Transcript

Eric Miller tells the following: “The 16-ounce honey bear in your pantry exists only because tens of thousands of bees flew some 112,000 miles in a relentless, unquestioned pursuit of nectar gathered from 4.5 million flowers.

Every one of those foraging bees was female. By the time the life of each ended, they live all of 6 weeks during honey-making season, each bee flew about 500 miles in 20 days, the span each lives outside the hive.

As these bees were flying themselves to death, the production inside the hive continued with stupendous efficiency, in the following sequence:

Bee brings nectar to hive, carried tidily in her “honey stomach.” Bee is greeted by a younger, homebody receiver bee, who relieves her of her load.

Receiver bee deposits nectar into a cell and proceeds to reduce its water content and raise its sugar level by fanning it with her wings and regurgitating it up to 200 times, killing microbes along the way.

More bees surround this cell and others nearby and fan them with their wings 25,000 times or so, thus turning nectar into honey. When the honey is ripened, wax specialists arrive to cap off the cells.

And that is how every single ounce of every single honey pot, bottle, or jar in the world is brought into being.

“Every gulp of raw honey is a distinct, unique, unadulterated medley of plant flavor; a sweet, condensed garden in your mouth,” writes Holley Bishop, an awed amateur beekeeper trying her level best with ordinary English to capture a miracle.

All of creation is a miracle. It is all God’s handiwork and it reveals the greatness and glory of the Creator. Psalm 104 declares this truth about creation and the glorious Creator and Sustainer of it all.

Psalm 104:19-24: “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

“The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

“O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”

The psalmist next turned his attention to the moon and the sun. The moon is mentioned first here, because the Hebrew day began with the evening.

This was done based on the Creation week, when “the EVENING and the morning were the first day,” “the EVENING and the morning were the second day,” and so on.

The religion of Islam worships the moon God which they call Allah. This is why they have a crescent moon for their symbol. Many other religions worship the sun as a God.

Here we see that the true God, the Creator, appointed the moon for seasons, and the sun knows its going down. As the Creator, God is greater than the sun and the moon.

We don’t worship the sun, the moon, or any other part of the creation, we worship the great and glorious God who made it all. And we worship Him alone.

God’s sovereignty is not limited to the earth but extends to the heavens. And verse 19 teaches that God appointed the moon to mark the seasons.

The moon, as well as the sun, is appointed to divide time. He created the moon and the sun so that they would establish day and night, and months and years.

As Genesis 1:14 says, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”

The moon’s motions and orbit are not the result of inanimate impersonal law, but as the appointment of God. The moon moves according to God’s schedule.

And using poetic imagery, the sun is represented as if it was conscious, knowing when to set and sink below the horizon thus to mark the end of another day.

“The sun knoweth his going down” based on God creating it and the laws He has written for it and the earth that it must always obey.

The regular rotation of day and night is God-ordained for animals and man.

Since it would not be convenient for man and wild beasts to collect their food at the same time, God has given the night to the beasts of the forest.

Once the sun goes down, there is a stir in the animal world, as under the cover of darkness creatures in the forest “creep forth” (v. 20) and young lions roar, as they go prowling after their food to seek their meat from God and procure their prey.

But when the beams of light flame up in the eastern sky, it signals the wild beasts to withdraw, as when morning comes, these nocturnal animals all retreat back to safety and “they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.” And thus, they are out of man’s way.

And then man wakes up and goes off to his work and utilizes the hours of daylight for productive labor “until the evening.” We are made for work and ought to work.

So the forest comes alive with action at night, when man rests. Then the sun rises and man comes alive with action, and the forest rests. When MAN labors, THEY rest; when MAN rests, THEY labor.

This teaches how Lord sovereignly rules over all creation and He establishes order by His wise administration.

And at the wisdom of all the things God controls and is involved in, as He cares for His creation, it caused the psalmist to burst out in praise: “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches.”

The Psalmist breaks the continuity of his description to give this doxology of praise, and it’s like he is so amazed that he is unable to refrain from doing so.

God’s works are truly manifold and many. The immense complexity of sustaining the creation is truly mind-boggling.

His works are in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, and in the waters and oceans below. God is the great Worker and He is at work at all times in His creation.

The water keeps cycling, the sources of food keep producing, the grass and the grain keeps growing, the sun keeps rising and setting, the moon continues its orbit month after month, the trees and forests keep providing habitats and prey for the animal kingdom, and God continually cares and provides for all living creatures and sustains His creation.

But it is easy for Him. Nothing is hard for God. But He is worthy to be praised for it all.

The psalmist says “how manifold are Thy works,” which reminds us of the great variety there is in His creation. God could have made a drab, colorless world, one season everywhere, one variety of plants, trees, and animals, cookie-cutter humans, one musical sound, a couple designs of snowflakes, and a few kinds of foods, but He did not.

He created a world of assorted colors, multiple seasons, millions of different plants, trees, animals, no two snowflakes alike, no two humans like, scores of musical notes, and a lot of really good food. He did so because He can, and because He is good.

Only an all-wise God could have planned and created so many different things, and only an all-powerful God could have brought them into being, and only a merciful and loving God would sustain and keep them all.

As the Psalmist looked at nature and creation, He rightly saw it as the wise works of a great God. And as to God’s manifold works, verse 24 is the reaction that the creation is supposed to evoke: generating faith and gratitude and worship toward the Creator.

He has “made them all” the Psalmist writes under the inspiration of the Spirit and by the authority of God.

And because He has made everything, “the earth is full of Thy riches,” or possessions. The earth is full of God’s possessions. It’s all His as the Creator. He made it and thus He owns it. As Psalm 24:1 states, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.”

Psalm 104:25-26: “So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.”

Speaking of the immense number and variety of God’s works, the Psalmists gives an example and He points to the sea. “This great and wide sea” from one writing in Israel would be referring to the Mediterranean Sea. And that sea is great and wide.

But knowing what we know about all the vast oceans, the description by the Psalmist also pertains to what is true of them as well. The oceans are great and wide-stretching.

It’s been said that “There is not in all nature a more august and striking object than the ocean.”

And within the oceans of the world, there is abundant life, and unique variety within them. These vast waters teem with “things creeping innumerable.”

As so much of the earth’s surface is underwater, it comes as no surprise that the majority of life on earth is aquatic and marine species far outnumber those on land.

The seas and oceans swarm with life both small and great, ranging all the way from the minute plankton to the gigantic blue whale, and all sizes in between.

All manner of fish, seals, walruses, sharks, whales, crabs, lobsters, octopi, eels, sponges, clams, and so on, inhabit the oceans.

And we still only know a fraction of the marine species in our oceans. According to the World Register of Marine Species there are now 240,470 accepted species, but this is believed to be just a small proportion of the species that exist, with new marine life being discovered all the time.

On top of the great and wide sea, the Psalmist wrote, “There go the ships.” It has an innumerable number of living species below its surface, and the ocean is not altogether devoid of mankind. Especially in biblical times, and still even today, it is a highway for travel and commerce by ship going from one place to another.

The ships that go forth on top of the sea are mentioned along with the great Leviathan which went forth under the sea.

This is a reminder how the ocean includes including mysterious things. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the leviathan was.

Leviathan refers to a mighty creation who can overwhelm man, but is no match for God. It’s a real creature, and some form of sea monster. The depths of the sea were only a place “to play” for them verse 26 says, because it was so great, they had no predator.

Job 41:33 states, “On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear.” There was no other creature that it feared.

God describes Leviathan in detail in Job 41 emphasizing its size, strength, and viciousness. There God asks Job some questions about this great sea creature. “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?

“Will he speak softly to you? Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens?” All the answers to these questions are “No!”

The Lord went on to tell Job: “Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? Everything under heaven is Mine.”

Leviathan was a dangerous creature of the sea. But as with all creation, it was subject to its Creator, and it was under His sovereign control.

Psalm 104:27-30: “These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

“Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.”

Two accountants are in a bank when armed robbers burst in. While several of the robbers take the money from the tellers, the other robbers line the customers up against a wall and proceed to take their wallets, money, watches, and other valuables.

In the midst of the chaos, accountant No. 1 jams something in accountant No. 2’s hand. Without looking down, accountant No. 2 whispers, “What is this?” Accountant number one replied, “It’s that 50 bucks I owe you.” He figured he was going to lose it anyway.

God doesn’t hold anything back from us. He is generous and He gives with an open hand.

The psalmist here considers all creatures from the land, sea, and air. He recognized that they all depended upon God to “give them their meat [food] in due season.” All of creation waits and looks expectantly to God to provide what it needs and He does so in His mercy.

All living organisms depend on God for their food. As He supplies it and gives, they gather it in. He opens His hand and they are abundantly filled with good. God continually opens His hand to us, blesses us on every hand, and provides for our needs.

God gives with an open hand and in His grace is generous to a world that ignores Him, rebels against Him, hates Him, chooses to believe He does not exist, and rarely gives thanks to Him for His gifts.

People think they don’t need God, that they can make it alone, they think they control their lives. But all of us depend on God. We all wait and look to Him, and depend on His creation for food. We need Him for physical life, and we need Him for spiritual life.

God feeds His animal kingdom and all mankind, but He does not pour food into their mouths from heaven. He provides, but we must “gather” in.

The term “gather” means to pick up or collect from the ground. It is used in the history of God providing the manna to the children of Israel in the wilderness.

Exodus 16:15-16 reads, “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna…And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat…Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man.”

With an open hand, God gave and provided the manna to the Israelites from heaven and then the Israelites needed to gather it from the ground.

And this is important as we think of God’s provision of salvation. Out of His infinite love, with an open hand, God gave His Son as the provision for our salvation from our sins. Christ came from heaven as the Bread of God, the Bread of Life.

God provided for our salvation, but we must gather it in. The provision of His Son must be taken in by faith, trusting that Christ died for our sins and rose again.

Creation is so dependent upon God that if He were to hide His presence or take away their breath, they would soon perish. There is a real sense in which creation is much more responsive and surrendered to God than humanity.

Verse 29 shows how dependent the creation is upon God and His goodness, if He were to turn and hide His face from His creation, all would be troubled and overwhelmed with terror and would instantly feel the loss and hopelessness and how much we need Him.

And this is a fearful thing to think about in relation to the lake of fire. Because God will hide His face from all those in hell for all eternity and they will be troubled forever, feeling the loss and hopelessness and separation from all that is good.

Verse 29 also shows all are dependent upon Him for even the breath in our lungs. Acts 17:25 says that God “seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.”

If God takes away breath, “they die, and return to their dust.” All creation depends on the Creator for life, breath, and food.

The Psalmist states that if God takes away breath, this results in death; but He also sends forth His Spirit and others are created and born. He creates all life and continually renews the face of the ground to support His creation.

This cycle of death and new life and renewal of the face of the earth is continuous.

Psalm 104:31-35: “The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

“I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

“Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.”

All the glory of man will pass away, but the glory of the Creator, who is so great, who made the earth and filled it with such wonders, will endure forever and ever.

The phrase “the Lord shall rejoice in His works,” actually means “May the Lord rejoice in His works.” The Psalmist prays for God to rejoice in the contemplation of His own works in caring for and providing for His creation.

The writer was so impressed with the glory, wonder, beauty, wisdom of creation, that He boldly called upon God to rejoice in all that He does, and rightly so. Because God is good and kind in all that He does in sustaining His creation.

Verse 32 shows the reaction of creation in light of God’s greatness and glory. All God has to do is look at the earth and it trembles before Him and His greatness and if He touches the mountains they smoke. They know their Creator. These are reminders of the overwhelming power and might of God.

Trembling and smoke is what happened to Mount Sinai when the Lord was in the Mount to give the Law to Moses. Exodus 19:18 reads, “And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.”

After contemplating these things about God, and His glory, greatness, faithfulness, and wisdom, the Psalmist determined in himself to praise and sing to God as long as he lived. The God of all creation is worthy of our life-long praise.

And the Psalmist states, “My meditation of him shall be sweet,” just thinking about this great, wise, caring, generous God would be truly sweet and a blessing.

He understood that God is also worshipped by our thoughts. And what we choose to set our mind on is a measure of what we truly value and deem important. The Psalmist chose to set His mind on God and to meditate on Him, because He is to be valued above all.

The Psalmist also says, “I will be glad in the LORD.” Like he determined to praise God as long as he lived, he also determined to be glad in the Lord. He chose to be glad. And he knew that true gladness is found in the LORD, in thinking on Him and living for Him.

As the Psalm ends, the writer prays “Let the sinner be consumed out of the earth, and the let the wicked be no more.”

In holy indignation the psalmist would rid the world of people so base as not to love this gracious Creator, so blind as to rebel against God Almighty.

This anticipates Israel’s hope of an earthly kingdom, when in the establishment of their Kingdom of heaven on the earth, the Messiah will consume sinners out of the earth at His Second Coming to Israel.

And this is prophetic, as this will be a righteous prayer for Israel as they go through the Tribulation period in anticipation and longing for a worldwide kingdom established by their God and King, without wicked sinners and those in rebellion against Him.

And so the Psalm ends the way it begins: Bless the Lord, O my soul. He ends with another rousing call to His own soul to bless the LORD. This is the fitting response of the creature to the Creator.

Then he adds: “Praise ye the Lord” which in the Hebrew is: Halal-yahh, from which we get our word Hallelujah!

This is the first time this word occurs in Psalms. The great Creator faithfully provides for and sustains His creation, and the proper reaction by the Psalmist is, “Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Hallelujah!”

Another reason we should praise the Lord is because the great Creator that is described here is also our great Savior.

Colossians 1:14-16 says, “In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins…For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by Him, and for Him.”

Everything started in Him and finds its purpose in Him, and in Him alone we find salvation.

Not only does the great Creator care for and provide for our physical needs as this chapter shows, but He also deeply cares for our spiritual need and He provided for it, by coming to this world to pay the penalty of our sins for us by His death at the Cross.

Being that He is almighty God, who is “very great” as this Psalm states and shows, the Lord Jesus Christ was more than able to pay for our sins and take all our sins away.

His payment for our sins was perfect and all-sufficient. All that is left for us to do is to just believe, trusting Christ died for our sins and rose again, and we’re ready for heaven.

And because He died to set us free to from all our sins and to give us eternal life and hope, we say: Hallelujah!