Jeremiah 10:13
When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
When He speaks, a great abundance of water gathers in the sky, moisture rises from the farthest parts of the earth, lightning comes with rain, and wind is brought out from His storehouses.
These acts show Him as the Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth, revealing His power and greatness and setting Him apart from powerless idols.
He is the true and living God and everlasting King, who made the earth by His power, founded the world by His wisdom, and spread out the heavens by His understanding.
The gods of wood and stone that did not make heaven and earth are empty falsehood with no breath in them, the work of error that shall perish from the earth and from under heaven.
The gathering of waters, rising of vapor, lightning with rain, and coming of wind do not happen by any self-acting power in nature, for the laws of nature are only His servants and instruments by which He continually directs and sustains what He made.
God Rules the Elements
When He speaks, a vast abundance of water is gathered in the sky above, vapor is lifted from the farthest reaches of the earth, lightning is formed together with rain, and wind is led out from His treasuries and storehouses. His voice and power thus govern the workings of heaven and earth, filling the heavens with water and ordering the rising of vapor, the flashing of lightning, the falling of rain, and the going forth of wind at His command. These are the active operations of His rule over the atmosphere and the weather, by which He brings the waters of the heavens, raises the vapors, and produces lightning, rain, and wind.
Those acts make Him known as Creator and as Maker and Ruler of the heavens and the earth, setting Him apart from idols that have no power to do such things. They are a witness to His power and greatness displayed in the works of creation, for His word governs the natural world in bringing rain, lightning, and wind and in causing water vapor to rise. The workings of nature in this way reveal the Creator and agree with divine revelation, giving ground for intelligent trust in His word.
That same rule over sky and earth is the proof and seal of His authority in the fourth commandment, where He is known as the Lord who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, who rested the seventh day and blessed and hallowed the Sabbath. The sun, moon, and stars likewise declare that glory.
True God Above Idols
He is the true God, the living God and the everlasting King. He made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His discretion. He is the former of all things, the portion of Jacob, the Lord of hosts, and at His wrath the earth trembles. In contrast, the gods of wood and stone that have not made the heavens and the earth are vanity and the work of errors, falsehood with no breath in them, and they shall perish from the earth and from under heaven in the time of visitation.
Therefore His people must not learn the way of the heathen nor be dismayed at the signs of heaven. The verse condemns those who profess to be Christians and to believe the truth yet drink at the polluted fountains of infidelity and draw others away from the pure cold snow-waters of Lebanon. Though they profess themselves wise they are fools, for every man is brutish in his knowledge and every founder is confounded by his graven image.
Nature Has No Independent Power
When He utters His voice there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causes vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth, makes lightnings with rain, and brings forth the wind out of His treasures, and none of this operates by independent or self-acting power of nature. These gatherings of water, risings of vapor, flashes of lightning with rain, and comings of wind are acts of God continually directing, sustaining and keeping the world in motion. They are not self-working forces left to run themselves, but His continual use and sustaining of the things He made as part of His power and care for the earth.
The laws of nature are not independent powers standing apart from Him. They are servants, agencies, instruments and means through which He produces results and sustains what He made, ordering creation and keeping it in motion. His work of creating this world is completed and He has ceased creating, yet His energy is still exerted to uphold and sustain what He made. Nature therefore has no inherent power to act on its own, but is continually worked through and sustained by its Creator.
By His power He also covers the sky with clouds and prepares rain for the earth, gives snow and scatters frost, and sends the abundance of waters in the heavens at His voice. It is the personal living God, not an impersonal force or nature as a god, who rules these forces of nature. Explanations of creation and providence that leave God out mistake the source of order, while nature's workings reveal the Creator and agree with divine revelation, giving reason for intelligent trust in His word.