General Remarks. - Here we have one of the loftiest and longest sustained flights of the inspired muse. The Psalm gives an interpretation to the many voices of nature, and sings sweetly both of creation and providence. The poem contains a complete cosmos: sea and land, cloud and sunlight, plant and animal, light and darkness, life and death, are all proved to be expressive of the presence of the Lord. Traces of the six days' of creation are very evident, and though the creation of man, which was the crowning work of the sixth day, is not mentioned, this is accounted for from the fact that man is himself the singer: some have even discerned marks of the divine rest upon the seventh day in Psalm 104:31. It is a poet's version of Genesis. Nor is it alone the present condition of the earth which is here the subject of song; but a hint is given of those holier times when we shall see "a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness," out of which the sinner shall be consumed, Psalm 104:35. The spirit of ardent praise to God runs through the whole, and with it a distinct realization of the divine Being as a personal existence, loved and trusted as well as adored.

We have no information as to the author, but the Septuagint assigns it to David, and we see no reason for ascribing it to any one else. His spirit, style, and manner of writing are very manifest therein, and if the Psalm must be ascribed to another, it "must be to a mind remarkably similar, and we could only suggest the wise son of David - Solomon, the poet preacher, to whose notes upon natural history in the Proverbs some of the verses bear a striking likeness. Whoever the human penman may have been, the exceeding glory and perfection of the Holy Spirit's own divine authorship are plain to every spiritual mind."

Division. - After ascribing blessedness to the Lord the devout Psalmist sings of the light and the firmament, which were the work of the first and second days (Psalm 104:1-6). By an easy transition he describes the separation of the waters from the dry land, the formation of rain, brooks, and rivers, and the uprising of green herbs, which were the produce of the third day (Psalm 104:7-18). Then the appointment of the sun and moon to be the guardians of day and night commands the poet's admiration (Psalm 104:19-23), and so he sings the work of the fourth day. Having already alluded to many varieties of living creatures, the Psalmist proceeds from Psalm 104:24 to Psalm 104:30 to sing of the life with which the Lord was pleased to fill the air, the sea, and the land; these forms of existence were the peculiar produce of the fifth and sixth days. We may regard the closing verses (Psalm 104:31-35) as a Sabbath meditation, hymn, and prayer. The whole lies before us as a panorama of the universe viewed by the eye of devotion. O for grace to render due praise unto the Lord while reading it.

Hints to Preachers

Psalm 104:1 (first clause). - An exhortation to one's own heart.

I. To remember the Lord as the first cause of all good. Bless not man, or fate, but the Lord.

II. To do this in a loving, grateful, hearty, praiseful manner. Bless the Lord.

III. To do it truly and intensely. O my soul!.

IV. To do it now - for various reasons and in all possible ways.

Psalm 104:1 (second clause). - He is all this essentially, and in nature, providence, grace, and judgment.

Psalm 104:2 (first clause). - The clearest revelation of God is still a concealment; even light is but a covering to him. God is clothed with light as we see him in his omniscience, his revelation, his glory in heaven, and his grace on earth.

Psalm 104:3 (last clause). -

I. God is leisurely in his haste: "he walketh," etc.

II. God is swift even in his slackness, "he walketh on the wings of the wind."

III. The practical conclusions are that there is time enough for the divine purposes, but none for our trifling; and that we should both wait with patience for the victory of his cause and hasten it by holy activity.

Psalm 104:4. -

I. The Nature of Angels. Spirits.

II. The Lord of Angels. "Who maketh," etc. What must his own spirituality be who maketh spirits?

III. The ministry of Angels.

1. Their office: "ministers."

2. Their activity or zeal: "a flaming fire."

3. Their dependence: made ministers. - G. Rogers.

Psalm 104:7. - The power of the divine word in nature shows its power in other spheres.

Psalm 104:9. -

I. All things have their appointed bounds.

II. To pass those bounds without special permission by God is transgression. "Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass."

III. Extraordinary cases should be followed by a return to ordinary duties. "That they turn not again," etc. - G. R.

Psalm 104:10. - The thoughtfulness of God for those who, like the valleys, are lowly, hidden, and needy; the abiding character of his supplies, and the joyous results of his care.

Psalm 104:10, Psalm 104:11. - God's care for wild creatures, reflections from it.

I. Shall he not much more care for his people?

II. Will he not look after wild, wandering men?

III. Ought we not also to care for all that live?

Psalm 104:10-12. - From the fertility, life and music which mark the course of a stream, illustrate the beneficial influences of the Gospel. - C. A. Davis.

Psalm 104:14. - "In the Hayfield." (See "Spurgeon's Sermons," No. 757.) "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle."

I. Grass is in itself instructive.

1. As the symbol of our mortality: "All flesh is grass."

2. As an emblem of the wicked.

3. As a picture of the elect of God. Isaiah 35:7; Isaiah 44:4; Psalm 72:6; Psalm 16:4. Grass is comparable to the food wherewith the Lord supplies the necessities of his chosen ones. Psalm 23:2; Sol 1:7.

II. God is seen in the growing of the grass.

1. As a worker: "He causeth," etc. See God in common things - in solitary things.

2. See God as a care-taker: "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle." God cares for the beasts - the helpless - dumb and speechless things - providing suitable food for them: "grass." Let us) then, see his hand in providence at all times.

III. God's working in the grass for the cattle gives us illustrations concerning grace.

1. God "cares for oxen" and satisfies their wants: there must then be something somewhere to satisfy the needs of the nobler creature man, and his immortal soul.

2. Though God provides the grass for the cattle, the cattle must eat it themselves. The Lord Jesus Christ is provided as the food of the soul. We must, by faith, receive and feed upon Christ.

3. Preventing grace may here be seen in a symbol; before the cattle were made, in this world there was grass. There were covenant supplies for God's people before they were in the world.

4. Here is an illustration of free grace; the cattle bring nothing to purchase the food. Why is this?

(1) Because they belong to him, Psalm 1:1-6, 10.

(2) Because he has entered into a covenant with them to feed them, Genesis 9:9, Genesis 9:10.

In the text there is a mighty blow to free-will, "He causeth the grass to grow." Grace does not grow in the heart without a divine cause. If God cares to make grass grow he will also make us grow in grace. Again; the grass does not grow without an object; it is "for the cattle" but the cattle grow for man. What, then, does man grow for? Observe, further, that the existence of the grass is necessary to complete the chain of nature. So the meanest child of God is necessary to the family.

Psalm 104:16. - "The Cedars of Lebanon." (See "Spurgeon's Sermons," No. 529.)

I. The absence of all human culture. These trees are peculiarly the Lord's trees, because,

1. They owe their planting entirely to him, "He hath planted."

2. They are not dependent upon man for their watering.

3. No mortal might protects them.

4. As to their inspection - they preserve a sublime indifference to human gaze.

5. Their exultation is all for God.

6. There is not a cedar upon Lebanon which is not independent of man in its expectations.

II. The glorious display of divine care.

1. In the abundance of their supply.

2. They are always green.

3. Observe the grandeur and size of these trees.

4. Their fragrance.

5. Their perpetuity.

6. They are very venerable.

III. The fulness of living principle, "The trees of the Lord are full of sap."

1. This is vitally necessary.

2. It is essentially mysterious.

3. It is radically secret.

4. It is permanently active.

5. It is externally operative.

6. It is abundantly to be desired.

Psalm 104:17, Psalm 104:18. - "Lessons from Nature" (See "Spurgeon's Sermons," No. - 1,005.)

I. For each place God has prepared a suitable form of life, for "the fir trees," "the stork"; for "the high hills,.... the wild goat," etc. So, for all parts of the spiritual universe God has provided suitable forms of divine life.

1. Each age has its saints.

2. In every rank they are to be found. The Christian religion is equally well adapted for all conditions.

3. In every church spiritual life is to be found.

4. God's people are to be found in every city.

II. Each creature has its appropriate place.

1. Each man has by God a providential position appointed to him.

2. This is also true of our spiritual experience.

3. The same holds good as to individuality of character.

III. Every creature that God has made is provided with shelter.

IV. For each creature the shelter is appropriate.

V. Each creature uses its shelter.

Psalm 104:19. -

I. The wisdom of God as displayed in the material heavens. In the changes of the moon and the variety of the seasons.

II. The goodness of God as there displayed. In the adaptation of these changes to the wants and enjoyments of men.

III. The faithfulness of God as there displayed. Inspiring confidence in his creatures by their regularity.

"So like the sun may Ifulfil

The appointed duties of the day,

With ready mind and active will

March on and keep my heavenly way."

Psalm 104:20. - Darkness and the beasts that creep forth therein.

I. Ignorance of God, and unrestrained lusts. Romans 1.

II. Sins discovered. Beasts there before, but not noticed, now terrify man.

III. Spiritual despondency, dismay, despair, etc.

IV. Church lethargy. All sorts of heresies, etc., begin to creep forth.

V. Papal influence. Monks, friars, priests, etc., creep about in this dark age. - A. G. Brown.

Psalm 104:20-23. -

I. Night work is for wild beasts, "Thou makest darkness," etc.

II. Day work is for men, "Man goeth forth," etc. Good men do their work by day; bad men by night: their work is in the dark. Ministers who creep into their studies by night, and "roar after their prey," and "seek their meat from God," are more like wild beasts than rational men. - G. R.

Psalm 104:21. - Inarticulate prayers, or how faulty the expression may be and yet how real the prayer in the esteem of God.

Psalm 104:22. - From the effect of sunrise on the beasts of prey, exhibit the influence of Divine Grace on our evil passions. - C. A. D.

Psalm 104:23. - "Early Closing." A sermon preached on behalf of the "Early Closing Association." by James Hamilton, D. D., 1850. In the "Pulpit," Vol. 57.

Psalm 104:24. -

1 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.

5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.

Psalm 104:1

"Bless the Lord, O my soul." This Psalm begins and ends like the Hundred and Third, and it could not do better: when the model is perfect it deserves to exist in duplicate. True praise begins at home. It is idle to stir up others to praise if we are ungratefully silent ourselves. We should call upon our inmost hearts to awake and bestir themselves, for we are apt to be sluggish, and if we are so when called upon to bless God, we shall have great cause to be ashamed. When we magnify the Lord, let us do it heartily: our best is far beneath his worthiness, let us not dishonour him by rendering to him half-hearted worship. "O Lord my God, thou art very great." This ascription has in it a remarkable blending of the boldness of faith, and the awe of holy fear: for the Psalmist calls the infinite Jehovah "my God," and at the same time, prostrate in amazement at the divine greatness, he cries out in utter astonishment, "Thou art very great." God was great on Sinai, yet the opening words of his law were, "I am the Lord thy God;" his greatness is no reason why faith should not put in her claim, and call him all her own. The declaration of Jehovah's greatness here given would have been very much in place at the end of the Psalm, for it is a natural inference and deduction from a survey of the universe: its position at the very commencement of the poem is an indication that the whole Psalm was well considered and digested in the mind before it was actually put into words; only on this supposition can we account for the emotion preceding the contemplation. Observe also, that the wonder expressed does not refer to the creation and its greatness, but to Jehovah himself. It is not "the universe is very great!" but "Thou art very great." Many stay at the creature, and so become idolatrous in spirit; to pass onward to the Creator himself is true wisdom. "Thou art clothed with honour and majesty." Thou thyself art not to be seen, but thy works, which may be called thy garments, are full of beauties and marvels which redound to thine honour. Garments both conceal and reveal a man, and so do the creatures of God. The Lord is seen in his works as worthy of honour for his skill, his goodness, and his power, and as claiming majesty, for he has fashioned all things in sovereignty, doing as he wills, and asking no man's permit. He must be blind indeed who does not see that nature is the work of a king. These are solemn strokes of God's severer mind, terrible touches of his sterner attributes, broad lines of inscrutable mystery, and deep shadings of overwhelming power, and these make creation's picture a problem never to be solved, except by admitting that he who drew it giveth no account of his matters, but ruleth all things according to the good pleasure of his will. His majesty is, however, always so displayed as to reflect honour upon his whole character; he does as he wills, but he wills only that which is thrice holy, like himself. The very robes of the unseen Spirit teach us this, and it is ours to recognise it with humble adoration.

Psalm 104:2

"Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment:" wrapping the light about him as a monarch puts on his robe. The conception is sublime - but it makes us feel how altogether inconceivable the personal glory of the Lord must be; if light itself is but his garment and veil, what must be the blazing splendour of his own essential being! We are lost in astonishment, and dare not pry into the mystery lest we be blinded by its insufferable glory. "Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain" within which he might dwell. Light was created on the first day and the firmament upon the second, so that they fitly follow each other in this verse. Oriental princes put on their glorious apparel and then sit in state within curtains, and the Lord is spoken of under that image: but how far above all comprehension the figure must be lifted, since the robe is essential light, to which suns and moons owe their brightness, and the curtain is the azure sky studded with stars for gems. This is a substantial argument for the truth with which the Psalmist commenced his song, "O Lord my God, thou art very great."

Psalm 104:3

"Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters." His lofty halls are framed with the waters which are above the firmament. The upper rooms of God's great house, the secret stories far above our ken, the palatial chambers wherein he resides, are based upon the floods which form the upper ocean. To the unsubstantial he lends stability; he needs no joists and rafters, for his palace is sustained by his own power. We are not to interpret literally where the language is poetical, it would be simple absurdity to do so. "Who maketh the clouds his chariot." When he comes forth from his secret pavilion 'tis thus he makes his royal progress. "His chariot of wrath deep thunder-clouds form," and his chariot of mercy drops plenty as it traverses the celestial road. "Who walketh [or rather goes] upon the wings of the wind." With the clouds for a car, and the winds for winged steeds, the Great King hastens on his movements whether for mercy or for judgment. Thus we have the idea of a king still further elaborated - his lofty palace, his chariot, and his coursers are before us; but what a palace must we imagine, whose beams are of crystal, and whose base is consolidated vapour! What a stately car is that which is fashioned out of the flying clouds, whose gorgeous colours Solomon in all his glory could not rival; and what a Godlike progress is that in which spirit wings and breath of winds beat up the moving throne. "O Lord, my God, thou art very great!"

Psalm 104:4

"Who maketh his angels spirits;" or winds, for the word means either. Angels are pure spirits, though they are permitted to assume a visible form when God desires us to see them. God is a spirit, and he is waited upon by spirits in his royal courts. Angels are like winds for mystery, force, and invisibility, and no doubt the winds themselves are often the angels or messengers of God. God who makes his angels to be as winds, can also make winds to be his angels, and they are constantly so in the economy of nature. "His ministers a flaming fire." Here, too, we may choose which we will of two meanings: God's ministers or servants he makes to be as swift, potent, and terrible as fire, and on the other hand he makes fire, that devouring element, to be his minister flaming forth upon his errands. That the passage refers to angels is clear from Hebrews 1:7; and it was most proper to mention them here in connection with light and the heavens, and immediately after the robes and palace of the Great King. Should not the retinue of the Lord of Hosts be mentioned as well as his chariot? It would halve been a flaw in the description of the universe had the angels not been alluded to, and this is the most appropriate place for their introduction. When we think of the extraordinary powers entrusted to angelic beings, and the mysterious glory of the seraphim and the four living creatures, we are led to reflect upon the glory of the Master whom they serve, and again we cry out with the Psalmist, "O Lord, my God, thou art very great."

continued...

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.

10 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.

Psalm 104:7

"At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away." When the waters and vapours covered all, the Lord had but to speak and they disappeared at once. As though they had been intelligent agents the waves hurried to their appointed deeps and left the land to itself; then the mountains lifted their heads, the high lands rose from the main, and at length continents and islands, slopes and plains were left to form the habitable earth. The voice of the Lord effected this great marvel. Is not his word equal to every emergency? potent enough to work the greatest miracle? By that same word shall the waterfloods of trouble be restrained, and the raging billows of sin be rebuked the day cometh when at the thunder of Jehovah's voice all the proud waters of evil shall utterly haste away. "O Lord, my God, thou art very great."

continued...

19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

20 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.

Psalm 104:19

The appointed rule of the great lights is now the theme for praise. The moon is mentioned first, because in the Jewish day the night leads the way. "He appointed the moon for seasons." By the waxing and waning of the moon the year is divided into months, and weeks, and by this means the exact dates of the holy days are arranged. Thus the lamp of night is made to be of service to man, and in fixing the period of religious assemblies (as it did among the Jews) it enters into connection with his noblest being. Never let us regard the moon's motions as the inevitable result of inanimate impersonal law, but as the appointment of our God. "The sun knoweth his going down." In finely poetic imagery the sun is represented as knowing when to retire from sight, and sink below the horizon. He never loiters on his way, or pauses as if undecided when to descend; his appointed hour for going down, although it is constantly varying, he always keeps to a second. We need to be aroused in the morning, but he arises punctually, and though some require to watch the clock to know the hour of rest, he, without a timepiece to consult, hides himself in the western sky the instant the set time has come. For all this man should praise the Lord of the sun and moon, who has made these great lights to be our chronometers, and thus keeps our world in order, and suffers no confusion to distract us.

Psalm 104:20

"Thou makest darkness, and it is night." Drawing down the blinds for us, he prepares our bedchamber that we may sleep. Were there no darkness we should sigh for it, since we should find repose so much more difficult if the weary day were never calmed into night. Let us see God's hand in the veiling of the sun, and never fear either natural or providential darkness, since both are of the Lord's own making. "Wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth." Then is the lion's day, his time to hunt his food. Why should not the wild beast have his hour as well as man? He has a service to perform, should he not also have his food? Darkness is fitter for beasts than man; and those men are most brutish who love darkness rather than light. When the darkness of ignorance broods over a nation, then all sorts of superstitions, cruelties, and vices abound; the gospel, like the sunrising, soon clears the world of the open ravages of these monsters, and they seek more congenial abodes. We see here the value of true light, for we may depend upon it where there is night there will also be wild beasts to kill and to devour.

Psalm 104:21

"The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God." This is the poetic interpretation of a roar. To whom do the lions roar? Certainly not to their prey, for the terrible sound tends to alarm their victims, and drive them away. They after their own fashion express their desires for food, and the expression of desire is a kind of prayer. Out of this fact comes the devout thought of the wild beast's appealing to its Maker for food. But neither with lions nor men will the seeking 6f prayer suffice, there must be practical seeking too, and the lions are well aware of it. What they have in their own language asked for they go forth to seek; being in this thing far wiser than many men who offer formal prayers not half so earnest as those of the young lions, and then neglect the means in the use of which the object of their petitions might be gained. The lions roar and seek; too many are liars before God, and roar but never seek.

How comforting is the thought that the Spirit translates the voice of a lion, and finds it to be a seeking of meat from God! May we not hope that our poor broken cries and groans, which in our sorrow we have called "the voice of our roaring" (Psalm 22:10), will be understood by him, and interpreted in our favour. Evidently he considers the meaning rather than the music of the utterance, and puts the best construction upon it.

Psalm 104:22

"The sun ariseth." Every evening has its morning to make the day. Were it not that we have seen the sun rise so often we should think it the greatest of miracles, and the most amazing of blessings. "They gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens." Thus they are out of man's way, and he seldom encounters them unless he desires to do so. The forest's warriors retire to their quarters when the morning's drum is heard, finding in the recesses of their dens a darkness suitable for their slumbers; there they lay them down and digest their food, for God has allotted even to them their portion of rest and enjoyment. There was one who in this respect was poorer than lions and foxes, for he had not where to lay his head: all were provided for except their incarnate Provider. Blessed Lord, thou hast stooped beneath the conditions of the brutes to lift up worse than brutish men!

continued...

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.

29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth.

Psalm 104:24

"O Lord, how manifold are thy works!" They are not only many for number but manifold for variety. Mineral, vegetable, animal - what a range of works is suggested by these three names! No two even of the same class are exactly alike, and the classes are more numerous than science can number. Works in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, and in the waters under the earth, works which abide the ages, works which come to perfection and pass away in a year, works which with all their beauty do not outlive a day, works within works, and works within these - who can number one of a thousand? God is the great worker, and ordainer of variety. It is ours to study his works, for they are great, and sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. The kingdom of grace contains as manifold and as great works as that of nature, but the chosen of the Lord alone discern them. "In wisdom hast thou made them all," or wrought them all. They are all his works, wrought by his own power, and they all display his wisdom. It was wise to make them - none could be spared; every link is essential to the chain of nature - wild beasts as much as men, poisons as truly as odoriferous herbs. They are wisely made - each one fits its place, fills it, and is happy in so doing. As a whole, the "all" of creation is a wise achievement, and however, it may be chequered with mysteries, and clouded with terrors, it all works together for good, and as one complete harmonious piece of workmanship it answers the great Worker's end. "The earth is full of thy riches." It is not a poor-house, but a palace; not a hungry ruin, but a well-filled store-house. The Creator has not set his creatures down in a dwelling-place where the table is bare, and the buttery empty, he has filled the earth with food; and not with bare necessaries only, but with riches - dainties, luxuries, beauties, treasures. In the bowels of the earth are hidden mines of wealth, and on her surface are teeming harvests of plenty. All these riches are the Lord's; we ought to call them not "the wealth of nations," but "thy riches" O Lord! Not in one clime alone are these riches of God to be found, but in all lands - even the Arctic ocean has its precious things which men endure much hardness to win, and the burning sun of the equator ripens a produce which flavours the food of all mankind. If his house below is so full of riches what must his house above be, where

"The very streets are paved with gold

Exceeding clear and fine"?

Psalm 104:25

"So is this great and wide sea." He gives an instance of the immense number and variety of Jehovah's works by pointing to the sea. "Look," saith he, "at yonder ocean, stretching itself on both hands and embracing so many lands, it too swarms with animal life, and in its deeps lie treasures beyond all counting." The heathen made the sea a different province from the land, and gave the command thereof to Neptune, but we know of a surety that Jehovah rules the waves. "Wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts;" read moving things and animals small and great, and you have the true sense. The number of minute forms of animal life is indeed beyond all reckoning; when a single phosphorescent wave may bear millions of infusoira, and around a fragment of rock armies of microscopic beings may gather, we renounce all idea of applying arithmetic to such a case. The sea in many regions appears to be all alive, as if every drop were a world. Nor are these tiny creatures the only tenants of the sea, for it contains gigantic mammals which exceed in bulk those which range the land, and a vast host of huge fishes which wander among the waves, and hide in the caverns of the sea as the tiger lurks in the jungle, or the lion roams the plain. Truly, O Lord, thou makest the sea to be as rich in the works of thy hands as the land itself.

Psalm 104:26

continued...

31 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.

33 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.

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.

Psalm 104:31

"The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever." His works may pass away, but not his glory. Were it only for what he has already done, the Lord deserves to be praised without ceasing. His personal being and character ensure that he would be glorious even were all the creatures dead. "The Lord shall rejoice in his works." He did so at the first, when he rested on the seventh day, and saw that everything was very good; he does so still in a measure where beauty and purity in nature still survive the Fall, and he will do so yet more fully when the earth is renovated, and the trail of the serpent is cleansed from the globe. This verse is written in the most glowing manner. The poet finds his heart gladdened by beholding the works of the Lord, and he feels that the Creator himself must have felt unspeakable delight in exercising so much wisdom, goodness, and power.

Psalm 104:32

"He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth." The Lord who has graciously displayed his power in acts and works of goodness might, if he had seen fit, have overwhelmed us with the terrors of destruction, for even at a glance of his eye the solid earth rocks with fear. "He toucheth the hills, and they smoke." Sinai was altogether on a smoke when the Lord descended upon it. It was but a touch, but it sufficed to make the mountain dissolve in flame. Even our God is a consuming fire. Woe unto those who shall provoke him to frown upon them, they shall perish at the touch of his hand. If sinners were not altogether insensible a glance of the Lord's eye would make them tremble, and the touches of his hand in affliction would set their hearts on fire with repentance. "Of reason all things show some sign," except man's unfeeling heart.

Psalm 104:33

"I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live," or, literally, in my lives. Here and hereafter the Psalmist would continue to praise the Lord, for the theme is an endless one, and remains for ever fresh and new. The birds sang God's praises before men were created, but redeemed men will sing his glories when the birds are no more. Jehovah, who ever lives and makes us to live shall be for ever exalted, and extolled in the songs of redeemed men. "I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." A resolve both happy for himself and glorifying to the Lord. Note the sweet title - my God. We never sing so well as when we know that we have an interest in the good things of which we sing, and a relationship to the God whom we praise.

Psalm 104:34

"My meditation of him shall be sweet." Sweet both to him and to me. I shall be delighted thus to survey his works and think of his person, and he will graciously accept my notes of praise. Meditation is the soul of religion. It is the tree of life in the midst of the garden of piety, and very refreshing is its fruit to the soul which feeds thereon. And as it is good towards man, so is it towards God. As the fat of the sacrifice was the Lord's portion, so are our best meditations due to the Most High and are most acceptable to him. We ought, therefore, both for our own good and for the Lord's honour to be much occupied with meditation, and that meditation should chiefly dwell upon the Lord himself: it should be "meditation of him." For want of it much communion is lost and much happiness is missed. "I will be glad in, the Lord." To the meditative mind every thought of God is full of joy. Each one of the divine attributes is a well-spring of delight now that in Christ Jesus we are reconciled unto God.

Psalm 104:35

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