The Splendor of Jehovah’s Creation

‘You Are More Majestic Than the Mountains’

OBSERVING the ascending of dawn from the top of Mount Fuji is an unforgettable experience. A flame-colored sun bursts over the horizon, illuminating the white snow and the gray lava rock. As another day begins, the mountain’s sharp shadow quickly spreads for miles over hills and valleys.

Like Mount Fuji​—once written in characters meaning “without equal”—​majestic mountains never fail to amaze us. Why, we may be humbled by their sheer size! The majesty of mountains is such that many people have believed that the highest peaks, often veiled in mist and clouds, were the seats of gods.

The only God truly praised by mountain peaks is their masterful Creator, Jehovah. He alone is “the Former of the mountains.” (Amos 4:13) Almost one fourth of the earth is mountainous, and when God created our planet, he put in place forces that ultimately produced spectacular peaks and mountain ranges. (Psalm 95:4) For instance, it is believed that the massifs of the Himalayas and the Andes were formed by titanic upheavals deep within the earth and by the movement of sections of the earth’s crust.

We humans do not fully understand how and why mountains came to exist. Indeed, we are unable to answer these questions put to righteous Job: “Where did you happen to be when I [Jehovah] founded the earth? . . . Into what have its socket pedestals been sunk down?”​—Job 38:4-6.

We do know, however, that our life depends on the mountains. They have been called nature’s water towers, since all major rivers are fed from mountain sources and half of the people on earth depend on mountains for water. (Psalm 104:13) According to the magazine New Scientist, “six of the world’s 20 major food plants originate in mountains.” Under ecologically balanced conditions in God’s promised new world, “there will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; on the top of the mountains there will be an overflow.”​—Psalm 72:16; 2 Peter 3:13.

For many, the mention of mountains brings to mind the European Alps. These peaks, including Mount Civetta shown here, bear delightful testimony to their Creator. (Psalm 98:8) They praise Jehovah, the one “firmly establishing the mountains with his power.”​—Psalm 65:6. *

Awe-inspiring indeed is the splendor of the Alps, with their icy crests and ridges, their snow-covered slopes, their valleys and lakes, and their meadows. King David identified Jehovah as “the One making the mountains to sprout green grass.”​—Psalm 147:8.

Hilly ranges​—like these hills in Guilin, China—​might seem less spectacular than the Alps, but they are uniquely  beautiful. Along the Li River, row upon row of jutting limestone pinnacles impress visitors with their beauty. Observing limpid waters flow through these misty hills may bring to one’s mind the psalmist’s words: “He [Jehovah] is sending springs into the torrent valleys; between the mountains they keep going on.”​—Psalm 104:10.

We are rightly impressed by mountains because we recognize them as a majestic part of the Creator’s loving provision for the welfare and enjoyment of mankind. Awesome though they may be, however, mountains are no match for Jehovah’s majesty. He truly is “more majestic than the mountains.”​—Psalm 76:4.

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Ten percent of the world’s population live in mountainous areas. But that is not an insurmountable obstacle to those declaring the good news of God’s Kingdom. These Christian ministers are very busy in many high-altitude regions. And “how comely upon the mountains are the feet of the one bringing good news, the one publishing peace, the one bringing good news of something better, the one publishing salvation!”​—Isaiah 52:7.

“The high mountains are for the mountain goats,” sang the psalmist. (Psalm 104:18) Mountain goats, such as the magnificently horned Nubian ibex, are among the most surefooted of all mountain dwellers. They venture along ledges that are so narrow as to appear impassable. The ibex is well-equipped to live in inaccessible places. This is partly because of the construction of its hooves. The cleft can expand under the goat’s weight, giving the animal a firm grip when it is standing or moving on narrow rock shelves. Truly, the ibex is a masterpiece of design!

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Mount Fuji, Honshu, Japan