Psalm 104:1-24
The LORD's Care for His Creation
1041 Bless Yahweh, my soul.
Yahweh, my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty. 2 He covers himself with light as with a garment.
He stretches out the heavens like a curtain. 3 He lays the beams of his chambers in the waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot.
He walks on the wings of the wind. 4 He makes his messengers [1] winds;
his servants flames of fire. 5 He laid the foundations of the earth,
that it should not be moved forever. 6 You covered it with the deep as with a cloak.
The waters stood above the mountains. 7 At your rebuke they fled.
At the voice of your thunder they hurried away. 8 The mountains rose,
the valleys sank down,
to the place which you had assigned to them. 9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over;
that they don’t turn again to cover the earth.
10 He sends forth springs into the valleys.
They run among the mountains. 11 They give drink to every animal of the field.
The wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds of the sky nest by them.
They sing among the branches. 13 He waters the mountains from his chambers.
The earth is filled with the fruit of your works. 14 He causes the grass to grow for the livestock,
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food out of the earth: 15 wine that makes glad the heart of man,
oil to make his face to shine,
and bread that strengthens man’s heart. 16 Yahweh’s trees are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted; 17 where the birds make their nests.
The stork makes its 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 appointed the moon for seasons.
The sun knows when to set. 20 You make darkness, and it is night,
in which all the animals of the forest prowl. 21 The young lions roar after their prey,
and seek their food from God. 22 The sun rises, and they steal away,
and lay down in their dens. 23 Man goes forth to his work,
to his labor until the evening. 24 Yahweh, how many are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all.
The earth is full of your 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.