Looking through most hymnals, we can find several hymns that give praise to God for His creation. One that comes immediately to mind is All Creatures of Our God and King, written by St. Francis of Assisi. Another would be I Sing the Mighty Power of God by the great 18th century hymn writer Isaac Watts. And then there is the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful. Each of these hymns, and many others, extol God in various words for His creation. The Book of Psalms has often been called the Bible’s hymnal, and in it we find some psalms, or songs if you may, that praise God for creation. Our psalm today, Psalm 104, is a good example.
As we look closely at our psalm, we can see that it follows the days of creation, which we find in the first chapter of Genesis. Let’s follow along as we look through the psalm. In our opening verse 1, the psalmist calls on us to bless and praise God. We praise Him because He is the Creator, and is greater than His creation. Therefore the Creator is to be worshiped, not the creation, which the pagans do. On the first day of creation, God created light (Genesis 1:1-5), and we see in verse two of our psalm, that God covers Himself with light. This is not light that emanates from any star, but is light of His own creation.
Day two of creation (Genesis 1:6-8), is shown in verses 2-3. On that day, God made the heavens (not to be confused with the Heaven of God’s abode), and also waters. Day three of creation (Genesis 1:9-13) is when land and vegetation were created, and is shown in verses 5-18. Our psalmist praises God for water. He describes how the earth is built on God’s foundation (vs. 5). It can never be moved by anyone other than God, which should give us some comfort and peace of mind. One day God will create a new heaven and new earth that will last forever, but until then, this earth will stand. The same power that undergirds the world also provides a firm foundation for us believers. As we read in these verses, we see that God appointed the waters certain places and dry land certain places. When we are at the beach, we see that the ocean has a spot where it stops, and the dry land begins. That is at God’s command. The waters of creation provide sustenance for both animal and plant life, and then plant life provides food for all creatures.
Day four of creation (Genesis 1:14-19) tells of the creation of the sun, moon and stars, and our psalm speaks of that in verses 19-23. The Lord God has regulated the heavenly bodies to keep their time. As we see, these were created by God, and as a creation, should not be worshiped, nor do they have any power over our lives. Day five of creation (Genesis 1:20-23) speaks of the creation of fish and birds, which we see in verses 25-26. The psalmist mentions a creation called leviathan. The leviathan was a type of giant sea creature, possibly a giant whale or the giant squid, or some other giant sea creature that is now extinct.
The sixth and final day of creation (Genesis 1:24-31) is when animals and man were created, and is spoken of in verses 21-24 and 27-30 of our psalm. All of creation, whatever it may be, is totally dependent upon God for sustenance regarding daily life and living. God even knows and regulates the time of our death, and that of every other creature (vs. 29). Our every breath depends on the spirit He has breathed into us.
We also see mention of angels in this psalm, a different type of created being (vs. 4). Some people, including some Christians, have an almost worshipful feeling towards angels. However God is supreme over angels, as He is also their Creator and they are a created being. They are His servants, and we should not worship them.
God upholds this planet and all of His creation by His Spirit (vs. 30). The Spirit of God who moved upon the face of the waters at the very dawn of creation (Genesis 1:2), continues to move in order to insure God’s creation.
Our psalmist invites us to sing and meditate on the Lord’s wonderful works (vs. 33-34). Doing so is a cure for fear, worry, and anxiety. In closing, we are reminded that one day sin and sinful people will be abolished from the earth (vs. 35). On that day the curse, which came so quickly after creation, will be reversed.
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