The psalmist praises the Lord for His works and enumerates but a number of them.
| Verse | Observation | Interpretation | Application |
| 1Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. 2He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent 3and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. 4He makes winds his messengers,a flames of fire his servants. 5He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. 6You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; 8they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. 9You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. 10He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. 11They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. 13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. 14He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: 15wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. 16The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees. 18The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys.b 19The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. 20You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. 21The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. 22The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. 23Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening. 24How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. 26There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. | Simple facts and things in nature whose cause has been determined in the modern age are attributed to God. They come together in perfect harmony in accordance with God's will. From v.15 we realize that even the man-made products ultimately come from God. v. 26 is also interesting because of its mention of leviathan, a sea-creature that has not been identified until now. Many speculations exist, but however logical they are, these are no more than speculations. v. 2 has been considered by some to mean that the Bible supports the "flat earth theory." |
Even things that seem too simple declare the works of our God once we look at them in detail. | Do not neglect simple things but praise the Lord for them too. v. 2 does not mean that the heaven is flat. First of all, a tent's roof is not flat. Second, as we see in context, everything is viewed from a human's viewpoint: v.19 says that the sun "goes down." Surely when anyone says that the sun "goes down" it does not mean he/she supports the "flat earth theory." |
| 27These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. 28When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. 29When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. 30When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. 31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— 32he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 34May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord. 35But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord.c Footnotes: a 4 Or angels b 18 That is, the hyrax or rock badger c 35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105. | The earth is satisfied with God's grace v.28. The Lord can hide His face v. 29. The Lord sends His Spirit to create life v. 30. v. 31 is certainly confusing because of its second line where another Lord is enjoying God's work. This must be pertaining to Jesus because He was sent in human flesh and was able to enjoy God's works. v.35 is certainly harsh, but a few years ago I have felt the feeling of wishing that this would happen. | The earth is satisfied with God's grace, and so we should be too. Not being satisfied with his provision is being greedy. When the Lord hides His face we should know that He is not forsaking us, but is doing this on purpose to perhaps let us grow in faith. | Be satisfied with God's provision. Stay faithful even when God does not seem to answer. |
Feel free to correct me if there is anything wrong in my understanding of the Bible. I am not a Bible scholar or anything, I'm just studying the Word of God.
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