Psalms 104 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 104

O Lord My God, You Are Very Great

104:1   Bless the LORD, O my soul!
    O LORD my God, you are very great!
  You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,
    stretching out the heavens like a tent.
3   He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
  he makes the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on the wings of the wind;
4   he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire.
5   He set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
6   You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
7   At your rebuke they fled;
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
8   The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you appointed for them.
9   You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.
10   You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills;
11   they give drink to every beast of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12   Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
    they sing among the branches.
13   From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14   You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
    and plants for man to cultivate,
  that he may bring forth food from the earth
15     and wine to gladden the heart of man,
  oil to make his face shine
    and bread to strengthen man’s heart.
16   The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17   In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18   The high mountains are for the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.
19   He made the moon to mark the seasons;¹
    the sun knows its time for setting.
20   You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21   The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.
22   When the sun rises, they steal away
    and lie down in their dens.
23   Man goes out to his work
    and to his labor until the evening.
24   O LORD, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
25   Here is the sea, great and wide,
    which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great.
26   There go the ships,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.²
27   These all look to you,
    to give them their food in due season.
28   When you give it to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29   When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
    when you take away their breath, they die
    and return to their dust.
30   When you send forth your Spirit,³ they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.
31   May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
    may the LORD rejoice in his works,
32   who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33   I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34   May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the LORD.
35   Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
  Bless the LORD, O my soul!
  Praise the LORD!

Footnotes

[1] 104:19 Or the appointed times (compare Genesis 1:14)
[2] 104:26 Or you formed to play with
[3] 104:30 Or breath

Commentary

God's power in creation; key verse v24; see Ps 19.1; 97.6.

v1: Praise to God; the right place to start; a declaration of great truths about a great God.

v2-3: All creation is subject to Him. Light, the heavens, the seas, the clouds, the winds; all these things are beyond human comprehension and control.

v4: Quoted Heb 1.7, referring to angels. The creation is God's messenger to the people of the earth.

v5-9: God's act of creation - the foundation of the earth, which was at first covered with water, Gen 1.2,6-7. The water and the land were separated, and limits set so that the water will never again cover the earth.

Here is divine order, without which life as we know it would be impossible. We need God's order and restraint in our lives, so that we might live lives that honour Him.

v10-13: Animals and vegetation are provided for; this ensures that the earth (ie: all living things) is satisfied.

v14-18: Food provided for man's needs also, not just for physical sustenance, but for refreshment also; our heart is gladdened, our face shines, and our heart is sustained. See also Gen 4.20-22; we are not just physical beings, but we have personality and soul.

Such order in the natural world points us to order in the church (1 Cor 14), where each one serves God in an appropriate role.

v19-23: God's order for creation is marked also by sun, moon, and stars, indicating day and night. Although man tends to work in the day and sleep at night, many animals are different. All this is God's order.

v24-26: The sheer power of God; the psalmist stretches language to try to describe God's works. In His wisdom, He has made all things, He has filled both earth and sea with great variety and vast numbers.

v27-28: All things are utterly dependent upon God. The provision of food for each one is ultimately from God's hand.

v29-30: In life and death, all things are also subject to God; each one reaches the end of life.

v31: The glory and the Lord God, and our response; He is the Lord who endures forever, Ps 102.25-26.

v32: God is in control of His creation, and He is greater than His creation.

Some speak of 'pantheism', where nature is worshipped as god. This psalm, as other parts of scripture, indicate that creation is not the same as God. We are commanded to worship God, not what He has made.

v33-34: Praise to God, and meditation of Him. Such is the response of the godly man wanting to know more of Him.

v35: Ultimately, God's will is demonstrated throughout creation. Wicked sinners do not share the desires of the godly, and will be punished.