The LORD Is the Great Creator and Sustainer

104:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are magnificent. You are robed in splendor and majesty. 104:2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment. He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain, 104:3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds. He makes the clouds his chariot, and travels along on the wings of the wind. 104:4 He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant. 104:5 He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be upended. 104:6 The watery deep covered it like a garment; the waters reached above the mountains. 104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat; at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off – 104:8 as the mountains rose up, and the valleys went down – to the place you appointed for them. 104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross, so that they would not cover the earth again. 104:10 He turns springs into streams; they flow between the mountains. 104:11 They provide water for all the animals in the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 104:12 The birds of the sky live beside them; they chirp among the bushes. 104:13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace; the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow. 104:14 He provides grass for the cattle, and crops for people to cultivate, so they can produce food from the ground, 104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good, and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, as well as food that sustains people’s lives. 104:16 The trees of the Lord receive all the rain they need, the cedars of Lebanon which he planted, 104:17 where the birds make nests, near the evergreens in which the herons live. 104:18 The wild goats live in the high mountains; the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs. 104:19 He made the moon to mark the months, and the sun sets according to a regular schedule. 104:20 You make it dark and night comes, during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around. 104:21 The lions roar for prey, seeking their food from God. 104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw and sleep in their dens. 104:23 Men then go out to do their work, and labor away until evening. 104:24 How many living things you have made, O Lord! You have exhibited great skill in making all of them; the earth is full of the living things you have made. 104:25 Over here is the deep, wide sea, which teems with innumerable swimming creatures, living things both small and large. 104:26 The ships travel there, and over here swims the whale you made to play in it. 104:27 All of your creatures wait for you to provide them with food on a regular basis. 104:28 You give food to them and they receive it; you open your hand and they are filled with food. 104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. When you take away their life’s breath, they die and return to dust. 104:30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created, and you replenish the surface of the ground. 104:31 May the splendor of the Lord endure! May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made! 104:32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes; he touches the mountains and they start to smolder. 104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist! 104:34 May my thoughts be pleasing to him! I will rejoice in the Lord. 104:35 May sinners disappear from the earth, and the wicked vanish! Praise the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord! Psalm 105

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 104 praises the LORD as the majestic King over all creation. He made the heavens and the earth, gives water, food, breath, and order to every living thing, and rules over day, night, land, sea, and human work. The right response is whole-hearted praise, thankfulness, and a life that pleases him.

This psalm is a hymn of praise. It begins and ends with worship. The psalmist looks at the world and sees the LORD’s greatness everywhere.

The LORD is clothed with splendor and majesty. The psalm speaks in poetic language. It pictures him as robed in light and ruling over the skies, clouds, wind, and fire. These are not bodily descriptions. They are worshipful images that show his power and glory.

God also gave the earth its place and set limits for the waters. The deep once covered the land, but the LORD commanded the waters to retreat. He fixed their boundary so they would not return to cover the earth. This shows that creation is stable because God holds it in order.

Then the psalm turns to God’s provision. Springs, streams, rain, grass, crops, wine, oil, trees, birds, and mountain animals all receive what they need from his hand. The point is clear: life is not self-sustaining. God continually provides for what he has made.

The psalm also shows the order of day and night. The moon marks times, the sun follows its course, night belongs to the wild beasts, and day belongs to human labor. Even daily work is part of God’s ordered world.

The sea is full of living creatures. The psalm marvels at their number and variety. All creatures wait for God to feed them. If he withdraws their breath, they die and return to dust. If he sends his life-giving breath, they are created again. Life exists by his will and sustaining power.

The psalm ends with the writer’s personal vow. He will sing to the LORD as long as he lives. He wants his thoughts to please God. He rejoices in the LORD. The final wish that sinners and the wicked would vanish reflects the psalm’s moral vision. God’s world is good, and wickedness does not belong in it.

• The LORD alone is the Creator and King over all creation.
• God is majestic, powerful, and full of splendor.
• The world is stable because God established it and set limits for the waters.
• God continually provides water, food, breath, and life for every creature.
• Human work, animal life, weather, and seasons all remain under God’s rule.
• The psalm responds to God’s goodness with praise, joy, and a desire to please him.
• The final wish against the wicked shows that God’s world is morally ordered and not indifferent to sin.

• Praise the LORD with your whole soul.
• Remember that God provides what all creatures need.
• Do not think the world sustains itself apart from God.
• Let your thoughts be pleasing to the LORD.
• Rejoice in the LORD.
• Do not treat the closing wish against the wicked as a call for private revenge.

This psalm belongs to the theme of creation and providence. It echoes Genesis 1 by showing God ordering the waters, the land, the skies, and living creatures. In the larger Bible story, it reminds God’s people that the same LORD who created all things also rules history and gives life. Later Scripture builds on this foundation when it speaks of God’s ongoing care for the world and of the Son through whom all things were made.

Believers should thank God for ordinary gifts: rain, food, work, seasons, and breath. This psalm calls for humility, trust, and daily praise. It also teaches that worship and daily labor both happen before the face of God. Since the world is his, we should live in it as thankful servants, not as if we own it.

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