe or even terror at coming judgment. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 59.18-19 18So He will repay according to their deeds:
fury to His enemies,
retribution to His foes,
and recompense to the islands.
19So shall they fear the name of the LORD
where the sun sets,
and His glory where it rises.
For He will come like a raging flood,
driven by the breath of the LORD.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Isaiah 66.22 As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the Lord.      
Jeremiah 10.12-13 12But God made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
13When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.		      
Jeremiah 17.9 9The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?		      
Jeremiah 18.1-6 5Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. 7If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

11“Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you.		 This text speaks strongly of God’s sovereignty over his people and his preragative to destroy them.    
Jeremiah 31.35 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Jeremiah 33.6-8 15With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Jeremiah 4.23-26 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;
and at the heavens,
and their light was gone.
24I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;
all the hills were swaying.
25I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.
26I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;
all its towns lay in ruins
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.		      
Jeremiah 5.22 I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
they have turned aside and gone away.		      
Jeremiah 5.22b The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
4He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
he makes all the rivers run dry.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Jeremiah 51.34-36 11For this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘The sword of the king of Babylon
will come against you!
12I will make your hordes fall
by the swords of the mighty,
the most ruthless of all nations.
They will ravage the pride of Egypt
and all her multitudes will be destroyed.
13I will slaughter all her cattle
beside the abundant waters.
No human foot will muddy them again,
and no cattle hooves will disturb them.
14Then I will let her waters settle
and will make her rivers flow like oil,’		      
Jeremiah 8.7 7Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know
the requirements of the Lord.		      
Job        
Job 26.12-13 25There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.		      
Job 26.12-14 12“He quieted the sea with His power,
         And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
13“By His breath the heavens are cleared;
         His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

14“Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
         And how faint a word we hear of Him!
         But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”		 The strength of the one who quieted the sea and stretched out the heavens extends to his wisdom and intellect, making God unapproachable and unresponsive.    
Job 3.8 2Though they dig down to the depths below,
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,
from there I will bring them down.
3Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
there I will hunt them down and seize them.
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,
there I will command the serpent to bite them.		      
Job 38.8-11 12Alas, the tumult of many peoples;
they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations;
they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters.
13The nations rage like the rush of many waters.
He rebukes them, and they flee far away,
driven before the wind like chaff on the hills,
like tumbleweeds before a gale.
14In the evening, there is sudden terror!
Before morning, they are no more!
This is the portion of those who loot us
and the lot of those who plunder us.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Job 40.15-24 30Rebuke the beast among the reeds,
the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.
Scatter the nations who delight in war.
31Envoys will come from Egypt;
Cush will submit herself to God.		      
Job 40.19 35Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:      
Job 40.25-41.26 20If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?		      
Job 41.1-34 “ ‘I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
you great monster lying among your streams.
You say, “The Nile belongs to me;
I made it for myself.”
4But I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
with all the fish sticking to your scales.
5I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
and not be gathered or picked up.
I will give you as food
to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky.
6Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.		      
Job 7.12 7Praise the LORD from the earth,
all great sea creatures and ocean depths,		      
Job 9.13 God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab
cowered at his feet.		      
Job 9.13 8May those who curse days a curse that day,
those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.		      
John 1.1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.       
John 12.35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.      
John 16.11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.      
John 17.24 24“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.      
John 3.19 16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have no      
John 8.12 12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”      
Judges 5.20 19“Kings came, they fought,
the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,
they took no plunder of silver.
20From the heavens the stars fought,
from their corses they fought against Sisera.		      
Luke 11.50 As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary.h Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.      
Mark 10.6 6However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’b 7‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,c 8and the two will become one flesh.’d So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”      
Mark 13.19 For those will be days of tribulation unmatched from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again. 20If the Lord had not cut short those days, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has cut them short.      
Matthew 25.34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world      
Nahum 1 The Lord is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
8but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh;
he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Nehemiah 9.6 6You alone are the LORD.
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their host,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all things,
and the host of heaven worships You.		      
Nehemiah 9.6 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.”

“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.		      
Philippians 2.15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” c Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.      
Prayer  of Manassas 1 O Lord, Almighty God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed; who hast made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof; who hast bound the sea by the word of thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep, and sealed it by thy terrible and glorious name; whom all men fear, and tremble before thy power; for the majesty of thy glory cannot be borne, and thine angry threatening toward sinners is importable:   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Prayer of Manasseh 2-4 9Awake, awake,
put on strength, O arm of the LORD.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations of old.
Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces,
who pierced through the dragon?
10Was it not You who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made a road in the depths of the sea
for the redeemed to cross over?		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Proverbs 3.19-20 19By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.		      
Proverbs 8.22-31        
Psalm 104 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
6You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
9You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalm 106.9 1Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7He gathers the waters of the sea into jars a ;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees all mankind;
14from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
15he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
16No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.		 The Psalmist’s language here is clearly on the redemption side of the creation-redemption duality.  My hypothesis is that there is much more of a merger between the two.  Von Rad argues that there are two distinct doctrines justaposed with one another in this psalm.  My thought is that creational thought underlies the redemptive elements.  Note the tension between the universal character of “unfailing love that fills the earth”  but the same loving lord foils the plans of the nations.  I’d put the foiled plans in the category of God’s love.  The formula of God speaking things into existence is here. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalm 136 4to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt		      
Psalm 136 1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever. (Refrain after each verse)
2Give thanks to the God of gods.
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
4to him who alone does great wonders,
5who by his understanding made the heavens,
6who spread out the earth upon the waters,
7who made the great lights—
8the sun to govern the day,
9the moon and stars to govern the night;
10to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
11and brought Israel out from among them
12with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
13to him who divided the Red Sea a asunder
14and brought Israel through the midst of it,
15but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
16to him who led his people through the wilderness;
17to him who struck down great kings,
18and killed mighty kings—
19Sihon king of the Amorites
20and Og king of Bashan—
21and gave their land as an inheritance,22an inheritance to his servant Israel.
23He remembered us in our low estate
24and freed us from our enemies.
25He gives food to every creature.
26Give thanks to the God of heaven.

 Von Rad p. 55 sees this psalm as a twofold project that begins with creation and ends with redemption.  I would say rather that it is creational all the way through.  I’m surprised that he doesn’t see the dividing of the Red Sea as a creational event.  Von Rad seems to be unaware of the cosmic implications of sin and how it is a damaged world that executes judgment upon people.  Von Rad uses the expression “two doctrines” when it appears to me that creation and redemption are organically related.   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalm 147 He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
17He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
18He sends his word and melts them;
he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.		      
Psalm 148 Praise the Lord.Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
2Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
5Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
6and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12young men and women,
old men and children.
13Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14And he has raised up for his people a horn, b
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.		 Again Von Rad sees separate redemption and creation theologies in this psalm.  I would read it as creational throughout with redemption as a subset of creation.  This psalm highlights the importance of seeing community as part of the creation of the world.  In biblical mindset human communities are part of the good creation. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalm 148.7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12young en and women,
old men and children.
13Let them praise the name of the Lord,		      
Psalm 18        
Psalm 19 1The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4Yet their voice b goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalm 24.1-2 1The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.		      
Psalm 33 5For your husband is your Maker—
the LORD of Hosts is His name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
He is called the God of all the earth.		 The parallelism of OT poetry helps here.  “Maker” and “Redeemer” are equivalents.  Von Rad sees this text as the perfect illustration of his theme of the merger of creation and redemption with the former ancillary to the latter. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalm 33.7 6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
7He piles up the waters of the sea;
He puts the depths into storehouses.		      
Psalm 40.4 Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.		      
Psalm 40.5 5Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.		      
Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. 		      
Psalm 47 5God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
6Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.		      
Psalm 51.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.		      
Psalm 65 7You stilled the roaring of the seas,
the pounding of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.
8Those who live far away fear Your wonders;
You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.a		      
Psalm 73 23Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.		      
Psalm 74.12-19 6A man will seize one of his brothers
in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
take charge of this heap of ruins!”		      
Psalm 77 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.		 Again Von Rad sees separate redemption and creation theologies in this psalm.  I would read it as creational throughout with redemption as a subset of creation.  This psalm highlights the importance of seeing community as part of the creation of the world.  In biblical mindset human communities are part of the good creation.    
Psalm 8.6-8 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their g feet:
7all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9Lord, our Lord,
how majestic s your name in all the earth!		      
Psalm 8.6-8 6You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their g feet:
7all flocks and herds,
and he animals of the wild,		      
Psalm 87.4 Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.		 Rahab here may be a poetic name for Egypt.  If this is the case, there isn’t much about creation in this short psalm.    
Psalm 87.4 Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
17Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
19It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
21Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
23A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?		      
Psalm 89 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalm 89 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalm 89.10 9You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.		      
Psalm 89.10-14 10You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;
         You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
11The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
         The world and all it contains, You have founded them.

12The north and the south, You have created them;
         Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

13You have a strong arm;
         Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.

14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
         Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

15How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
         O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance.		 Von Rad     
Psalm 95.5 3For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.		      
Psalms 104.25-26  ‘You are like a lion among the nations;
you are like a monster in the seas
thrashing about in your streams,
churning the water with your feet
and muddying the streams.
3“ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“ ‘With a great throng of people
I will cast my net over you,
and they will haul you up in my net.
4I will throw you on the land
and hurl you on the open field.
I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you
and all the animals of the wild gorge themselves on you.
5I will spread your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys with your remains.
6I will drench the land with your flowing blood
all the way to the mountains,
and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.
7When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light.
8All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken over you;
I will bring darkness over your land,		      
Psalms 104.5-9 1God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth is transformed
and the mountains are toppled
into the depths of the seas,
3though their waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake in the surge.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalms 136 24“This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
I am the Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,
who spreads out the earth by myself,
25who foils the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise
and turns it into nonsense,
26who carries out the words of his servants
and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,		 From Von Rad: It is as if for Deutero-Isaiah the creation of the world and the redemption of Israel both exemplify the same divine dispensation, as if that which happened in the beginning of things, and those “new  things”are now about to happen to Israel, both result from one and the same divine purpose of redemption. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalms 148 9Awake, awake,
put on strength, O arm of the LORD.
Wake up as in days past,
as in generations of old.
Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces,
who pierced through the dragon?
10Was it not You who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made a road in the depths of the sea
for the redeemed to cross over?
11So the redeemed of the LORD will return
and enter Zion with singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.		 Creation does not in II Isaiah’s mind belong to a different category from the redemption represented by the passage through the Red Sea. Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalms 18.15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.		      
Psalms 44.20 13So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpentc and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.      
Psalms 65.7-8 6We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;
we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
7When our ancestors were in Egypt,
they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
8Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
to make his mighty power known.
9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.
10He saved them from the hand of the foe;
from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
11The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them survived.
12Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Psalms 68.31 12I will make the streams dry up
and sell the land to the wicked.
By the hands of foreigners I will bring desolation
upon the land and everything in it.		      
Psalms 74.12-14 12Yet God is my king from of old,
         Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.
13You divided the sea by Your strength;
         You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
         You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15You broke open springs and torrents;
         You dried up ever-flowing streams.
16Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;
         You have prepared the light and the sun.
17You have established all the boundaries of the earth;
         You have made summer and winter.
18Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled,
         And a foolish people has spurned Your name.
19Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast;
         Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.		 This psalm is a lament that God seems to be absent which allows the enemy to dominate Israel.  Right in the midst of the psalm the psalmist recalls creational activity as the ground of hope that prayers will be answered.  Creation here is an early or first act of deliverance which certifies that the earth belongs to God and will be the setting for a coming, if long-awaited, deliverance.    
Psalms 77.16 16The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.		      
Psalms of Solomon 2.30-33 6Nevertheless, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal its people and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. 7I will restore Judah and Israel from captivityc and will rebuild them as in former times. 8And I will cleanse them from all the iniquity they have committed against Me, and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me.      
Revelation 1.17 17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.      
Revelation 13.8 8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. B      
Revelation 17.8 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”      
Revelation 21.1 1Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” a for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.      
Revelation 22.5 5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.      
Revelation 4.8-11 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’ b
who was, and is, and is to come.”
9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 		      
Revelation 5.13 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
14The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.		      
Romans 1.20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.      
Romans 4 7As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” c He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. God’s ability to create from nothing.    
Romans 5.12-14 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned      
Romans 6.4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.      
Romans 8.19-23 18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that h the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.      
Romans 9.20-21  21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? This text speaks strongly of God’s sovereignty over his people and his preragative to destroy them.    
Sir 43.23 the LORD is His name.
4Pharaoh’s chariots and army
He has cast into the sea;
the finest of his officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
5The depths have covered them;
they sank there like a stone.
6Your right hand, O LORD,
is majestic in power;
Your right hand, O LORD,
has shattered the enemy.
7You overthrew Your adversaries
by Your great majesty.
You unleashed Your burning wrath;
it consumed them like stubble.
8At the blast of Your nostrils
the waters piled up;
like a wall the currents stood firm;
the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.		   Traditions of the Primeval Sea  
Song of Solomon 2.29        
  His is the plan that calms the deep,
and plants the islands in the sea.		      

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