It is very probable that this psalm was penned by
the same hand, and at the same time, as the former; for as that
ended this begins, with "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" and concludes
with it too. The style indeed is somewhat different, because the
matter is so: the scope of the foregoing psalm was to celebrate the
goodness of God and his tender mercy and compassion, to which a
soft and sweet style was most agreeable; the scope of this is to
celebrate his greatness, and majesty, and sovereign dominion, which
ought to be done in the most stately lofty strains of poetry.
David, in the former psalm, gave God the glory of his
covenant-mercy and love to his own people; in this he gives him the
glory of his works of creation and providence, his dominion over,
and his bounty to, all the creatures. God is there praised as the
God of grace, here as the God of nature. And this psalm is wholly
bestowed on that subject; not as
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. 2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: 3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: 4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: 5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. 8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. 9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
When we are addressing ourselves to any
religious service we must stir up ourselves to take hold on
God in it (
I. The psalmist looks up to the divine
glory shining in the upper world, of which, though it is one of the
things not seen, faith is the evidence. With what reverence and
holy awe does he begin his meditation with that acknowledgment:
O Lord my God! thou art very great! It is the joy of the
saints that he who is their God is a great God. The grandeur of the
prince is the pride and pleasure of all his good subjects. The
majesty of God is here set forth by various instances, alluding to
the figure which great princes in their public appearances covet to
make. Their equipage, compared with his (even of the eastern kings,
who most affected pomp), is but as the light of a glow-worm
compared with that of the sun, when he goes forth in his strength.
Princes appear great, 1. In their robes; and what are God's robes?
Thou art clothed with honour and majesty,
II. He looks down, and looks about, to the power of God shining in this lower world. He is not so taken up with the glories of his court as to neglect even the remotest of his territories; no, not the sea and dry land.
1. He has founded the earth,
2. He has set bounds to the sea; for that
also is his. (1.) He brought it within bounds in the creation. At
first the earth, which, being the more ponderous body, would
subside of course, was covered with the deep (
10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. 11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. 12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. 13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. 14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; 15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. 16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; 17 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. 18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
Having given glory to God as the powerful protector of this earth, in saving it from being deluged, here he comes to acknowledge him as its bountiful benefactor, who provides conveniences for all the creatures.
I. He provides fresh water for their drink:
He sends the springs into the valleys,
II. He provides food convenient for them,
both for man and beast: The heavens drop fatness; they
hear the earth, but God hears them,
1. For the cattle there is grass, and the
beasts of prey, that live not on grass, feed on those that do; for
man there is herb, a better sort of grass (and a dinner of herbs
and roots is not to be despised); nay, he is furnished with
wine, and oil, and bread,
2. Nay, the divine providence not only
furnishes animals with their proper food, but vegetables also with
theirs (
III. He takes care that they shall have
suitable habitations to dwell in. To men God has given discretion
to build for themselves and for the cattle that are serviceable to
them; but there are some creatures which God more immediately
provides a settlement for. 1. The birds. Some birds, by instinct,
make their nests in the bushes near rivers (
19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. 20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. 22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. 23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening. 24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. 26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. 27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. 28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. 29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
We are here taught to praise and magnify God,
I. For the constant revolutions and
succession of day and night, and the dominion of sun and moon over
them. The heathen were so affected with the light and influence of
the sun and moon, and their serviceableness to the earth, that they
worshipped them as deities; and therefore the scripture takes all
occasions to show that the gods they worshipped are the creatures
and servants of the true God (
II. For the replenishing of the ocean
(
III. For the seasonable and plentiful
provision which is made for all the creatures,
IV. For the absolute power and sovereign
dominion which he has over all the creatures, by which every
species is still continued, though the individuals of each are
daily dying and dropping off. See here, 1. All the creatures
perishing (
In the midst of this discourse the psalmist
breaks out into wonder at the works of God (
31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works. 32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. 33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. 35 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.
The psalmist concludes this meditation with speaking,
I. Praise to God, which is chiefly intended in the psalm.
1. He is to be praised, (1.) As a great
God, and a God of matchless perfection: The glory of the Lord
shall endure for ever,
2. The psalmist will himself be much in
praising him (
II. Joy to himself (
III. Terror to the wicked (