Creation Leads to Creator ~ Bob Caldwell

Creation Leads to CreatorPsalm 104:1-35 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions— God's creative genius and beauty has captivated the human race throughout the ages. Its obvious grandeur has drawn an awed response from us all. And many have been so awestruck by nature's glory that they worship it as if it were itself God. From ancient times to this present hour, many attribute deity to the sun, moon, stars, or the things that make up our world. Those who have given their lives to study creation cannot help but be captivated by its amazing design. In everything from the smallest aspect of matter, unseen by the unaided eye, to the countless details that make a human body, we discover a design. Nothing is ultimately just a random mess. Yet, in spite of the obvious, most will worship the "mystery" of creation and deny it was created by something greater than creation itself. Not able to deny what is physically in front of us, many attribute an infinite wisdom, knowledge, and power to created things. Although they yield no evidence that matter can neither create itself out of nothing nor establish within itself a design that is capable of producing all we observe in creation. Down through the centuries, however, there have been those who are not afraid to let our God-given capacity for reason and logic bring themselves to God. There must be a glory in God beyond the glory of what is created. The observation of the detail, balance, and interdependency of Earth and all that lives upon it tells us of an all-wise and knowing Creator who has written "eternity" within our hearts, hearts that yield to the force that enables us to discover God in whose image we are made. It is there that our hearts find the One who is before all things and in whom and by whom all things exist. There, in God, our soul finds what it ultimately thirsts for. For those who do not end their quest to see the glory of creation until they find its Creator find the greatest treasure of all. They find love, love from Him who created us in His image as the crowning jewel of creation. In Him we discover what nothing else in all of creation can fully satisfy.
Psalm 104:1-35 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!
Psalm 104:1-35 v. 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! – See the study note to Psalm 103. This phrase begins a "Hallelujah Chorus" of praise to God that includes a panorama of the entirety of creation. You are clothed with honor and majesty – The image is of a king clothed in grand and majestic royal robes. v. 2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment – Picking up the metaphor from v. 1, the poet declares that the robes God is wrapped are light itself,the most fundamental element of creation. curtain – a tent v. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters – Above the vault of the sky, on the "upper waters" (Gen. 1:6-8), God builds his "upper chambers." Who makes the clouds His chariot – The picture of God as the mighty warrior who rides the clouds is a familiar one in the psalms (Psalm 18:10-12, 68:4). Israel consciously picked up the image and turned it against the Canaanite myth of Baal riding the clouds. walks – better translated, rides v. 4 – See comments on angels in study notes to Psalm 103. v. 5 foundations – a solid base. This verse begins a review of the creation and flood accounts from Genesis. v. 6 You covered it with the deep – Probably referring primarily to creation in Genesis 1, where God commands the primordial waters to recede, exposing the dry land and the possibility of life as we know it. v. 7 At Your rebuke – a divine command the voice of Your thunder – God is the true Thunder (in contrast to Baal of the Canaanites; Psalm 29:3-4). v. 8 to the place which You founded for them – The waters, wild and raging as they might be, must go to the place where God intends them to be. v. 9 set a boundary – Compare this with Genesis 9:8. v. 10 He sends the springs into the valleys – God commands the waters to provide life and sustenance for the animals and birds. v. 11 the wild donkeys – Wild donkeys are proverbially difficult to tame (Job 39:5-8). v. 12 By them – or, "above them." Refers to either the waters (the birds have their home near the water sources) or the animals (the birds live their lives out "above" the animals, in the sky). v. 13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers – The "waters above" (the rain) come from God's heavenly storehouse; they correspond to the lower waters from the springs. the fruit of Your works – All of life is the product of God's activity (see following verses). v. 14 He causes the grass to grow…and vegetation – God causes (literally translated, makes) creation to be fruitful. for the service of man – The Bible places created reality at the service of human beings. v. 15 wine…oil…bread – The classic staples of the Middle Eastern diet. v. 16 the cedars of Lebanon – huge trees growing on the slopes of the Lebanese mountains v. 17 stork…wild goats…rock badgers – a snapshot of the bird and animal world v. 19 the moon…the sun…darkness…night – The moon and the sun were viewed as "gods" by the Canaanite culture surrounding Israel. The psalmist makes clear that these are just instruments of God to control the cycle of the day and the seasons. v. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God – Even the wildest of the predators are dependent upon God to provide for them. v. 23 labor – The Bible does not view work as a necessary evil or as a punishment for human sin; rather, it is part of the commission God gave us to care for our world (Gen. 1:26-31). v. 24 manifold – many In wisdom You have made them all – See Proverbs 8:22-31. Your possessions – or riches. This leads into a review of the wonders of creation that God "owns" by His right as the Maker. v. 25 This great and wide sea – The sea is no longer a fearful place, but God's "zoo." v. 26 Leviathan – Even the monster of the deep, perhaps a whale, is reduced to God's plaything. v. 27 These all wait for You – Literally translated, "look to You" (dependent upon God for life) v. 28 You open Your hand, they are filled with good – The biblical message consistently affirms that the things of creation are good. v. 29 troubled – terrified, or panicked You take away their breath – ruach (Heb.) the same word as for spirit and wind. God's breath brings life to all things living. v. 30 You send forth Your Spirit – Notice the word play between verses 29 and 30, turning upon the Hebrew word (ruach) for both "breath" and "spirit." they are created – From earliest times, the people of God have recognized that God's Spirit is the true source of creation/creativity. You renew the face of the earth – And God's Spirit is also the source of all "renewal" of life. v. 31 may the LORD rejoice in His works – This verse begins the concluding part of the hymn, praising God. The amazing reality is that we can bring "joy" to God's heart! v. 33 while I have my being – as long as I exist v. 34 my meditation – this praise hymn v. 35 be consumed – vanish or disappear Bless the Lord, O my soul! – The psalm ends with the same phrase with which it began, as the poet "calls" to his own innermost being to worship God.
"O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions" –Psalm 104:24 We cry out with joy and marvel at Your creation, Lord. Although the Earth is in a fallen state and does not work the way You intended, it is still a wonderful, amazing, and wondrous place. May we stop today, Jesus, and take the time to appreciate what You have done. We praise You for the beauty that You have created, and we praise You for giving us minds that can appreciate it!
Engage Truth With new students attending BSU, and the surrounding campuses, there are more opportunities for Engage Truth to reach out. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for this school year. Prayer Points that God would give wisdom as to how we can best reach out and minister to them effectively. that God would strengthen Christians on campus and reveal Himself to those who have yet to accept Him.