M-W-F Bible study: Psalm 104

Happy Friday!

I just want to say that our friend, who had the heart attack and stents implanted, is doing well. His cardiologist said that it takes about 3 weeks for the heart to adapt to the stents, and he's 2 weeks since the implants. This has been a nerve-wracking experience for their whole family.

You know, when the world seems to be running off-course in our lives, we can still do as the Psalmist, and find the majestical handiwork of God's creation as the source of our praise for Him. My friend, had to find thanks in her heart, through the darkest moments of these past weeks. When she thought she might lose her husband, she still found it in her heart to praise Him. We never know how we will do under pressure like that, until it happens to us. May God give us all the grace we need to weather life's worst storms.

Have a very blessed weekend,
Lili


Psalm 104

1Praise the LORD, I tell myself; O LORD my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and with majesty;2you are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;3you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariots; you ride upon the wings of the wind.4The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.5You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.6You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains.7At the sound of your rebuke, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it fled away.8Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed.9Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.10You make the springs pour water into ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains.11They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.12The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees.13You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.14You cause grass to grow for the cattle. You cause plants to grow for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth --15wine to make them glad, olive oil as lotion for their skin, and bread to give them strength.16The trees of the LORD are well cared for -- the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.17There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the firs.18High in the mountains are pastures for the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for rock badgers.19You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun that knows when to set.20You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about.21Then the young lions roar for their food, but they are dependent on God.22At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest.23Then people go off to their work; they labor until the evening shadows fall again.24O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.25Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both great and small.26See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.27Every one of these depends on you to give them their food as they need it.28When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied.29But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust.30When you send your Spirit, new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth.31May the glory of the LORD last forever! The LORD rejoices in all he has made!32The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains burst into flame at his touch.33I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!34May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him, for I rejoice in the LORD.35Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever. As for me -- I will praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!


(the following is from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary -- www.christnotes.org)

"Chapter Contents

God's majesty in the heavens, The creation of the sea, and the dry land. (1-9) His provision for all creatures. (10-18) The regular course of day and night, and God's sovereign power over all the creatures. (19-30) A resolution to continue praising God. (31-35)

Commentary on 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

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

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.

Commentary on Psalm 104:31-35

Man's glory is fading; God's glory is everlasting: creatures change, but with the Creator there is no variableness. And if mediation on the glories of creation be so sweet to the soul, what greater glory appears to the enlightened mind, when contemplating the great work of redemption! There alone can a sinner perceive ground of confidence and joy in God. While he with pleasure upholds all, governs all, and rejoices in all his works, let our souls, touched by his grace, meditate on and praise him."