Psalms 104

1 (103-1) <For David himself.> Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great. Thou hast put on praise and beauty:

2 (103-2) And art clothed with light as with a garment. Who stretchest out the heaven like a pavilion:

3 (103-3) Who coverest the higher rooms thereof with water. Who makest the clouds thy chariot: who walkest upon the wings of the winds.

4 (103-4) Who makest thy angels spirits: and thy ministers a burning fire.

5 (103-5) Who hast founded the earth upon its own bases: it shall not be moved for ever and ever.

6 (103-6) The deep like a garment is its clothing: above the mountains shall the waters stand.

7 (103-7) At thy rebuke they shall flee: at the voice of thy thunder they shall fear.

8 (103-8) The mountains ascend, and the plains descend into the place which thou hast founded for them.

9 (103-9) Thou hast set a bound which they shall not pass over; neither shall they return to cover the earth.

10 (103-10) Thou sendest forth springs in the vales: between the midst of the hills the waters shall pass.

11 (103-11) All the beasts of the field shall drink: the wild asses shall expect in their thirst.

12 (103-12) Over them the birds of the air shall dwell: from the midst of the rocks they shall give forth their voices.

13 (103-13) Thou waterest the hills from thy upper rooms: the earth shall be filled with the fruit of thy works:

14 (103-14) Bringing forth grass for cattle, and herb for the service of men. That thou mayst bring bread out of the earth:

15 (103-15) And that wine may cheer the heart of man. That he may make the face cheerful with oil: and that bread may strengthen man’s heart.

16 (103-16) The trees of the field shall be filled, and the cedars of Libanus which he hath planted:

17 (103-17) There the sparrows shall make their nests. The highest of them is the house of the heron.

18 (103-18) The high hills are a refuge for the harts, the rock for the irchins.

19 (103-19) He hath made the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

20 (103-20) Thou hast appointed darkness, and it is night: in it shall all the beasts of the woods go about:

21 (103-21) The young lions roaring after their prey, and seeking their meat from God.

22 (103-22) The sun ariseth, and they are gathered together: and they shall lie down in their dens.

23 (103-23) Man shall go forth to his work, and to his labour until the evening.

24 (103-24) How great are thy works, O Lord? thou hast made all things in wisdom: the earth is filled with thy riches.

25 (103-25) So is this great sea, which stretcheth wide its arms: there are creeping things without number: Creatures little and great.

26 (103-26) There the ships shall go. This sea dragon which thou hast formed to play therein.

27 (103-27) All expect of thee that thou give them food in season.

28 (103-28) What thou givest to them they shall gather up: when thou openest thy hand, they shall all be filled with good.

29 (103-29) But if thou turnest away thy face, they shall be troubled: thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to their dust.

30 (103-30) Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

31 (103-31) May the glory of the Lord endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

32 (103-32) He looketh upon the earth, and maketh it tremble: he troubleth the mountains, and they smoke.

33 (103-33) I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 (103-34) Let my speech be acceptable to him: but I will take delight in the Lord.

35 (103-35) Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the unjust, so that they be no more: O my soul, bless thou the Lord.

Psalms 104 Commentary

Chapter 104

God's majesty in the heavens, The creation of the sea, and the dry land. (1-9) His provision for all creatures. (10-18) The regular course of day and night, and God's sovereign power over all the creatures. (19-30) A resolution to continue praising God. (31-35)

Verses 1-9 Every object we behold calls on us to bless and praise the Lord, who is great. His eternal power and Godhead are clearly shown by the things which he hath made. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. The Lord Jesus, the Son of his love, is the Light of the world.

Verses 10-18 When we reflect upon the provision made for all creatures, we should also notice the natural worship they render to God. Yet man, forgetful ungrateful man, enjoys the largest measure of his Creator's kindness. the earth, varying in different lands. Nor let us forget spiritual blessings; the fruitfulness of the church through grace, the bread of everlasting life, the cup of salvation, and the oil of gladness. Does God provide for the inferior creatures, and will he not be a refuge to his people?

Verses 19-30 We are to praise and magnify God for the constant succession of day and night. And see how those are like to the wild beasts, who wait for the twilight, and have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Does God listen to the language of mere nature, even in ravenous creatures, and shall he not much more interpret favourably the language of grace in his own people, though weak and broken groanings which cannot be uttered? There is the work of every day, which is to be done in its day, which man must apply to every morning, and which he must continue in till evening; it will be time enough to rest when the night comes, in which no man can work. The psalmist wonders at the works of God. The works of art, the more closely they are looked upon, the more rough they appear; the works of nature appear more fine and exact. They are all made in wisdom, for they all answer the end they were designed to serve. Every spring is an emblem of the resurrection, when a new world rises, as it were, out of the ruins of the old one. But man alone lives beyond death. When the Lord takes away his breath, his soul enters on another state, and his body will be raised, either to glory or to misery. May the Lord send forth his Spirit, and new-create our souls to holiness.

Verses 31-35 Man's glory is fading; God's glory is everlasting: creatures change, but with the Creator there is no variableness. And if mediation on the glories of creation be so sweet to the soul, what greater glory appears to the enlightened mind, when contemplating the great work of redemption! There alone can a sinner perceive ground of confidence and joy in God. While he with pleasure upholds all, governs all, and rejoices in all his works, let our souls, touched by his grace, meditate on and praise him.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 104

This psalm, though without a title, was probably written by David, since it begins and ends as the former does, as Aben Ezra observes; and to him the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, ascribe it. The inscription of the Syriac version is,

``a psalm of David, when he went to worship before the ark of the Lord with the priests; and as to us, it teaches us confession and prayer; and intimates to us the constitution of the beginning of the creatures; and declares some things concerning the angels.''

Some copies of the Septuagint version have it,

``a psalm of David concerning the constitution of the world;''

which indeed is the subject matter of it; for it treats of the creation of all things, of the heavens and the earth, and of all creatures in them; and of the providence of God in taking care of them. Christ is the divine Person addressed and described throughout the whole, as appears from the quotation of Ps 104:5 and the application of it to him in Heb 1:7.

\\Bless the Lord, O my soul\\ As for the blessings of grace and mercy expressed in the preceding psalm, so on account of the works of creation and providence, enumerated in this; in which Christ has an equal concern, as in the former.

\\O Lord my God, thou art very great\\; the Messiah, who is Jehovah our righteousness, Lord of all, truly God, and the God of his people; see Joh 20:28 and who is great, and very great, in his divine Person, being the great God, and our Saviour; great in all his works of creation, providence, and redemption; great in all his offices of Prophet, Priest, and King; a Saviour, and a great one; the great Shepherd of the Sheep; the Man, Jehovah's Fellow.

\\Thou art clothed with honour and majesty\\; being the brightness of his Father's glory, and having on him the glory of the only begotten of the Father, and a natural majesty in him as the Son of God and King of the whole universe; and, as Mediator, he has honour and majesty laid upon him by his Father, Ps 21:5, he has all the regalia and ensigns of royal majesty; he is on a throne, high and lifted up, even the same with his divine Father; he has a crown of glory on his head, he is crowned with glory and honour; he has a sceptre of righteousness in his hand, and is arrayed in robes of majesty; and, as thus situated, is to look upon like a jasper and sardine stone; or as if he was covered with sparkling gems and precious stones, Re 4:2,3 and, having all power in heaven and earth, over angels and men, honour and glory given him by both. 23531-950516-0908-Ps104.2