Psalm 104:1-24
The LORD's Care for His Creation
1041 Bless Jehovah, O my soul! Jehovah my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with majesty and splendour; 2 Covering thyself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent-curtain;— 3 Who layeth the beams of his upper chambers in the waters, who maketh clouds his chariot, who walketh upon the wings of the wind; 4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flame of fire. 5 He laid the earth upon its foundations: it shall not be removed for ever. 6 Thou hadst covered it with the deep, as with a vesture; the waters stood above the mountains: 7 At thy rebuke they fled, at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away;— 8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank, unto the place which thou hadst founded for them;— 9 Thou hast set a bound which they may not pass over, that they turn not again to cover the earth.
10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys: they run among the mountains; 11 They give drink to every beast of the field; the wild asses quench their thirst. 12 The birds of heaven dwell by them; they give forth their voice from among the branches. 13 He watereth the mountains from his upper-chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. 14 He maketh the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man; bringing forth bread out of the earth, 15 And wine which gladdeneth the heart of man; making [his] face shine with oil; and with bread he strengtheneth man's heart. 16 The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, 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 mountains are for the wild goats; the cliffs, a refuge for the rock-badgers.
19 He made the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth its going down. 20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth: 21 The young lions roar after the prey, and to seek their food from God. 22 The sun ariseth, they retreat, and lay them down in their dens. 23 Man goeth forth unto his work, and to his labour until the evening. 24 How manifold are thy works, O Jehovah! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 104:1-24
Commentary on Psalm 104:1-9
(Read Psalm 104:1-9)
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.
Commentary on Psalm 104:10-18
(Read Psalm 104:10-18)
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?
Commentary on Psalm 104:19-30
(Read Psalm 104:19-30)
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.