Psalm 104:1-24
The LORD's Care for His Creation
1041 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 cloak , Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain . 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters ; He makes the clouds His chariot ; He walks upon the wings of the wind ; 4 He makes the winds His messengers , Flaming fire His ministers . 5 He established the earth upon its foundations , So that it will not totter forever and ever . 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment ; The waters were standing above the mountains . 7 At Your rebuke they fled , At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away . 8 The mountains rose ; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them. 9 You set a boundary that they may not pass over , So that they will not return to cover the earth .
10 He sends forth springs in the valleys ; They flow between the mountains ; 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 lift up their voices among e the branches . 13 He waters the mountains from His upper chambers ; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works . 14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle , And vegetation for the labor of man , So that he may bring forth food from the earth , 15 And wine which makes man's heart glad , So that he may make his face glisten with oil , And food which sustains man's heart . 16 The trees of the Lord drink their fill , The cedars of Lebanon which He planted , 17 Where e the birds build their nests , And the stork , whose home is the fir trees . 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats ; The cliffs are a refuge for the shephanim .
19 He made the moon for the seasons ; The sun knows the place of its setting . 20 You appoint darkness and it becomes night , In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about . 21 The young lions roar after their prey And seek their food from God . 22 When the sun rises they withdraw And lie down in their dens . 23 Man goes forth to his work And to his labor until evening . 24 O Lord , how many are Your works ! In wisdom You have made them all ; The earth is full of Your possessions .
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.