Psalm 104 – God be praised for His creative genius

Psalm 104 is a psalm written in praise of the Creator God. Much of its content praise Him for creation. We find the author making a quick call to his soul to bless the Lord before launching into exhorting the Majestic God and His creative genius. The Psalmist explodes into a glorious description of the Lord who created the earth and then established the earth, land and the sea. Using nature and the creative order, the Psalmist describes the attributes of God. He resolutely declares that this God is great. He is majestically clothed with honour. And His creation reveals how great He is. We are told that He covers Himself with light. While the glorious light can be seen, His person is hidden by the bright brilliance. No one can see Him. The sky spread out and forms the floor of His dwelling place and becomes the roof for us, His creation. His chamber or dwelling place is magnificently kept and upheld by the water in the firmament. The clouds are His chariots. He travels on the wings of the winds. And angels are His fiery messengers. The whole description is to tell us how awesome our creator God truly is.

Verses 5-9 describe the authority He possesses, while verses 10-23 speak of His goodness. He provides water for drinking, and habitation for the creatures of the air. He moisturizes the earth with the dew and the rain. He causes the grass to grow as food for the cattle. The herbs are cultivated by Him to serve men. While the cedar of Lebanon are nests for the birds, the fir trees are to house the storks. The luminaries in the sky are made to mark seasons and to distinguish day and night. The day would serve men and the night would serve the animals. This clearly suggests that man would work in the day while animals would seek their prey in the night. Verse 24 tells us that God’s wisdom can be seen through His works.  

In verses 25-30, the Psalmist talks about the providence of the Lord. The sustenance of all creatures including those in the sea came from Him. Every animal had its supply of food provided for by Him. He not only gave sea creatures their breath but also their food. He provides for all and sundry. The author then concluded with a call to everyone to praise the Lord like he did. This God should be praised day and night. Every person should rejoice and meditate on Him. He not only created all things but sustains all life. We must seek to glorify Him in all that we say and do!