God the Creator (Part Two)
Reflections on Psalm 104
In April, I wrote a post on Psalm 104. I am returning to reflect on the remainder of the text which is written below the divider. As I said previously, this chapter exclaims the creativity of God who is the Creator. The author invites us to deepen our attention to things that go without much thought.
Trees are noticeable, especially the cedars of Lebanon. These are known for their strength, used as symbolism throughout centuries and countries. If you were to ask one of these trees how it came to be, it would not boast of its own might nor give credit to man. It is the Lord who plants and waters, overseeing their growth according to verse 16. Trees were designed to host the homes of birds. Not all birds build their nests the same and neither do all birds build in the same kind of tree. As it says in verse 17, a stork prefers the fir tree. The trees and nests are works of purpose and art by the Creator.
Verse 18 switches to different land areas and animals. The goats may be seen more easily than the badgers, yet both are not forgotten by their Creator. He created one to climb high and the other to climb low. Every one of their steps upon the rocks is known. They seek no other refuge because they are safest there.
The moon and the sun are markers of light, setting on time and in place every time. Without the moon, there would be no seasons on earth. Verse 19 is not just scientific; it is truth. The first chapter of the Bible presents the truth of the Creator’s creations. The Lord created darkness and light, day and night, and the creatures that creep on the ground just as it says in verse 20. The animals know when to search for food and when to sleep. For man, in that time, the sunset showed when to stop work and return to it when there was light again.
Here in the chapter, I agree with the author in shouting: “O Lord, how manifold are Your works!” Verse 24 is like a breather. There is an applaud for the diversity of the Lord’s works. Manifold is such a well-rounded description of the Lord’s organization and intention to see His glory in the heavens and on earth. His wisdom is how it has all come to be. He did not ask anyone on how to give instinct to a bird or give the night a stopwatch. The author points out this creation without criticism, but never poses it for praise.
The sea has a story too. In verse 25, it is characterized in being “great and wide,” designated as the residence of big and small creatures; it also moves along ships to their destinations. There is mention of the Leviathan, a beast of evilness, having confinement which shows the author’s faith in the Lord’s sovereignty over evil. Later, in verse 35, we see an expression for all that is sinful and wicked to be no more. Those who are unrepentant of sin will one day “be consumed from the earth.” They will not be mourned, as one Broadway musical puts it. They will confess the Lord’s glory then be eternally separated from it in death. If this comes as an unexpected articulation of justice, then read more of the Bible to see that good and evil are familiar themes.
“These all look to you” is a phrase of dependence. The animals do not question about their hunger, health, or existence. They know their Creator. Each has an allotment of breaths as generations come and go as verse 29 indicates. The author names the Spirit, who is the Lord, responsible to “renew the face of the ground.” I think of Noah’s ark, how the Lord preserved the life of animals during and after the flood. There is continuous life being made even in the creature kingdom.
A prayer is reached in verse 31 with the author concluding that this glory of the Creator is what goes on forever. He is desirous to let nothing else endure, to let only the glory of the Lord endure. There is commitment made to sing and rejoice and bless the Lord. He has an unsized view of the Lord, not minimizing Him to be like a giant carrying around a pot of golden glory tossing it here and there. The Lord as Creator did not perform to earn glory. The Lord has glory because He is glory.
Why then would He get more? Why then would He rejoice? Why not?
Reader, I hope you think of the Creator — think bigger of Him, think higher of Him until you affectionately sing: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!”
Listen to All Creatures of Our God and King by Sovereign Grace Music.
Psalm 104
The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her 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 made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they steal away
and lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
27 These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works,
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
A beautiful reflection on our creator!