Psalm
148: 7 - Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean
depths.
The King James Bible says in Psalm 148:7 that the
dragons praise God. Dragons? Aren’t those mythical creatures that breathe out
fire and smoke? Is the Bible really saying that dragons existed at one time? While
our God is certainly capable of creating such a creature, this is not the
intended meaning. The NIV translates the Hebrew word into English as sea
creatures. So the sea creatures praise God? That makes more sense, but is it
verifiable? Do the creatures of the sea really praise God or is this just the
whimsical writings on an ancient poet? Let’s consider the evidence.
Today we know that Humpback Whales do indeed sing
beautiful, intricate songs that can last up to 30 minutes. Katy Payne, a marine
biologist and musician, has spent years recording the sounds of Humpback Whales.
Being a trained musician, Katy first used computer programs to chart the
melodies and rhythms she was hearing in the recorded sounds of the whales. Over
time she realized that it is only the males that sing, and that their songs are
not random. The male whales will at times all sing the same note together. At
other times the rhythm, pitch, and variation of a song will change while one
male leads the singing. Katy has memorized some of the music and recorded her
own voice singing the notes along with the whales. It is truly remarkable to hear.
I first stumbled across this information about the
whales’ singing from a passing reference in a magazine article. I am currently
taking a class on Biblical Apologetics, the branch of Christian Theology that
attempts to show the historical and scientific reliability of the Bible, so I
was intrigued. As I studied the information about Humpback Whales and their
singing I was reminded again of the majesty of our God. The lyrics of an old
song come to mind as I ponder this:
Walk
with me in a forest where the wild beasts trod, and then tell me again there is
no God.
Certainly there must be a God who created the earth
and everything in it (Acts 17:24). God could have created a bland world with
drab, gray colors and no music. But our God loves beauty so much that he gave
the Humpback Whales one of the most beautiful songs on earth. Aren’t you glad
to be serving a God like that!
Awed in Worship,
Sullivan Jones
References