Psalm 104

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!

Though the Hebrew text of this psalm has no heading, its likely attribution to David is suggested by (1) its close thematic and phraseological parallels to the previous (explicitly Davidic) psalm, with which it may well have been recited “as a piece” (hence the omission of a heading), and (2) the ascription of this psalm to David in early Jewish tradition. — Wechsler, page 247.

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Just as in the previous psalm, so too here the psalmist begins — and concludes in verse 35 — with the exhortation, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, thus signaling at the outset that the theme of the present psalm is intended to complement that of the previous one; specifically: whereas the previous psalm affirmed the blessing due to God for the benefits to man inherent in His direct dealings with man, the present psalm affirms the blessing due to God for the benefits to man inherent in His creation of the world, man’s home. In this first section, accordingly, the psalmist reviews the scope of those benefits, emphasizing first the awe-inspiring power that went into the world’s creation (vs.1-13) and then remarking specifically on the positive relevance to man of the finished product (vs.14-30) — e.g.: “cattle (v.14, referring to a category of animal created specifically for man’s use, “vegetation for the labor of man, “wine which makes man’s heart glad” (v.15), “the moon for the seasons” (v.19, referring to the regular observance of Israel’s redemption-focused “appointed times,” and “the sea … [where] ships move along” (vs. 25-26). — Wechsler, pages 247-248.

ministers (v.4) — angels

The benefits accruing the the world, man’s home, are unending — specifically, as cyclical and repeating, continually renewed by God (as opposed to being portrayed as self-renewing)—hence reinforcing the notion of God’s direct involvement in providing benefits to man (as opposed to simply “winding up” the world and letting it run through its cyclical patters; cf. also Colossians 1:17). Thus, with regard to the world’s animals: God sustains their lives (v.17: “You give them their food”), takes away their breath, and creates them again; and so too with regard to the world’s vegetation” “Thous dost renew the face of the ground” (v.30b, which latter phrase refers specifically to the vegetation witch is on the face of the ground). — Wechsler, page 248.

leviathan (v.26) — Some commentaries try to make this into a crocodile, others into a whale. The literal meaning is “dragon.” I think it could be whale, or maybe a reference to a type of dinosaur, or maybe just a general term for large sea creatures. I don’t agree with one my commentaries that claims it’s a mythological beast, as that would be out of place in a psalm on God’s creation.

The purpose of God’s benefits to man as mediated through the world are, of course, one and the same as the purpose of those benefits accruing from His direct dealings with man—to wit: the glorification of God (v.31). This glorification is achieved both through the praise and worship of those who love God and truly “know” Him as well as through His just judgment of sinners and removal of the wicked from His presence forever. The psalm closes with the well-known exhortation to praise “Halleluyah” (“Praise the Lord”), which occurs only in Psalms, and here for the first time—introducing the melodious “bridge,” of which the volume is steadily increased by the repetition of the same phrase at the end of the next two psalms (the last in Book Four) into the grand culminating theme of the Fifth and final Book of Psalms. — Wechsler, pages 248-249.

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Light here appears as in Genesis 1, as the first attribute and evidence of the Creator (v.2). “Curtain” means tabernacle. The word occurs fifty-three times in the Bible, Of these, forty-seven relate to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. The heavens are presented scientifically in v.2 as a vast tent curtaining from view the angelic hosts and their glorious Creator. The higher heavens (“His chambers” vs.3 and 13), the atmosphere (the deep, v.6), the waters, the clouds and the winds picture the wondrous envelope within which the the World that then was existed.

The apparition of the solid earth (vs.5-9), the provision of streams of water for the living creatures (vs.10-13, and of vegetable food (vs.14-18), couple with shelter (vs.16-18), form the subject matter of the second stanza of the Psalm. His appointment of the Sun and Moon for times and seasons, and His providence toward the earth and its living creatures, including man, is celebrated in the third stanza (vs.9-24).

the seas and their inhabitants are sung of in the fourth stanza (vs.25-30). These creatures also depend for breath and food upon the wisdom, the power and the benevolence of their mighty Creator. …

Earthquakes and volcanoes, so full of terror to man, are wholly subject to God (v.32).

The word Hallelujah first occurs here in the Bible (v.35). It is connected, not with the salvation, but with the destruction of men. Verse 35 is a prediction and a prayer. Both are expressed in the form of the Hebrew verb, which reads: “Sinners shall be consumed out of the earth,” and, “let sinners be consumed out of the earth.” The language of the New Testament is similar, for Matthew 13:41-42; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; and 1 Corinthians 16:22, together with many passages in the Revelation, are predictions and prayers fore-telling and approving the destruction of the wicked. — Williams, page 379.

I like Wechsler’s point that God is actively involved in His creation. He created laws that regulate nature, but He didn’t then walk away. He is actively keeping it inhabitable for man’s benefit (see also Colossians 1:17). This puts the lie to the political claim that the planet with be destroyed if we don’t submit to control by those in power. Yes, we should behave responsibly and not abuse God’s creation—no, it’s not going to be destroyed by anything humanity does.