The Chaotic Waters Submit to the Word of Christ

We live during times where professing Christians have become increasingly illiterate in biblical language. Nowadays, it has become necessary to dig deeper into the nuances of Scripture to magnify the God who is there. We do this by concerntrating on the many facets of the nature of the Godhead. For now, I would like to highlight the sovereign power with which Christ speaks. Reading the first few verses of the opening chapters of Genesis, we see the phrase, "...darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2).

This verse reflects the common views of the day in Ancient Near Eastern religion - that the demonic sea monster of the dark primordial abyss struggled against the creator deity. In Babylonian mythology, a battle ensued where the storm god Marduk made war with Tiamat, the ancient dragon of the sea. The heavens and earth are formed from the monster's divided body. But this picture of war and struggle is not what we see painted in the Bible. The Scriptures refer to the Leviathan as Rahab. Rahab and the raging waters submit wholeheartedly to the Word of Christ (Psalm 89:9-11, "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. You crushed Rahab like a carcass"; see also 2 Peter 3:5, "the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God."). The Son was the agent with which God created the world (Hebrews 1:2). The effectual power with which the Word is carried out is seen in the Spirit, as he hovers over the deep abyss. This community participation of the Triune God leads to God speaking, "Let there be..." - and there was. God formed the world out of and through the waters. The Scriptures detail no record of a battle or struggle of any kind - the waters simply obey.

Throughout Scripture, the sea continues to be a force to be reckoned with for man. But God continually delivers his saints through the waters, for the chaotic waters willfully submit to his Word. Remember in the days of Noah, when God delivered 8 persons in the ark through the flood judgment - we see later that this corresponds to baptism and the ark symbolized the power of the future resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21). Again, look at the Red Sea exodus event, where Israel walks safely on dry ground through the raging waters as the pillar of fire leads them along the way. Paul clarifies that this too symbolized a kind of baptism, where God was delivering his people from judgment (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). The waters would then consume the pagan Egyptians. Baptism in terms of salvation through judgment is a topic I will try to address in a later post.

The last scenario I would like to bring up is the storm event in Matthew 8. The disciples tremble with fear as the chaotic sea waters again present their intimidating waves - the deep abyss that consumes and conquers all who attempt to struggle against it. The disciples invoke the comfort of their Savior. Jesus speaks a word - and the quaking waters stop abruptly and lie still. The Leviathan does not struggle, he does not rage - when the Word speaks, he obeys. The power Christ wields is sovereign and supreme.

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