1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, 4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. 5 You who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever, 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At Your rebuke they fled; at the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. 8 They went up over the mountains; they went down into the valleys, to the place which You founded for them. 9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they may not return to cover the earth.

10 He sends the springs into the valleys; they flow among the hills. 11 They give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home; they sing among the branches. 13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. 14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, 15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart. 16 The trees of the LORD are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted, 17 Where the birds make their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. 18 The high hills are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. 19 He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knows its going down. 20 You make darkness, and it is night, in which all the beasts of the forest creep about. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God. 22 When the sun rises, they gather together and lie down in their dens. 23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. 24 O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all.

The earth is full of Your possessions — 25 This great and wide sea, in which are innumerable teeming things, living things both small and great. 26 There the ships sail about; there is that Leviathan which You have made to play there. 27 These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season. 28 What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. 29 You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works. 32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34 May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD. 35 May sinners be consumed from the earth, and the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

Bible Study

Psalm 104 praises God for His mighty works in creation and speak of God’s design in creation as described in Genesis 1 and 2.

One thing which was a part of God’s design — either at creation or following the Genesis Flood — was to tilt the earth on its axis to give us the seasons of the year (cf. Gen. 1:14 and Gen. 8:20-22).

1. How different would the world be without seasons? How do the seasons flow together for our good and benefit?
2. How does the psalm describe God’s creation of the heavens and the earth (v. 1-9)? Compare this with Genesis 1:1-10. How are these accounts similar?
3. How does the psalm describe the angels? See v. 4. What does Hebrews 1:14 tell us of the angels? Compare Psalm 103:20-21.
4. Read verses 10-24. How does God’s design in creation, the seasons, the rains, the creation of day and night, work together to make God’s creation wonderful and work together for good? Compare Genesis 1:11-19.
5. Who waters the earth and feeds and nourishes all of creation? How?
6. Consider the spring plants and how they grow? Who brings all this about? And, how does it work together for our good?
7. Read verse 24. How is this true? Is God’s design in creation simple, or complex with interdependence and, of course, full dependence upon the Creator built in? Compare Neh. 9:6; Heb. 1:1-3.
8. What about the seas? Read v. 25-30. Do we depend on them? What do the seas tell us about the Creator?
9. What is the great Leviathan? Do we know for certain?
10. Read Genesis 1:20-25. Does this sound similar? How?
11. Who gives food to all the creatures? What happens when God withholds His hand? When He takes His spirit from His creatures? Compare Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:20-21; 12:1-7.
12. Who gave life in the beginning? Compare Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7 with Psalm 104:30.
13. What does the psalmist say of the Lord in v. 31-32?
14. What does the psalmist say he will do in v. 33-34? How long will he continue to do this? What about us?
15. How can our praises and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to the LORD God who made us and redeemed us? Compare Psalm 51:14-15; 66:18; Psalm 32:1-11; Ephesians 1:6-7; 1 John 5:11-15.
16. What does the psalmist pray in v. 35? Is this a fitting prayer that we can pray? Do we ever pray the same thing? Why? Compare Matt. 6:10a; 2 Pet. 3:9-10; 2 Thess. 1:3-10; Rev. 22:20.

Sing LSB 804: “O Worship the King.” How does it reflect the words of Psalm 104?