Psalm 104 - Creation
“Bless the Lord, O my soul!” (Psalm 104: 1, NASB)
The psalms remind us that we live and move and have our being in the realm of the Kingdom of God. He is the King of the seen and the unseen. His sovereignty extends over the entire seen universe, and all that is unseen.
Why do we forget about God? Why do we not take time to meditate on His greatness and His marvelous deeds? There is no superscription for this psalm, so we don’t know who wrote it, but the writer wants us to reflect upon God's creation as a means for reflecting on God Himself and of His greatness.
The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi regarding his priorities. He had visited that city on his second journey after the Spirit had told him to cross over from Troas to the Grecian peninsula. There he met Lydia and established a church in her home. In Philippi, he and Silas were thrown in jail, yet they sang songs, and the Lord opened their prison with an earthquake. The church became firmly established at Philippi and financed his continued travels, even into his imprisonments. After Paul spent two years in a Caesarean jail, he appealed to Rome. The fateful trip across the Mediterranean left him shipwrecked, and then he spent another two years under house arrest in Rome. So when Paul wrote to the Philippians, he encouraged them to seek the Lord first, no matter the circumstances, and he had experienced about the worst.
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3: 7-11, NASB)
So whether Paul had abundance or was in want, he was aware that the Kingdom of God was ultimately the most crucial aspect of life.
Elsewhere in this work, we discussed how astronomy in the twentieth century began to open our eyes to the nature and size of the universe. Thus our awareness of the expanse of the Kingdom of God increased. The physical universe is incomprehensibly vast. We cannot grasp the distances involved, nor can we conceive how incredibly small the earth is relative to the universe's size. We are literally as one grain of sand relative to all of the beaches of the world.
So, reflecting on God's nature and His creation is a good and essential thing to do. Otherwise, we miss out on the real nature of the Kingdom of God and our place in it.
The Bible opens with the words of Genesis 1,
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1, NASB)
We are blessed when we meditate on the greatness of God, the Creator of Heaven and earth. We see reality - the way things really are. God is the King, and His Kingdom includes all of creation.
The Greatness of God in Creation (v. 1-2)
As Psalm 103 began and ended with “Bless the Lord, O my soul”, so Psalm 104 continues with the same phrase.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. (Psalm 104: 1-2)
The psalm writer speaks directly to the Lord, “O Lord my God, You are very great;” When we think upon God's greatness, we receive a blessing because we are orienting our worldview with reality. God is truly the creator and sustainer of the universe. God truly is the King of His kingdom, of which we are participants.
The writer describes the greatness of God in terms of being covered with light as with a cloak. Genesis records that light was the first thing created on day one of creation. Cosmologists talk about the Big Bang as being so hot that no elemental particles could exist initially. All that existed was unbelievably hot plasma. As that plasma began to cool, the first particles started to form. How could the writer of Genesis possibly know that? If God created the sun and moon later (day 4), the light of day one was not light from our sun. According to both the cosmological and the Biblical models, the first thing that happened at the creation event was light.
In his first letter, the Apostle John announced the connection of God and light.
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1: 4-7)
Similarly, the gospel expresses Christ as the Light.
For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4: 6)
Jesus described Himself in terms of light,
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8: 12)
So the metaphor of light permeates the Bible, and the Psalm writer in Psalm 104 describes God as "clothing himself in light." Perhaps this is why those who asked to see God were never allowed to look directly upon him. Anyone who has had an extremely bright light shined in their face can testify how physically painful it can be. It blinds to the point of causing extreme physical pain and can even lead to permanent blindness if the light is intense enough.
The writer of Psalm 104 also expresses the greatness of God by examining the universe from his earthly perspective since he has no other view.
God is the One who metaphorically stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and the writer describes the realm of the stars from the perspective of the earth. There were no telescopes at the time of the writing of this psalm, nor would there be for thousands of years beyond their time. Their knowledge of the heavens was limited to the positions of the stars, the sun, the moon, and the planets relative to the night sky. They saw the stars in terms of constellations - the groupings of stars when viewed from the earth. There are references to specific constellations in what many consider to be the oldest book of the Old Testament,
Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south; (Job 9:9, NASB)
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
“Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?
“Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth? (Job 38: 31-33, NASB)
Until the time of Galileo in the 15th Century, stars were holes in the sphere of light surrounding the earth. The “music of the spheres” was the configuration of concentric spheres with the earth at the center. The sun, moon, and planets each had a sphere, which described their movements from an earth perspective.
The Creation of the Heavens (v. 3-4)
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;
He makes the winds His messengers,
Flaming fire His ministers. (Psalm 104: 3-4, NASB)
Genesis describes the initial void as separated waters - those above and below. The separation of those into the expanse of heaven is the activity of day two. It seems that God is talking about the creation of elements and the forming of heavenly physical structures, using water as a metaphor for the elements which gradually formed as the cycle of creation continued through the life and death of stars leading to the formation of the earth.
But the Genesis account may describe the creation of heaven as the realm of God and angels, rather than only of the physical universe. This understanding comes from the quotation of Psalm 104 found in the first chapter of Hebrews, where the writer opens the book by speaking of the Son as being greater than angels. Jesus was there at the creation event (Heb. 1:2), and following His work of redemption, Jesus “sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). Jesus has a more excellent name than angels (Heb. 1:4), because Jesus is the Son, as described in Psalm 2 (Heb. 1:5). The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 97 as revealing that “all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6). Then the writer quotes Psalm 104:4,
And of the angels He says,
“Who makes His angels winds,
And His ministers a flame of fire.” (Hebrews 1:7, NASB)
The writer applies the Psalm 104 quotation to the spiritual rather than the physical world.
The Creation of the Geologic Earth (v. 5-9)
The earth is the habitation of humans. Therefore it is everything to us. Although it might be small relative to the galaxy, the earth is large to those living on it. It is our world, and it is all we have. Only 12 astronauts have walked on the moon, and no human has ever visited any other planetary body. Science fiction writers, television shows, and movies make it seem like interplanetary travel is standard, but it is not. We have only taken the most simple first steps in getting anywhere beyond our planet.
Are there other inhabited worlds? The great SETI project of the twentieth century sought to listen for extraterrestrial signals and heard none. The limit of the speed of light simply means that it takes a very long time for a signal to travel in space. Even if another civilization received a signal from the earth within our galaxy, it would take many years to reply unless that civilization was very close, astronomically speaking.
The closest star system to our own, Alpha Centauri, is 3.5 light-years away. That means it light traveling at the limit of possible speed in the universe, the speed of light, takes 3.5 years to get there and 3.5 years to get back, a round trip of 7 years. The further from earth, the longer the round trip. Our galaxy has a diameter of 100,000 light-years, so the circumference of a circle, which is earth distance from the center of the galaxy, would be 2πr, where r = 50,000 light-years. So the possible star systems with a similar distance from the center of the galaxy as us (our "goldilocks distance") would lie on a circle 314,000 light-years in length. If other civilizations exist somewhere along that circle, the amount of time it would take to send and receive a signal would be many thousands of years. It would be virtually impossible to communicate with any other civilizations in our galaxy using present communication technology. Communication with other galaxies would be impossible because the closest galaxy to ours, Andromeda, although easily seen with a relatively inexpensive telescope, is 2.537 million light-years away.
Why all of the astronomy? To understand why God would take so much care with the creation of the earth. For those residing on the planet, there is nothing in their experience other than this place. The earth is the only experience that humans have, and God created both the earth and humans. God is love, and God loves the world so much that He gave His only Son. So God cares about the planet, which is the home for those He created and loves.
He established the earth upon its foundations,
So that it will not totter forever and ever.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters were standing above the mountains.
At Your rebuke they fled,
At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.
The mountains rose; the valleys sank down
To the place which You established for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass over,
So that they will not return to cover the earth. (Psalm 104: 5-9, NASB)
The earth has significantly changed over geologic time with the continents diverging into the separate landmasses that they are today, and the oceans receding to their current boundaries. The writer uses the information available to them, probably including the story of Noah's great flood. One does not need to see this reference of “waters standing above the mountains” as the Noahic flood if one goes much further back into geologic time. The next phrase “the mountains rose; the valleys sank down” might refer to a much earlier geologic time before mountains began to rise to the heights they are today as the forces of tectonic plates continued to push mountains higher. Even today, those mountains continue to rise.
Mount Everest was formed after the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asian continent. Still today the Indian continent is moving downwards into the Asian continent, making all the Himalayas continue to grow.
Normally the Everest is still growing higher, at a rate of about 2.4 in/6.1cm per year. That's twice as fast as previously thought. A growth rate of 2.4 in/6.1cm per year doesn't sound like very much. But after another 100,00 years the Mount Everest will rise to its maximum high before collapsing upon itself.
https://www.quora.com/How-does-Mount-Everest-grow-per-year
Suppose one extrapolates back in time, over the many millions of years of geologic time, perhaps even billions of years. In that case, one could get to the place where the waters did cover those mountains. The psalm may be accurate, although the writer may have had something completely different in mind at the time of writing. Perhaps one day in eternity, we will ask the Lord about this.
The Supply of the Lord to His Creation (v. 10-23)
Scientists can only document the history of man back a few thousand years, less than 10,000. And yet the development of life on the earth took many, many millions of years. Scientists easily speak of millions of years as they describe the various eras of life on earth. God was over His Kingdom during that entire time and therefore was well aware of the needs of animals of all kinds during every geologic period. God provided an environment where all the animals could have what they needed. As humans began to inhabit the earth, the cycles continued to function. God provided the same provisions to us, even the “wine which makes man’s heart glad” (v. 15).
He sends forth springs in the valleys;
They flow between the mountains;
They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
They lift up their voices among the branches.
He waters the mountains from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.
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,
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.
The trees of the Lord drink their fill,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
Where the birds build their nests,
And the stork, whose home is the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the shephanim.
He made the moon for the seasons;
The sun knows the place of its setting.
You appoint darkness and it becomes night,
In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about.
The young lions roar after their prey
And seek their food from God.
When the sun rises they withdraw
And lie down in their dens.
Man goes forth to his work
And to his labor until evening. (Psalm 104: 10-23)
The Expression of Praise Upon Meditation (v. 24-35)
The writer then speaks directly to the Lord in praise, beginning in verse 24.
O Lord, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
The earth is full of Your possessions. (Psalm 104: 24)
From the perspective of the writer, even without all of the scientific information which is available to us today, the work of God in creation that the writer could see was overwhelming. There are many today who see the divine design in nature. They realize that God tuned the parameters necessary for life on earth so finely that the evidence suggests careful planning. Others would simply see the chance occurrence of evolution over long periods. But the writer of this psalm correctly sees that God carefully constructed His creation. Even the mighty creature, Leviathan, whatever that might have been (whales, perhaps?) was seen to have been created purposefully. (v. 26)
It is the activity of God which supplies the needs of the creation, according to the writer.
They all wait for You
To give them their food in due season.
You give to them, they gather it up;
You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
You hide Your face, they are dismayed;
You take away their spirit, they expire
And return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the ground. (Psalm 104: 27-30)
The author wants the work of God to impress us. If God did create the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), then that creative activity is glorious. To see the results of God's purposeful work in creation is overwhelming.
God continues to work in His creation. He looks at the earth, and it trembles (v. 32). The activity of God on earth continues. God did not complete His work, turn, and walk away. God is still involved with His creation, and where we are concerned, He is still personally involved with each person on earth, especially those who have chosen to be part of His family in Jesus.
Thus, the writer is filled with praise and responds to God,
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. (Psalm 104:33, NASB)
This meditation upon the creative acts of God causes admiration and awe. God is so great. There is none like Him. We are so foolish to ignore Him and even more foolish to turn our backs to the One who created the heavens and the earth and who expressly desires to have a relationship with us.
Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth
And let the wicked be no more. (Psalm 104: 34-35, NASB)
“Bless the Lord, O my soul.” This phrase began the psalm, and ends the psalm, just as Psalm 103 did. It is the call to self to acknowledge God's greatness and to seek to re-establish the place of God in our lives. As we reflect on God's creative activity, we would not want to be foolish and ignore His work, but rather, be wise and acknowledge not only His divine action and provision but also His lordship. He is the King of His kingdom. As the King, He invites us to participate with Him in that Kingdom, not only now but also to eternity.
Praise the Lord! [Hallelujah! ] (Psalm 104: 35)
The final expression of the psalm is the call to praise God. We join with the psalm writer to acknowledge that the appropriate response to God's work is to worship. We participate with all the saints of the ages in lifting our voice and singing, “Hallelujah”!