Psalm 104 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 104 Short Summary:

In Psalm 104, the psalmist draws the minds of his readers to the greatness and splendor of God. He calls them back to the creation story, when God created the universe, the planets, the earth, the mountains, oceans, and animals. Then he spends time talking about God’s providential care of the earth, God is everywhere on the earth sustaining His creation, which is reason to give Him continual praise.

Psalm 104 Summary

AUTHOR:

• Psalm 104’s author is unknown but many attribute it to David.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• Hebrews 1:7

THEMES:

• God’s power displayed in the creation of the universe.

• God’s magnificence displayed in His daily sustaining of the earth.

DEFINITIONS:

• Leviathan (104:26) - The leviathan was a mighty creature, likely now extinct, described in detail in Job 41 and mentioned in Psalm 74. It was a powerful scaled creature that was untamable by men and unkillable with human weapons. Some “scholars” have suggested leviathan is the crocodile, but the description in Job 41 rules that out. More likely, the leviathan was an animal we would classify as a dinosaur.

OUTLINE:

• GOD THE GREAT CREATOR (104:1-9):

  • The first part of Psalm 104 is a contemplation on the greatness of God and His impressiveness displayed in His creation of the earth.

  • The psalmist described God as being clothed in splendor and riding the clouds like a chariot carried along by the wind.

  • In verse 4, he wrote, “He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers” (NASB, see Hebrews 1:7).

  • God can employ every element of the world to carry out His will. They are all His servants.

  • Next, the wonders of the earth are brought to mind to cause the reader to marvel at God’s creative power.

  • God set the earth on its foundations. He separated the dry land from the oceans. He caused the mountains to rise up and the valleys to depress.

• GOD THE PROVIDENCIAL CARETAKER OF THE EARTH (104:10-35):

  • The creation event wasn’t the end of God’s observable work on the earth, God was the sustainer of the earth, and He was to be admired for that sustaining.

  • God gave life to the earth by providing streams of water to plants and animals.

  • This water allowed the trees to bear fruit, the livestock to eat, and plants to grow, all of which provided food and drink for mankind.  

  • God made homes for each of the animals. The goats in the mountains, the birds in the trees, and the rocks for the badgers.

  • He made the oceans with their innumerable species of life (including Leviathan).

  • “These all look to you, to give them their food in due season” (104:27).

  • God’s Spirit gives life to all and God’s decision takes life when He sees fit.  

  • He made the sun and moon to govern the day and the night.

  • All of God’s incredible creatures and the ecosystems in which they lived are a testament to God’s wisdom and power.

  • The psalmist said he would rejoice in the Lord and sing praises to Him every day of his life.

APPLICATION:

• Take time to review the animals and the ecosystems of the world, admiring their beauty, their function, and their complexity.

• Not many of us bother studying biology, ecology, chemistry, or anatomy after our years in formal education, but reminding ourselves of just how incredible our world is is a great way to build faith.

• The only reasonable explanation for this complexity is a magnificent God “clothed with splendor and majesty.”

• If you’re familiar with biology and anatomy, when you study and understand what is being proposed by secular scientists as the explanation for the world, you’ll quickly realize their theories are insufficient to explain the real world we live in.