"Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the ground." Psalm 104:30

Additional readings: Isaiah 45:11-25, John 1:1-14, Psalm 104

Some today think of the universe as self-created, that its life is from itself, and that man is a product of the forces of nature. This is, in brief, the materialist's explanation of nature and of human life.

If this were true, the knowledge of nature and of its laws should solve all our problems. But there are qualities in man that are not found in nature. There is no morality in nature, nor is altruism to be found there. Nature's first law is the law of self-preservation, but among men—even the lowest of them—there is the feeling that they should not always seek to please themselves, that it is truly manly to try to save another at the risk of one's own life, that it is right to protect the weak, to help the neighbor.

Nature knows of no power above itself nor of any life after death. Likewise the materialists are unable to conceive of anything supernatural; they can acknowledge no supreme Being or Creator; they do not believe that they live after death. It should be obvious that nature cannot reveal anything that lies beyond its realm.

Yet in order that any finite thing may live there must be an infinite and uncreated source of life. If there were nothing to begin with, then plainly nothing could result. The forms of life which we see about us, and which we ourselves are, must derive their existence from One who is life itself. This is the meaning of the name Jehovah—the "I Am"—He who is in and of Himself. Such is the true conception which lies at the foundation of all intelligent thinking concerning Him. "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Greater of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?" (Isaiah 40:28). Creation is but the effect of the outpouring of life from Him. This life is called in the Scriptures His breath or spirit. Accordingly we have such statements as that of our text: "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created."

But He who sends forth His life-giving spirit is hidden from our natural sight. Yes, even spirit itself is outwardly invisible. And so those who do not lift up their thoughts above nature are tempted to deny His existence. There are higher things than those that can be seen. The spirit of God and all else that is spiritual lie within and above the plane of the senses. Life flows from within outwards. What we see is its external effects; we do not see life itself. Our own spiritual natures are concealed from outward view. We cannot see the souls of those about us. The soul is within the body but is distinct from it. When it is withdrawn, the body dies. In like manner all life is internal and spiritual. He from whom it proceeds is the inmost fountain of all being. "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created."

Again it has often been imagined by people who do believe in a personal God that He created the world and then let it go on by itself according to a system of laws provided for its government. This belief is in part due to the fact that God keeps Himself out of sight and in part to the fact that men think that His way of doing things would be like theirs. A man builds a house, and he may go away and never see it again. But we must remember that man does not create; he only makes use of materials at hand, reforming them to serve his immediate purpose. The Lord, because He creates, is never absent from any part of His creation. By His presence He keeps the universe alive, just as He originally called it into being. Were He to separate Himself from the things which He has made, they would all perish. This is what our text declares in saying, "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created." We are not told that the Lord did send out His spirit at some time many years ago, but that He is sending it out now. The language is not that things were created once upon a time, but that they are created. "Existence is perpetual creation." The present tense transforms the statement into a universal law.

It is so too with the second phrase of the text, "Thou renewest the face of the ground." Allusion is obviously made, in the sense of the letter, to the changes continually going on in nature—the succession of one generation by another and the endless alternation of the seasons. Mother earth is just as fresh and young and productive today as she was in most ancient times. She is in the constant reception of new life. Not a moment passes without the face of the ground being renewed.

There is a lesson for us in this. It should teach us of the nearness of our Heavenly Father and of His constant provision for us. He is present in the heat and light of the sun, in the fields, forests, and mountains, in the rivers, lakes, and seas, in the winds and skies. All tell of His majesty and power, and especially of His constant presence. If we can see this, nature becomes more beautiful and wonderful to us. We see in nature His spirit renewing the face of the ground.

How strange it is that study of nature should lead men to disbelief in God. If the universe did not have order, if its parts were disconnected, without relation or use to one another and to the service and enjoyment of men, we might perhaps believe that it was not designed or created by an intelligent Being. But as the case stands, love and wisdom could not have written themselves more plainly in living characters before our eyes. And what are love and wisdom but the essence of a perfect personality? They cannot possibly exist as mere abstractions: they must be embodied in a person. Love is the inmost vital principle, and wisdom is the means whereby love accomplishes its purposes.

The Lord alone has life in Himself. He needs must be the Source of all creation. "All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3). And of the creation of the earth it is written, "He created it not in vain; he formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). The purpose of the creation of the world was that there might be people upon it, that we might here be formed into God's own image and likeness and find happiness in heaven to eternity. For this reason, however long our life here may be, we are never completely satisfied with it. There has always been among all people a conviction that there is an afterlife. This conviction is not an idle dream but a perception that the goal of life cannot be reached here—that there is more which the Lord has prepared for us.

And just as the Lord is ever present in His creation, sustaining and controlling it from moment to moment, so He is ever present with us, giving us life, and guiding us if only we will be guided—for it is contrary to the Divine love to compel men—to our heavenly home. The Divine Providence is concerned with our spiritual and eternal life, and with bodily and temporal things only as they affect this. "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26).

This view of the relationship between God and His creation gives us a concept of God that is both rational and also satisfactory to our affectional nature. The Bible starts with the words "In the beginning God. created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) to teach us that there is a Divine Being with a purpose supremely beneficent, and that there is an Intelligence altogether equal to the attainment of that purpose, and the rest of the Scriptures tell us of the Lord's operation in history to the accomplishment of His purposes. Knowledge of Him and of His purposes enables us to realize that there are better times ahead for us and happier times for the human race upon the earth, to which all lovers of mankind may look forward.

Moreover the Lord Himself came into the world as the Redeemer and Savior of men. In our own struggles we are not alone. The God of Battles is fighting for us. We are not cogs in a universal mechanism. The Lord is present everywhere in the universe. He comes to us outwardly in all the beneficent influences of nature, in the warmth and light of the sun and in all its other bounties. He is present in our souls, seeking to gladden us with the warmth of His love and to enlighten our minds with His wisdom, redeeming us from our iniquities and creating us anew into His own image and likeness.

205. He that hath the key of David, signifies who has power by means of Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of "key," as being the power of opening and shutting, here heaven and hell, for it follows, "He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth;" therefore "key" means here the power of saving (as above, n. 86), since to open heaven and to shut hell is to save. It is evident also from the representation of "David," as being the Lord in respect to Divine truth. By "David" in the Word the Lord is meant, because by "kings" in the Word the Lord in respect to Divine truth is represented, and by "priests" there the Lord in respect to Divine good. The Lord is represented especially by king David, because David had much care of the matters of the church, and also wrote the Psalms. (That "kings" in the Word signify Divine truth, and "priests" Divine good, see above, n. 31; moreover, that all names of persons and places in the Word signify spiritual things, which are the things pertaining to the church and to heaven, see above, n. 19, 50, 102.)

It is said, "He that hath the key of David," because David (as was just said) represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth from Divine good through Divine truth; for in general good without truth has no power, neither has truth without good any power, for good acts through truth. From this it is that Divine good and Divine truth proceed united from the Lord, and so far as they are conjointly received by the angels, so far the angels are powers. This then, is why it is said "the key of David." (That all power is in truths from good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 228-233, where the Power of the Angels of Heaven is treated of; also n. 539.)

[2] That by "David" in the Word the Lord is meant is clearly evident from certain passages where he is mentioned in the prophets. As in Ezekiel:

They shall be to Me for a people, and I will be to them for a God, and My servant David king over them, that they may all have one shepherd. They shall dwell upon the land, they and their sons and their son's sons even to eternity; and David My servant shall be prince to them to eternity (Ezekiel 37:23-25).

In Hosea:

The sons of Israel shall return, and shall seek Jehovah their God, and David their king; and with fear shall they come to Jehovah and to His goodness in the extremity of days (Hosea 3:5).

It is said "They shall seek Jehovah their God, and David their king," because "Jehovah" in the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine good, which is the Divine Esse, and "David a king" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, which is the Divine Existere. (That "Jehovah" in the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia 732, 2586, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4253, 4402, 7010, 9167, 9315)

[3] In Zechariah:

Jehovah shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David, and the glory of the inhabitant of Jerusalem, may not exalt itself above Judah. In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitant of Jerusalem, and the house of David shall be as God, and as the angel of Jehovah before them. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace. In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:7-8, 10; 13:1).

Here the Lord's coming is treated of, and the salvation at that time of those who are of His spiritual kingdom. "Tents of Judah" mean the celestial kingdom; and the "house of David and the inhabitant of Jerusalem," the spiritual kingdom. The spiritual kingdom is constituted of those in heaven and on earth who are in Divine truth, and the celestial kingdom of those who are in Divine good (See just above, n. 204. From this it can be seen what these words mean, namely, that these two kingdoms shall act as one, and that one shall not exalt itself above the other. (Of these two kingdoms, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28). That "Judah" signifies the Lord in respect to celestial love and the Lord's celestial kingdom may be seen above (n. 119). And that "Jerusalem" signifies the Lord's spiritual kingdom, see in the Arcana Coelestia 402, 3654, 9166. The same is therefore signified by "the house of David;" consequently it is here said, "the house of David shall be as God, and as the angel of Jehovah;" "God" also means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (See Arcana Coelestia 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167); and the like is meant by the "angel of Jehovah" (See above, n. 130, 200).

[4] "David" and his "house" have a like signification also in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Incline your ear, and come unto Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold I have given Him as a witness to the peoples, a prince and a lawgiver to the nations ¹ (Isaiah 55:3-4).

These things are said of the Lord, who is here "David." In David:

In the heavens Thou shalt establish Thy truth; I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation; and the heavens shall confess Thy wonder, O Jehovah; Thy truth also in the congregation of the saints (Psalms 89:2-5).

These things also were said of the Lord, and not of David; for it is said, "I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation;" this is not applicable to David, whose seed and throne were not established to eternity, and yet Jehovah swore, and an oath from Jehovah is irrevocable confirmation from the Divine (See Arcana Coelestia 2842[1-10]). The "seed of David" in the spiritual sense, means those who are in the truths from good from the Lord, and in an abstract sense, truths themselves that are from good (See Arcana Coelestia, n (Arcana Coelestia 3373, 3380, 10249, 10445); and "throne" means the Lord's spiritual kingdom (See Arcana Coelestia 5313, 5922, 6397, 8625). David is called "My servant" (as also above in Ezekiel 37:23-25), because "servant" in the Word is used of every person and every thing that serves and ministers (See Arcana Coelestia 3441, 7143, 8241), and Divine truth proceeding serves and ministers to Divine good from which it proceeds. That it is the Lord in respect to Divine truth, or Divine truth proceeding from the Lord that is meant by "David," is evident, for it is said, "In the heavens Thou shalt establish Thy truth, and the heavens shall confess Thy truth in the congregation of the saints." That those also are called "saints" who are in Divine truths, see just above n. 204.

[5] In the same:

I will not profane My covenant, and what is pronounced by My lips will I not change. Once have I sworn by My holiness; I will not lie unto David. His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established as the moon to eternity, a faithful witness in the clouds (Psalms 89:34-37).

That these things are said of the Lord is evident in the whole Psalm, for it treats of His coming, and afterwards of the repudiation of Him by the Jewish nation. That the Lord is here treated of, and that He is here meant by "David" is plain from these words in the same Psalm:

I have found David, My servant; with the oil of My holiness have I anointed him. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall call Me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. I also will make him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth. I will set his throne as the days of the heavens (Psalms 89:20, 25-27, 29).

The Lord is meant also by "David," by "the anointed," and by "king," in other passages in the Psalms, as can be clearly seen by those who understand the Word spiritually, but obscurely by those who understand it only naturally. As in these words in David:

Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy saints shall shout for joy for Thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of Thine anointed. There will I make the horn of David to bud: I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed; upon himself shall his crown flourish (Psalms 132:9-10, 17-18);

here also the Lord is meant by "David" and by "the anointed;" for the Lord is treated of in this Psalm, as is clear from what goes before, where it is said:

He swore unto Jehovah, I will not give sleep to mine eyes until I find out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the mighty One of Jacob. Lo, we have heard of it at Ephrathah [Bethlehem]. We will come into His habitations, we will worship at His footstool (Psalms 132:2, 4-7).

[6] That David might represent the Lord in respect to Divine truth, the Lord was willing to be born of the house of David, and also to be called "the Son of David," "his Root and Offspring," also "the Root of Jesse." But when the Lord put off the human from the mother, and put on the Human from the Father, which is the Divine Human, He was no longer David's son. This is meant by the Lord's words to the Pharisees:

Jesus said to the Pharisees, How does it seem to you respecting Christ? whose Son is He? They said unto Him, David's. He said unto them, How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at My right hand, until I place thine enemies as a stool of thy feet? If David then calleth Him Lord, how is He his Son (Matthew 22:42-45; Luke 20:41-44).

That the Lord glorified His Human, that is, put off the human from the mother, and put on a Human from the Father, which is the Divine Human, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-295, 298-310. For this reason He was not David's son, as He was not the son of Mary, whom therefore He did not call His mother, but "woman" (Matthew 12:46-49; Mark 3:31 to the end; Luke 8:19-21; John 2:4; 19:25, 26). The like is meant by "the key of Peter," as by "the key of David," namely, that the Lord has all power, and that He has this power through His Divine truth, as will be seen in the article that now follows.

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