Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 104
Overview:
God's majesty in the heavens, The
Creation of
The Sea, and the
dry land.
(1-9) His provision for all creatures.
(10-18) The
regular course of
Day and night, and
God's sovereign power over
all the creatures.
(19-30) A resolution to continue praising
God.
(31-35)
1-9 Every object we behold calls
On us to
Bless and praise the
Lord, who is great. His eternal power and
Godhead are clearly
shown
By the things which he hath made.
God is
Light, and in him
is
No Darkness at all. The
Lord Jesus, the Son of his
Love, is
the
Light of the world.
10-18 When we reflect upon the provision made for all
creatures, we should also notice the natural
Worship they render
to
God. Yet
Man, forgetful ungrateful
Man, enjoys the largest
Measure of his Creator's kindness. the
Earth, varying in
different lands. Nor let us forget spiritual blessings; the
fruitfulness of the
Church through
Grace, the
Bread of
Everlasting Life, the
Cup of
Salvation, and the
Oil of gladness.
Does
God provide for the inferior creatures, and will he not be
a
Refuge to his people?
19-30 We are to praise and magnify
God for the constant
succession of
Day and night. And see how those are like to the
wild beasts, who wait for the twilight, and have
Fellowship with
the unfruitful
Works of
Darkness. Does
God listen to the
language of mere nature, even in ravenous creatures, and shall
he not much more interpret favourably the language of
Grace in
his own people, though weak and broken groanings which cannot be
uttered? There is the work of every
Day, which is to be done in
its
Day, which
Man must apply to every morning, and which he
must continue in till
Evening; it will be time enough to
Rest
when the night comes, in which
No Man can work. The psalmist
wonders at the
Works of
God. The
Works of art, the more closely
they are looked upon, the more rough they appear; the
Works of
nature appear more fine and exact. They are all made in
Wisdom,
for they all answer the
End they were designed to serve. Every
Spring is an emblem of the resurrection, when a new world rises,
as it were, out of the ruins of the old one. But
Man alone lives
Beyond Death. When the
Lord takes away his breath, his soul
enters
On another state, and his body will be raised, either to
Glory or to misery. May the
Lord send forth his
Spirit, and
new-create our souls to
Holiness.
31-35 Man's
Glory is fading;
God's
Glory is
Everlasting:
creatures change, but with the Creator there is
No variableness.
And if mediation
On the glories of
Creation be
So sweet to the
soul, what greater
Glory appears to the enlightened mind, when
contemplating the great work of
Redemption! There alone can a
sinner perceive ground of confidence and joy in
God. While he
with pleasure upholds all, governs all, and rejoices in all his
Works, let our souls, touched
By his
Grace, meditate
On and
praise him.