Sunday School Lesson
Lesson: Psalms 104:5-9, 24-30
Golden Text: “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches” (Psalms 104:24).
INTRODUCTION. As Christians, our commitment to the authority of God’s Word and to His authority in the universe is often being questioned and opposed by the world. The theory of evolution claims that everything we see in the world came from nothing for no particular reason. But based on the Bible, Christians believe that God created the world and mankind out of nothing for the purpose of displaying His grace, His mercy, and all of His magnificent attributes. This week’s lesson builds on this theme and leads the psalmist to enter into praise and worship.
II. WHAT GOD DID (Psalms 104:5-9). The Lesson Background: The author of Psalms 104 is unknown, but many scholars attribute it to David especially since it begins the same way as Psalms 103 which was a psalm of David. The theme of Psalms 104 is appreciating God through His creation. He not only creates, but He also maintains His creation. This psalm is also a poetic summary of God’s creation of the world as found in Genesis chapter 1. After calling on his soul to bless or praise the Lord, because He is very great and full of honor and majesty, the psalmist in verses 2-4 speaks of God’s creation of the heavens and the angels.
A. The initial creation (Psalms 104:5-6).
1. (vs. 5). In this first verse of our printed text, the psalmist continues His praise to God saying “Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.” It’s quite possible that the writer had Moses’ words in mind, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (see Genesis 1:1). When Job struggled with the problems that God allowed Him to go through, God questioned him about the foundations of the earth. God asked Job, “Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (see Job 38:4). But how should we understand the promise that the earth “should not be removed for ever”? No doubt the psalmist meant that the earth will serve the purpose for which God intended for it before it is destroyed. The destruction of the earth will come to pass (see II Peter 3:10-11), but not before the Creator’s purpose for it has been fulfilled. At that time God will create a new heaven and earth (see Revelation 21:1).
2. (vs. 6). Still speaking of the earth, the psalmist here says “Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.” When the earth was created it was covered with water (see Genesis 1:2). The term “deep” refers to the water that covered the earth. Land didn’t appear until the third day of creation. Even though there were mountains, they were not visible because “the waters stood above the mountains” thus covering them until God determined to uncover them.
B. The movement of the water (Psalms 104:7-8).
1. (vs. 7). Now referring to the waters that covered the earth, the psalmist says here that “At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.” In other words, God commanded the waters to withdraw and “they fled.” This was done so that the dry land could appear (see Genesis 1:9-10). The vivid language in this verse draws attention to God’s authority and power. Large bodies of water are powerful, but God could “rebuke” them and “they fled.” Likewise, the thundering noise of the surf is nothing when compared to the“voice of thy (God’s) thunder” which when heard, the waters were quick to obey God’s command and “hasted away” or quickly withdrew to reveal the land. Note: The words in this verse are truly convicting because they remind us of how slow we are to obey God. The inanimate creation quickly responded to God’s command. Shouldn’t we be as responsive to His written Word, the Bible? When we are obedient to His Word we will experience great joy and happiness. But the farther we stray from following the Bible the more miserable we will be. Our desire should be to always see how close we can stay to God’s Word instead of trying to see how far away from it we can go and get away with it. Trust me, it won’t be very far!
2. (vs. 8). Still referring to the waters, the psalmist writes “They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.” This simply means that the waters, during the creation and in obedience to God’s command, flowed up over the mountains, then went down into the valleys, and came to their appointed places, where God set a limit against any further movement.
C. The water containment (Psalms 104:9). Continuing to speak about the waters during creation, the psalmist said “Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.” This verse gives us another reason to praise God for it tells of His might in restraining the power of the oceans. The phrase “Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over”means that God has set limits, or borders that the oceans cannot go beyond.In the last part of this verse the psalmist stated that God set the boundaries for the waters or seas so “that they turn not again to cover the earth.” Some Bible scholars believe that this verse refers to the Noahic Flood, focusing on the fact that the waters will “not again…cover the earth.” However, this interpretation does not fit the whole structure of this psalm dealing with the original creation. It’s quite possible that the psalmist was thinking of both the creation and the Flood, but as we have noted, psalm 104 is a poetic commentary on Genesis chapter 1.Since this psalm is about God’s power during the creation, it is best to understand verse 9 in light of the Creation. At that time water covered the earth until God commanded it to fall into its appointed places forming the seas. God gave these seas boundaries and they will never be allowed to go beyond those boundaries to cover the earth again.
III. WHAT GOD CONTINUES TO DO (Psalms 104:24-30). Verses 10-23 which are not part of our printed text, speak of God’s provision for animals (see verses 10-14, 16-18, 21) as well as for man (see verses 15, 23). The moon and sun, both created on the fourth day are mentioned in verses 19-20, 22.
A.What God has done in the earth (Psalms 104:24). Now in this verse the psalmist says “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.” The psalmistthought about the multitude and variety of the creation causing him to say “OLord, how manifold are thy works! The word “manifold” speaks of many kinds; numerous and varied. In His wisdom, God created a multitude of creatures, giving us plenty of varieties to enjoy.
B. What God has done in the sea (Psalms 104:25-26).
1. (vs. 25). As an example of God’s works in the seas, the psalmist wrote “So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.” The “great and wide sea”may be a reference to the Mediterranean Sea, but could include all the seas that the psalmist was familiar with. The seas are full of creatures both large and small. There are many varieties of creatures in the seas. There have been estimates of more than 24,500 species of fish in the oceans. Of course we will never know just how many species there are, but they vary from very small to extremely large.
2. (vs. 26). In the seas, the psalmist said that “There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.” Ships sail on the large seas which are occupied by “that leviathan, whom thou (God) hast made to play therein.” The word “leviathan” means “the twisted one.” We don’t know exactly what the “leviathan” was but in the context of the creation, it was probably a very large sea animal, either a whale or a crocodile that enjoys the seas God has placed it in.
C. What God has done in providing food (Psalms 104:27-28).
1. (vs. 27). Speaking of the animals that inhabit the seas, the psalmist wrote that “These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.” Every created thing is dependent on God for sustenance. The phrase thou mayest give them their meat in due season” simply means that God gives every creature exactly what it needs when it is needed.
2. (vs. 28). Continuing his thought on God’s provision, the psalmist writes “That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.” As a provider for His creatures, the psalmist describes the Lord as opening His hand to provide for them. The creatures in turn gather what God gives them and they eat and “are filled with good.” Note: God shows the same kind of care and concern for His people (see Psalms 103:2-5; Matthew 6:25-26). We are to so trust Him for our needs that we don’t worry about them at all. Philippians 4:6 tells us not to be anxious or worried about anything.
D. What God has done in superintending life (Psalms 104:29-30).
1. (vs. 29). In this verse, the psalmist speaks of all creatures particularly of the animal world when he says “Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.” For sure, humans become“troubled” and worried when they believe that God has turned away from them. Truth is, He never turns away from us, but our sins turn us away from Him causing Him to hide his face. God also controls every breath. The psalmist said that “thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.” The psalmist was speaking within the context of the animal world, but this is also true of every human being. Birth, life and death are universally under the complete control of our sovereign God. The very life of all creatures, both animal and human is dependent on God and He can take away a creature’s breath at which point it dies and returns to dust (see Job 34:14-15; Ecclesiastes 12:7).
2. (vs. 30). In the final verse of our text the psalmist writes “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.” The word translated“spirit” here refers to wind or breath. The Holy Spirit is described as a “rushing, mighty wind” (see Acts 2:2). The psalmist was keenly aware that God sends His Spirit and animals, including humans are created. At creation God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of man and man became a living soul (see Genesis 2:7). He continually renews the “face (or look) of the earth.” In other words, every new person or animal continues to replenish and repopulate the earth.
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