Psalm 104: Yahweh provides for His Creation and Creatures

The author of this psalm is unknown. This psalm is classified as a Hymn that is a descriptive psalm of praise. The author may have been correcting an ancient Egyptian poem written to worship the sun. If so, he surely displays that the suns maker, Yahweh, is the one to be worshiped rather than His creation. At the very least he had Genesis chapter 1 firmly in his mind as he wrote this psalm. Derek Kidner notes the Creation week of Genesis chapter 1 showing up in this hymn in an orderly way. William Kethe’s, “My Soul, Praise the Lord” and Robert Grant’s “O Worship the King” are based on this psalm.

Days Genesis 1 verses Psalm 104 verses             Subjects

Day 1     3–5                        2a                 light

Day 2     6–8                        2b–4                         atmosphere and water vapor canopy 

Day 3     9–10, 11–13        5–9, 10–13,14–18 land and water distinct; vegetation, trees

Day 4     14–19                        19–24                 luminaries as timekeepers

Day 5     20–23                        25–26                 creatures of sea and air

Day 6     24–28, 29–31        21–24, 29–30         animals and man, food appointed for all

I. The praise of God’s majestic splendor in creation of the earth and sky (vs. 1–4)

    A. I will praise Yahweh with my whole being

    B. God’s creative acts declare His glory and give us a lot for which to praise Him

    C. God is active yet separate from creation. This refutes both deism and pantheism 

    D. God is light, dwells in light, created natural light first, and light is vital to all life

    E. God set up the atmosphere on earth for life and His manifold creation

    F. God is in control of the wind, rain, and lightening

                                                                Hymn

O worship the King, all glorious above, O tell of God's might, O sing of God's grace,           O gratefully sing God's power & God's love; whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,          our Shield & Defender, the Ancient of Days,  whose chariots of wrath - deep thunderclouds form;  pavilioned in splendor & girded with praise.      & dark is God's path on - wings of the storm.

II. The divine formation of the land and the seas (vs. 5–9)

    A. On day 3 the water that covered the mountains and valleys was assigned to the oceans

    B. The dry land had already been formed, it was now visible from the sky

    C. God’s covenant promise to Noah and mankind is the earth will never be flooded again

    D. The poetic language for the earth’s rotation and spot in the solar system is used here

The earth with its store of wonders untold, 

Almighty, thy power hath founded of old; 

hath stablished it fast by a changeless decree, 

and round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

III. The divine creation and preservation of land bound life on earth (vs. 10–18)

      A. God is the source and sustainer of life through streams, rain, and snow

      B. Man and many animals require O2 and H2O to survive

      C. All the plants and animals are in the service of man, made in God’s image

      D. God also provides food and medicine for all His creatures

      E. Man’s purpose is not to work, but to glorify God by his work

      F. Even the trees, birds, ibex and rock badgers get what they need from God’s created order

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light; 

it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, 

and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

IV. The divine order and design in God’s created universe (vs. 19–23) **

      A. The ancients all went by a lunar calendar which marked the four seasons

      B. The moon has 29.5 days for each cycle, but visible there are 28 different moon phases

      C. There are 7 visible planets: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn

      D. God has put His order in creation, the lunar calendar gave a point of reference of time

      E. Daylight and night are additional boundaries set by God

V.  The divine wisdom in creation and usefulness of the oceans of the earth (vs. 24–26)

      A. The natural world reveals God’s creativity and awesome wisdom

      B. The sea reveals many amazing creatures at every depth

      C. Even the amphibious dinosaurs reveal God’s great power

VI. The divine sovereignty in creation and recreation on the earth (vs. 27–30)

      A. Yahweh provides what both man and animals need to survive

      B. Yahweh sets the time for births and deaths

      C. God life giving Spirit gives life and breath and new life

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, 

in thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail; 

thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end, 

our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

VII. The praise of God’s royal glory, awesome power, and holiness (vs. 31–35)

        A. All of life is about the glory of God, this world displays His glory

        B. God is powerful and holy; thus, He hates sin and His people hate sin

Lessons to live by:

• The triune Godhead created the universe; however, the Eternal Son of God was the primary agent of creation

• Paul says of Jesus: "because in connection with Him were created all things - in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, lordships, rulers or authorities - they have all been created through Him and for Him. He existed before all things, and He holds everything together." (Col 1:16–17 CJB)

• We can do nothing greater in our lives than bringing God glory. This is the main thing.

Psalm 92: A Sabbath Song of Worship to the LORD

The author of this Psalm is not known. Psalm 92 is an individual song of thanksgiving used in corporate worship on the Sabbath day. The Jews gathered for worship (Lev 23:3), a holy assembly, as well as resting on this day. This day was intended to be a delight rather than a burden, but those who were consumed with themselves rather than the living God disliked the Sabbath (Amos 8:5; Isa 58:13–14). While the priests were offering the morning and evening sacrifices, the Levitical singers lead the people in song by musical instruments (Exod 29:39–41).

   I. Worshiping Yahweh (the LORD) with music (vs. 1–3)

      A. Praising God is good because He loves us and thus it pleases Him

      B. Praising God is good because it encourages and liberates us

      C. Praise is a grateful vocal response to the acts of God 

      D. The LORD’s covenant Love (hesed) and faithfulness, 24/7

      E. The most high God’s name is Yahweh (the LORD) is to be praised in music

      F. The are using instruments in praising God’s name

      G. The music had a message, it “proclaimed” the LORD’s attributes

      H. No matter what the style of music, if the message is wrong about God, it is not                acceptable worship. Content is King in worship!

 II. A song of thanksgiving (vs. 4–15)

      A. The LORD’s actions are to be praised by His people (vs. 4–5)

            1. Praising God for Who He is, transforms into:

            2. Thanking the LORD for what He has done—mighty acts of deliverance

            3. The Bible is redemptive history, it tells His Story

            4. Praising God in corporate worship bring the believer joy

      B. The fool does not understand redemptive history (vs. 6–8) 

           1. A human who cannot think and analyze God’s powerful redemption is like a bull

           2. When your thoughts are all about you, you ignore the shortness of life and the coming                 judgment by a powerful and sovereign God

           3. The wicked are temporary in their pleasure and power like grass in the desert heat

           4. Their judgment is an everlasting judgment

           5. In contrast God is exalted forever, not just for a short while like the wicked fool

           6. The LORD rules and judges, He is a sovereign king

      C. The Sovereign LORD judges the wicked while exalting His people (vs. 9–11)

           1. The wicked enter judgment and find themselves alone

           2. Yahweh vindicates His people while He punishes their enemies

           3. He will raise the heads of His people and give them authority (horn= symbol of power)                while at the same time consecrating them again for holy service (olive oil, 1st pressing)

           4. Like on judgment day, the righteous see the defeat of those God calls wicked

           5. When God is done, there will be no opposition to His sovereignty

           6. God’s intervention and justice is a vital part of our hope when persecuted

           7. Our hope includes the total elimination of all evil from earth to the lake of fire in the                     future

      D. The wicked are temporary like weeds, but not the righteous (vs. 12–14)

           1. Believers and repenters are like beautiful palm trees

           2. We are like the tall cedar trees that used to grow in Lebanon

           3. Both trees show strength, beauty, and continual durability

           4. We will be placed very close to the LORD our God (house, courts)

           5. We will continue to have meaningful service, purpose, and dignity in our old age on                  earth and in heaven (blessed and valuable)

      E. Exalting Yahweh for His character (vs. 15)

           1. We proclaim in song that God is holy, righteous, just, right

           2. We proclaim in song that we are dependent on God who sustains us

           3. A rock provides stability and daily provision (water out of the rock)

The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. (Deut 32:4 NASB)

           4. God is unlike man, who is born wicked. There is no wickedness in God

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  (1 John 1:5-7 NASB)

Lessons to live by:

• Singing good theology to God and thanking Him and praising Him with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is important. 

• The most important thing about what we sing is what it says about God, not the style which is a matter of taste that changes over time

• God ordained that instruments be used in His worship

• If we oppose the sovereignty of God, we are aligning ourselves with the wrong side

• God is holy. All of the biblical attributes are true of God, and no attribute is greater than the others. They complement each other. God’s love is holy, and God’s holiness is loving, His justice is holy, and His holiness is just

• Praising God for who He is can shift into thanking Him for His redeeming acts in such a seamless way that the one appears to be part of the other

Psalm 77: A Remembrance of God’s Greatness after Struggling with Faith

This psalm is technically an individual lament, but it moves from lament (1–9) to emotional reflection (10–12) to joyfully celebrating the greatness of the God of Israel (13–20). At the heart of this psalm is a man in a great trial questioning what God’s chastisement feels like—abandonment. Jesus understands this sensation during His last three hours on the cross more than any other human. This psalmist it brutally honest, we don’t sense God’s gracious closeness during our chastisements until we repent. Sin keeps us from God and God from us. This is how the Jews felt during the locust plaque, the Assyrian deportation of Samaria, and during the Babylonian siege and exile. Not everyone has experienced this depth of pain, so some may be shocked by faith’s struggle in prayer. VanGemeren outlines it as follows:

A. Cry for Help (vs. 1–2)

                 B. Remembrance of God in Hymns of the Night (vs. 3–6)

                      C. Questions (vs. 7–9)

                 B`. Remembrance of God’s Mighty Deeds (vs. 10–12)

A`. Confidence in God’s Help (vs. 13–20)

  I. A cry for help during a time of distress (vs. 1–3)

     A. He is calling to God in prayer, but does not see the answer

     B. This prayer is persistent and fervent, day and night

     C. When the suffering one's thoughts turn to the sovereign God who could stop his pain, he    becomes even more upset

II. Memories and fears makes the nighttime painful (vs. 4–6)

    A. He cannot sleep, talk, or even pray clearly in his current distress

    B. His mind is going wide-open as he remembers how good things once were

III. Questions for God during a time of chastisement (vs. 7–9)

      A. How long will God’s rejection continue? (national idolatry, unrepentance)

      B. Has Israel blown it, so that she can never receive God’s favor again? (No)

      C. Has God’s covenant love for Israel ended now? (No)

      D. Has God ended His promises to Israel or withdrawn them because of their                         rebellion and sin? (No)

      E. Has the omniscient and gracious One forgotten how to be himself? (No)

      F. Has God’s wrath against sin forever ended His love and mercy for His people? (No)

IV. Memories and faith based on the Word of God and His faithfulness (vs. 10–12)

     A. The psalmist may be appealing to the years of blessing at the right hand of God Most High         to prop up his shaky faith

     B. Or he could be saying, this my affliction, has been sent to me by God, thus, I must bear it,         even though I desire instant relief

     C. Or he could be saying, God at one time was blessing us, but now He is bringing on us the     curse

     D. When we are distant from God, who moved? Who sinned? Who delayed repentance?

     E. He redirects his thoughts from the current trial to the past mighty acts of God

     F. Creation, Flood, Tower of Babel, selection of Abraham, preservation of the Jews, the         redemption of the Jews

     G. There is no God like Yahveh, none of the false gods measure up, even the legends of the         false gods show that they are evil rather than holy, like the God of the Bible

 V. The Holy God of Israel who redeemed her from Egypt is worthy of our trust (vs. 13–15)

      A. God has given the Jews signs, and shown His power throughout the earth

      B. The song in Exodus 15 is coming out in the last two sections

      C. The Jews redemption from Egypt is grounds for future faith during trials

      D. Jacob and Joseph are special references to the people in slavery

      E. God’s power makes the difference

VI. The Holy God of Israel shows up in power over man and nature (vs. 16–20)

     A. The red sea was split open by God’s power

     B. The path that delivered the Jews drowned the Egyptians

     C. The whirlwind may have a double meaning, the chariot wheels, and/or nature are all under     God’s sovereignty

      D. The language of a special appearance of God, a theophany 

      E. The Israelites were led to safety by Moses and Aaron

      F. God triumphed over all the false gods of Egypt

      H. The Word of God brings hope, truth, light, and strengthens faith

Lessons to live by:

• Why does God allow the pre-written consequence of sin to happen to those who belong to Him? He must do so to be true to His nature. The better question is, “Why do we go ahead and sin when God has warned us of the severe consequences of rebellion and sin?”

• God does not lack the power to deliver. His goals and His timing are not ours, so we struggle watching His plan unfold

• Nature and History are under God’s control

• Anger at God when we sin is not the right response—repentance, returning, restoration is God’s call to us. A holy God will not ignore our sin

• Can God set aside His promises? No, He will always be faithful. He has a future place for ethnic Israel. The Jews are still in the plan of God

• We as the new covenant people of God will not be cast off either, even though we too must go through many trials and afflictions