Then the earth reeled and rocked;
Psalms 18:7-12 (ESV)
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
Narrative accounts in the Bible are generally intended to be taken literally. They say what they mean. But poetry is different. Hebrew poetry, and even poetry today, is generally painting a picture. Taking it literally can oftentimes lead us to understand it in a different way than the author intended. And the passage above is a good example of that.
In the first part of this Psalm, David expressed his confidence in the Lord, that he would protect him from harm. He then expressed the danger he had been in and how he had called out to the Lord for help. And his cries had reached the ears of the Lord. Then, the quote above is how David described God’s response to his cry for help.
Did the earth reel and the mountains tremble because God was angry? Was he breathing fire and smoke? Did he mount a cherub and come riding to David’s rescue? Most of us would answer no. But the picture this paints is very vivid, illustrating that God does care about his chosen ones. And that we can depend on him to act decisively on our behalf.
While this is one of the more obvious pictures that the poems of the Psalms and Prophets paint, it illustrates the need to recognize the different types of literature in the Bible and not treat them all the same. When reading poetry, look at the picture being painted and don’t get distracted by trying to take the words literally. That is not to say it is never literal. But to force it all into a literal interpretation is a mistake you should avoid.
