The Works of Creation
February 25, 2020
Commentary
The Lord makes the grass and food for the animals to grow (vv. 14-15). He provides dwelling places for animals and birds (vv. 16-18). To all of this, He brought in the orderly cycles of life. He has added the sun and moon to rule the times when various creatures on the earth are active (vv. 19-23). The work period of the predators (the night) is contrasted with the work time of humans (the day).
How wonderful is God’s coordination of His great creation! We must recognize that it did not come into existence by itself, and it cannot maintain existence by itself. If God should withdraw Himself from His living creatures, they would be doomed. The psalmist knows nothing of spontaneous generation. The fallacies of evolution did not cloud his understanding of the marvelous creative hand of God.
Corn, oil, and wine were commodities for which Palestine was famous. In 1948 when the Jewish nation was reborn the hills were mostly rock-strewn areas of desolation. Years of mismanagement under various conquerors had destroyed their forests. Since that time the Jews have replanted many of their great forests and the countryside has begun to bloom again. The psalmist also talks about how faithfully the sun sheds its light on the earth and how the moon catches its beams and reflects them back to the earth. We know much more about the sun today than the psalmist did. It is not only the source of light but of life on the planet. If it were a little hotter, it would burn everything to a crisp. If it were a little colder everything would turn into a giant iceberg. It is said that for the earth to maintain its proper temperature the sun consumes 4,200,000 tons of its weight every second. Yet it is so controlled that the thin margin of temperature necessary for life to exist is maintained from age to age.
Application
I serve a great God who has created everything, including me. I just need to thank Him more and share His truth with others.
Psalms 104:14– 23 (NET)
14 He provides grass for the cattle, and crops for people to cultivate, so they can produce food from the ground,
15 as well as wine that makes people glad, and olive oil to make their faces shine, as well as bread that sustains them.
16 The trees of the Lord receive all the rain they need, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted,
17 where the birds make nests, near the evergreens in which the herons live.
18 The wild goats live in the high mountains; the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs.
19 He made the moon to mark the months, and the sun sets according to a regular schedule.
20 You make it dark and night comes, during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.
21 The lions roar for prey, seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw and sleep in their dens.
23 People then go out to do their work, and they labor until evening.