Psalm 107:23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; 24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. 25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. 28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Here the Psalmist speaks of God as being the God who commands nature thus providing safety for His people in distress. We also have here the declaration that Jesus is Yahweh inasmuch as Jesus does the very thing in Matthew’s Gospel that the Psalmist describes in Psalm 107.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Jesus is God of whom the Psalmist speaks. He controls the waters. He calms His people. The deity of Christ is even emphasized again here as he identifies himself as “I AM” (It is I = ego eimi) — the name God gives for Himself to Moses at the burning bush.
This declaration of deity is seen again in Matthew 8
23 Jesus got into a boat. His followers followed Him. 24 At once a bad storm came over the lake. The waves were covering the boat. Jesus was sleeping. 25 His followers went to Him and called, “Help us, Lord, or we will die!” 26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then He stood up. He spoke sharp words to the wind and the waves. Then the wind stopped blowing. 27 Then men were surprised and wondered about it. They said, “What kind of a man is He? Even the winds and the waves obey Him.”
This is Jesus as God as seen in Psalm 89
9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
Over and over again the NT proclaims Jesus is God. The enemies of Christ understood this so well they desired to stone Him because “He made Himself God.”
And yet we get people saying that Jesus was not God (JW’s). We get people saying that “Jesus was a good man though not God,” as if good men are described as those going around claiming to be God.
The Scriptures demand us to make a decision regarding Jesus of Nazareth. Either He is very God of very God co-equal with the Father or He is someone whose name should be held as execrable through time for the delusion that it has inspired in people.
