Chapter 104 begins with a description of heaven. God is clothed with majesty and has spread heaven out like a tent. The clouds are his chariot, and he travels on the wings of the wind. Then from his palace, he created the earth. He laid the foundations of the earth (v5). Through his power, he chased the wild ocean waters into place. Thinking of all the waters in the world, all their power and strength to carve and create, God's power is more than impressive as he controlled those waters. And if we see the beauty of the world God created, imagine what the heaven he created much look like!
Charles Spurgeon has said about Psalm 104 “The Psalm gives an interpretation to the many voices of nature, and sings sweetly both of creation and providence. The poem contains a complete cosmos: sea and land, cloud and sunlight, plant and animal, light and darkness, life and death, are all proved to be expressive of the presence of the Lord.”
He raised grass for the cattle, plants for the beasts, food from the earth, and wine to gladden our hearts. He made a healthy nature for the animals. He gave the moon its job to control the seasons, and the sun to bring light. He has made the world full of creatures. It is beautiful imagery in Psalm 104 to further paint the portrait from Genesis.
Psalm 104:26 Here ships ply their course; here Leviathan, your creature, plays.
This verse's explanation in my Bible caught my attention. The notes for this verse state: a sea monster symbolizing primeval chaos. God does not destroy chaos, but makes it part of created order. Leviathan is also mentioned in the book of Job, Isaiah, and Amos. It is a sea monster that can be found in ancient texts in many religions. The thought that caught me was that God makes chaos a part of created order. So many times, during serious wars, crimes, famine, and death, people will say "Where was your god? Why would God allow these things to happen?" Well, God set the world in motion, and allowed chaos to be part of it. He allowed humans to have the sense of right and wrong, and the ability to choose the better. There are bad people in the world. No one is born that way, they choose to be that way. And unfortunately those choices can affect a lot of good people. But the people who have God in their heart will always win. If the affects of the chaos causes us to leave this world, there is heaven to look forward to. To spend eternity with God, which was always his intention.
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