By Al Behel
When I read the Psalms I often wonder if
I really know how to praise God. David and other Psalters
seemed to grasp the essence of their Creator far better than
we have done. Their recognition of His presence and power,
as well as His love and mercy, caused them to lift up their
voices is hymns of praise with hearts of devotion.
One of those Psalms portrays the majesty
of God by describing seven wonders of His creation.
Following a declaration of God’s greatness as one who is
“clothed with splendor and majesty”, King David outlines the
various ways in which God has revealed Himself through His
creation (Psalm 104).
First, he declares that God “wraps
Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the
heavens like a tent” (v. 2). The sky is filled with evidence
of His glory. The Hebrew word for “wraps” suggest that God
“darkens” Himself with light. His splendor is so wonderful
that man cannot see it, but can only stand in awe of it. We
look at His creation and marvel at what He has made. The
psalmist was able to look beyond the creation to the glory
of the One who
made it.
The second wonder David mentions is the
earth, around which He has set a boundary (vs. 5-9). In
another psalm he declared “the whole earth is full of Thy
glory.” Next, he praises God for the water which God
supplies to the earth and its inhabitants. When he looks at
the grass and flowers and trees, he erupts in praise that
the Lord has taken care of every need through massive
vegetation. As one who spent many nights on the mountain
ranges with the sheep he had shepherded, David couldn’t
forget the moon and the sun. Their radiant beauty was a
constant reminder that God was near. The sea, “vast and
spacious” (v.25), is structurally balanced with the
celestial realm of creation.
The crowning part of God’s creation is
man himself, to whom He has given life and for which He
deserves to be praised and worshipped. David concludes his
thoughts by saying, “May the glory of the Lord endure
forever."
- Al Behel preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of
Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://greatsmokymountainschurchofchrist.com/
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