Psalms 104:1
“Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty”
The greatness of God causes the psalmist to break forth in praise. He writes of the majesty of the Lord who is clothed in light, stretches the heavens open like a curtain and is surrounded by a host of heavenly angels who do His bidding day and night. He speaks of God as the one who rides the clouds as a chariot and has set boundaries around the oceans but he spends the majority of his time celebrating how God cares for His creation. He sings of how the splendor of our King is seen in providing for the needs of those who are His. He has not only filled the earth with the basic staples to provide life but has gone beyond so that His people can enjoy life.
What peace is found when we realize the true nature of God. John explains that the reason Jesus came was so that we could see what God is really like.
John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
We can find comfort, hope, help and provision from the God who created us and loves us. Whatever you may be facing keep in mind that the majesty of God is often most clearly seen in providing for the needs of those He loves.
Pastor Jim
Questions for Psalm 104
- As you read this Psalm take notice that the Psalmist is recounting the days of creation. For example, verses 1-2 describe day 1 of creation. Verses 2-3 describe day 2. Verses 6-18 describe day 3. See if you can pick out the last three.
- Verse 5 says that God’s foundation will never be removed. We have an immovable foundation. His name is Jesus and He said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them is rock solid.” How is your foundation? Is it on solid rock or is it on sinking sand?
- You have heard the old saying, “Stop and smell the roses.” Look at verse 24. God made a variety of things in wisdom. Be encouraged. Get out there and check out the bugs and His other wonderful creatures.
- Verses 27-28 tell us that we depend on Him for everything; our every breath comes from Him. God wants the best for us. Do you desire to do His will and learn more of His plans for each new day? If not, read verse 29 and repent.
In one of His longest recorded sermons, Jesus spoke of 3 spiritual exercises that every believer should be practicing. He spoke of giving, praying and fasting. Fasting is the practice of giving up food for a period of time in order to learn to deny ourselves and to devote more attention to the things of God. Sadly, instead of viewing fasting as a way to draw near to God the people in Isaiah’s day were treating it as a religious responsibility. It was almost as though it was part of their checklist. They felt that fasting itself made them spiritual and they saw little need for their lives to be affected by their professed relationship with God. Isaiah declares that a real fast will will give evidence of a transformed life.
Isaiah foresaw a day when people from all nations would be adopted into the family of God. He saw salvation reaching beyond the borders of Israel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Seven hundred years later Jesus entered into the temple and saw the outer courts turned into a marketplace. Instead of people being encouraged to to come to God they were being hindered. The religious leaders for the sake of financial gain and status among the people were actually keeping people from the Lord. At some point a sign was placed on the entrance of the temple warning Gentiles not to enter under the threat of death. When Jesus saw the actions of the leaders He was outraged. He began to overturn the tables and drive out those who were buying and selling. It was at that point that He quoted from this passage,
It seems as though people have always had “bucket lists.” In ancient times a man put together a list of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was like a travel guide for the wealthy, of things needed to be seen before they died. Things have not changed much. People still have their wish lists of the sites they hope to see before they are too old to enjoy them. Of all the beautiful things we could see I don’t imagine anything more amazing than seeing a person who has come to our rescue. Imagine being abandoned on a remote island and seeing a Helicopter, or being held captive by an assailant and seeing the prison doors burst open and police have come or being under siege by an enemy and the cavalry has appeared. Of all the beautiful sites their are to see none can compare to seeing the one who has come to set us free.
We use filters every day to keep things pure. A coffee filter keeps the grinds out of the cup, an air filter helps to eliminate dirt and pollens from the air and a water filter keeps harmful impurities out of our drinking water. Isaiah suggests that it is a good idea for us to have a filter for our eyes. He declares that we should look up at the heavens and down upon the earth. The purpose of his “eye filter” is to help us see the difference between the temporal and the eternal. Too often we get fixated upon things that will not last while ignoring the eternal. Jesus echoed the words of Isaiah when He said; “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will by no means pass away.” Peter wrote that the heavens will melt with a fervent heat and John spoke of a new heaven and earth replacing the one we live in.
Back in the stone ages, when I was in middle school, it was common for the guys who “liked” a girl to write her name on their notebook or on the side of their shoe. I remember liking a girl named Carol, but being afraid to really admit it, so I wrote her name on the soul of my shoe. It didn’t take long before her name wore off (and the relationship didn’t last much longer than that). I am so glad when I read that God has inscribed our names upon the palm of His hand. What a beautiful description this is of the love He has for us. The word “inscribed” in its noun form means lawgiver. It speaks of the one who inscribed His word on tablets of stone. His love for us is as unchanging as His word.
Back in the mid 1970′s, disaster movies were the big craze. Towering Inferno, Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure, and Tidal Wave, were just a few of the titles that topped the charts. Nowadays, it seems people are fascinated with the concept of the undead. Not only have multiple movies and TV shows been released on the subject, but books, magazines and websites, are devoted to zombies and other undead creatures. There is even a popular TV show called “The Walking Dead.” While these all show mindless creatures, who cannot be killed by normal means, walking about with an insatiable appetite for blood, the Bible paints a different picture of the walking dead. Paul speaks of those who have not surrendered to Christ, as being dead while they live.
Jim Gallagher 