Psalms 104:1

The Bible says in Psalm 104:1-4, “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.[2] Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:[3] Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:[4] Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:” These verses praise God for who He is and for what He has done in creation. God is described with the words “great” and “honor and majesty” and “light.” We know that God is great and can do anything. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me.” That means that whatever we experience in life, we can take it to Jesus and He can fix it. There is nothing too hard for Him. “Light” is associated with Jesus because light symbolizes truth. Jesus called Himself he Light of the world. There is a lot of spiritual darkness in the world. People need light in order to escape the darkness. Whoever turns to Jesus will find the Light that they need.

After mentioning the heavens, and the waters, and the clouds, and the wind; the angels are mentioned. The angels are “spirits.” In other words the angels do not have bodies like we do. This is a reminder that God has created an entire multitude of spiritual creatures that we do not see. And these creatures are powerful. They are called “ministers” which means servants. They serve God without fail. They do His bidding. God sends them on errands to make sure that His will be done. And the angels are called “a flaming fire.” “Fire” implies judgment. God is Judge, and God has His ways of bringing judgment. In the book of Revelation angels are used a lot to bring judgment upon the world. For example, it says in Revelation 7:1-2, “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.[2] And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea.”

The Bible says in Psalm 104:5, “Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.” God created the earth, and God maintains what He creates. The idea that the earth will be destroyed and that life will end is not true. It also says in Ephesians 3:21, “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” After this age is over, there will be another age after that, and then another age after that, etc.

The Bible says in Psalm 104:6-9, “Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.[7] At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.[8] They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.[9] Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.” These verses refer to the Flood of Noah. God made the flood happen, and God determined the final place for the oceans after the flood waters receded. This entire world was formed and created by God, and everything that has happened since the creation to alter the world geologically was also caused and allowed and directed by God according to His will for His earth. Scientists have discovered that a large meteor struck the earth near the Yukatan Peninsula that may have played a part in the extermination of the dinosaurs. God also knows the future changes that He is going to allow on the earth. Evidently talking about many meteorites and a great earthquake, the Bible says in Revelation 6:12-17, “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;[13] And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.[14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.[15] And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;[16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:[17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

The Bible says in Psalm 104:10-18, “He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.[11] They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.[12] By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.[13] He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.[14] He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;[15] And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.[16] The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;[17] Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.[18] The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.” Of course, in these verses the Psalmist is telling about the Lord taking care of His world. The Psalmist looks at nature and looks at life, and he sees God. When you look at trees and fields, and rivers and streams, and animals and people, do you see the hand of God at work blessing and providing for His creation? The Psalmist did and he was filled with the Holy Ghost. Yes, we can have confidence that Jesus is going to take care of us: He takes care of everything and everyone on His earth.

The Bible says in Psalm 104:19, “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.” The Psalmist looks at the moon and the sun and he sees the hand of God. Creation is taken for granted, and so it should be. One of the worse things that ever happened to this modern world was the acceptance of Evolution as a fact. It is called the Theory of Evolution for a reason. It is a theory that cannot be proved, and yet it is taught as a fact. The truth is that God created all things, and so when we look at anything, we should see the hand of God. The next several verses are all about seeing the hand of God in His creation.

The Bible says in Psalm 104:20-28, “Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.[21] The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.[22] The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.[23] Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.[24] O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.[25] So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.[26] There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.[27] These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.[28] That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.” Notice the first phrase of verse twenty-eight: “Thou makest darkness.” Darkness is the absence of light. Darkness is nothingness. God even made that which is nothing. Darkness symbolizes evil. God even made evil. Evil has a purpose in God’s eternal plan. Evil will lose. That is the plan. When God defeats all evil, it will glorify His name. Jesus already defeated evil on the cross of Calvary. Jesus “led captivity captive” as we are told in Ephesians chapter four.

Notice that verse twenty-one says that the lions “seek their meat from God.” We know that God provides their food, just like God does for everyone that eats and stays alive. But this implies that the lions know that God helps them and supplies heir prey. It says in Isaiah 1:3 about an ox, “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.” And of course there is the incident of Balaam’s donkey as described in Numbers 22:22-28, “And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.[23] And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.[24] But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.[25] And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.[26] And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.[27] And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.[28] And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” It appears that animals understand their place in God’s creation. Too bad that many human beings do not.

Psalm 104:23 says, “Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.” Work is a part of the life that God made. Do not look for entertainment or amusement: look for work. God’s will is that we work. If you are blessed and wise, you will find the work that you love, and you will enjoy doing it. You will be fulfilled when you find the work that you were designed to do. There is a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done in this world. There are things that need to be built, and things that need to be fixed, and people who need to be helped. Yes, there is a time for rest when it is needed. Even God gave a day of rest in every week. But everyone needs to be accomplishing something. Jesus said about His own human life in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work.”

The Bible says in Psalm 104:29, “Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.” This verse makes it clear that we are dependent upon God for everything. The first part of the verse talks about our emotional and mental well-being. Jesus gives happiness and peace, and Jesus gives a sound mind. Without Him we would be nothing. God has total control over our lives. He determines when we die, and we will all die unless Jesus returns soon. That is a lot of power over us. Maybe we should worship Him and see our need of Him.

The Bible says in Psalm 104:30, “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.” Jesus said, “God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Physical life comes from spiritual life. Unless you acquire spiritual life through faith in Christ, you will not live forever. What God creates, He also preserves. That is the Biblical principle that eternal security is based upon. God will not lose anything that is in His hand. The whole world is in His hands, and every believer’s soul is in His hand. Thankfully, God also has the power to renew. Christians need to be renewed. They need to have a new zeal to serve the Savior and to be in fellowship with Jesus. Only God can do that, but thankfully, it is His job to do it.

The Bible says in Psalm 104:31-32, “The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.[32] He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.” As enduring as the world is, and it will continue for ages to come; God will endure forever and so will His glory. God created this world for His purposes and those purposes will be fulfilled. One of the purposes is to bring glory to His name. Among the things that God does: He works. God works in the world. When God created each volcano, God knew when it would erupt and what effect the eruption would have. When God created the fault lines of the earth, He knew when they would move and cause earthquakes. All things are His work and are under His control. When God gives life to anyone, that life is under God’s control. Every moment of every day in every life, God is working. Since everything that God does is good, everything is good. It is all part of His plan. Man thinks that some things are bad and some are good. But God sees His works and He rejoices in them. By faith we can “see” His works too. Among the things that will be revealed in heaven are the works of God. We will rejoice in them too. We will see more fully just how God worked in every detail of every life. All of this is true, and yet God will still hold man accountable for man’s decisions and actions God is amazing.

The Bible says in Psalm 104:33-34, “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.[34] My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.” In these verses four times the Psalmist says, “I will.” He says “I will sing” and “I will be glad.” Happiness is a decision. You have control of your mind and of your “meditation.” You decide if you are going to be happy or miserable. Just like the Psalmist, you decide if you are going to “sing unto the LORD,” if your thoughts of Him are going to be sweet, and if you are going to be “glad in the LORD.” There certainly are a massive number of reasons to be have good and glad thoughts about the Lord. He died for our sins. He loves us. He is everywhere arranging all things according to His will and for His glory. He blesses us time and time again with innumerable blessings from His storehouse of love and kindness. He forgives our sins. You can just sit and meditate about the Lord Jesus: His glory, His majesty, His power. In heaven the angels are praising His name. Whoever is saved will join them in heaven forever.

The Bible says in Psalm 104:35, “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.” Until we get to heaven, one of the biggest problems on this earth are all the people who do not know the Lord and do not praise the Lord. It would be nice oif the “sinners” and the “wicked” were not around us any more. That day will come, the day of final judgment, right when the Lord wants it to happen. As it says in Revelation 20:12, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

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