Psalm 104

Amen and amen to the love of God made manifest in a small babe wrapped in swaddling clothes…all God, all man, the Word of God made flesh! 

May all of creation rejoice in His gift to this world that He so loves. 

Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world.

Psalm 104, a wisdom psalm, is also a creation psalm. It is an exuberant poetic recasting of Genesis 1, a joyful celebration of the world as the creation of God. The poetry of the psalmists and the prophets often reflects upon God’s work in creation. The structure of the poem is: (1) praise for God’s great creation (2) the creation of the heavens (3) the creation of the earth (4) the waters of blessing (5) the fullness of the earth (6) the patterns of life (7) praise for God’s great creation (8) an acknowledgment that all life is dependent upon the Lord (9) a prayer for God’s glory (10) a personal response to God. NKJ Bible.

PSALM 104

Praise to the Sovereign Lord For His Creation and Providence

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, You are very great:

You are clothed with honor and majesty,

2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,

Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,

Who makes the clouds His chariot,

Who walks on the wings of the wind,

4 Who makes His angels spirits,

His ministers a flame of fire.

5 You who laid the foundations of the earth,

So that it should not be moved forever,

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

The waters stood above the mountains.

7 At Your rebuke they fled;

At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.

8 They went up over the mountains;

They went down into the valleys,

To the place which You founded for them.

9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,

That they may not return to cover the earth.

10 He sends the springs into the valleys;

They flow among the hills.

11 They give drink to every beast of the field;

The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home;

They sing among the branches.

13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers;

The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,

And vegetation for the service of man,

That he may bring forth food from the earth,

15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man,

Oil to make his face shine,

And bread which strengthens man’s heart.

16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap,

The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

17 Where the birds make their nests;

The stork has her home in the fir trees.

18 The high hills are for the wild goats;

The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons;

The sun knows its going down.

20 You make darkness, and it is night,

In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.

21 The young lions roar after their prey,

And seek their food from God.

22 When the sun rises, they gather together

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 You have made them all.

The earth is full of Your possessions—

25 This great and wide sea,

In which are innumerable teeming things,

Living things both small and great.

26 There the ships sail about;

There is that Leviathan 

Which You have made to play there.

27 These all wait for You,

That You may give them their food in due season.

28 What You give them they gather in;

You open Your hand, they are filled with good.

29 You hide Your face, they are troubled;

You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;

And You renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

May the Lord rejoice in His works.

32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles;

He touches the hills, 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 my being.

34 May my meditation be sweet to Him;

I will be glad in the Lord.

35 May sinners be consumed from the earth,

And the wicked be no more.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Praise the Lord!