Comfort for a Farmer's Funeral from Psalm 104
Psalm 104 is a hymn of creation that exalts God's goodness and majesty, reflecting on the present world, the original creation, and a future new creation [8]. It is likely that this psalm was written by the same author and at the same time as Psalm 103, as both begin and end with the commitment to "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" [9]. While Psalm 103 focuses on God's tender mercy, Psalm 104 celebrates His greatness, majesty, and sovereign dominion [9].
The psalm opens with a declaration of God's greatness: "Let all that I am praise the Lord: how great you are!" [8]. This acclamation is often associated with praise for rescue [8]. The psalmist then describes God's creative power, noting how the world is "marvelously and wisely made" [8]. This creation is seen as the work of the Lord's Spirit, a theme echoed in Genesis 1:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:6 [8].
A significant portion of Psalm 104 focuses on God's provision for all living things. The psalmist celebrates animal, plant, and human life, highlighting the Lord’s abundant provision for all of it, reminiscent of Genesis 1:9-30 [7]. For instance, God "sends the springs into the valleys," providing fresh water for all creatures [11]. "They give drink to every animal of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst" [1]. This provision extends to vegetation, as God causes "grass to spring up for cattle, And herb for the service of man, To bring forth bread from the earth" [2]. This imagery emphasizes God's role as a "bountiful benefactor" who provides conveniences for all creatures [11].
The psalm also touches on the transient nature of life, a theme found elsewhere in the Psalms. For example, Psalm 103:14 states, "As for man, his days are as grass," comparing human life to a short-lived field flower [10]. While Psalm 104 does not explicitly dwell on human mortality in the same way, it implicitly acknowledges the cycle of life and dependence on God's ongoing provision.
The psalm concludes with a renewed commitment to praise and a call for the removal of the wicked: "Let your meditation be sweet to him. I will rejoice in Yahweh. Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. Let the wicked be no more. Bless Yahweh, my soul. Praise Yah!" [3, 4]. The phrase "Let your meditation be sweet to him" in Psalm 104:34 is cross-referenced with other passages emphasizing meditation and delight in God, such as Psalm 37:4 and Psalm 19:14 [5, 6]. The final exhortation, "Bless Yahweh, my soul. Praise Yah!" mirrors the opening of the psalm, creating a thematic inclusio that underscores the central message of praise for God's creative and sustaining power [8].
Sources
- Psalms “They give drink to every animal of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst. -- Psalms 104:11”
- Psalms “Psalms 104:14 (YLT) — Causing grass to spring up for cattle, And herb for the service of man, To bring forth bread from the earth,”
- Psalms “Let your meditation be sweet to him. I will rejoice in Yahweh. -- Psalms 104:34”
- Psalms “Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. Let the wicked be no more. Bless Yahweh, my soul. Praise Yah! -- Psalms 104:35”
- OpenBible.info “Cross-reference: Ps.37.4 → Ps.104.34 (confidence: 89 votes)”
- OpenBible.info “Cross-reference: Ps.19.14 → Ps.104.34 (confidence: 75 votes)”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 104:11: 104:11-18 The psalmist celebrates animal, plant, and human life, as well as the Lord’s abundant provision for all of it (Gen 1:9-30).”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 104:1: Ps 104 This creation hymn (see also Pss 8, 33, 145) exalts God’s goodness and majesty. The psalmist reflects on the present world, the original creation, and a future new creation. He sees both creations as marvelously and wisely made (cp. 139:14), as the work of the Lord’s Spirit (104:30; Gen 1:2; 2 Cor 3:6). 104:1 Let all that I am praise the Lord: Pss 103 and 104 each open and close with this commitment to praise (103:1-2, 22; 104:1, 35). • how great you are! This acclamation expresses praise for rescue (see also 35:27; 40:16; 70:4).”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 104 (introduction): 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 st”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 103:14: As for man, his days are as grass,.... He himself is like the grass which springs out of the earth; continues on it for a time, and then drops into it; the continuance of the grass is very short, it flourishes in the morning, is cut down at evening, and withers; see Psa 90:5. As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth; which denotes the goodliness of man, and describes him in his best estate, as possessed of health, riches, honour, and all the gifts and endowments of nature; and yet, with all these, is only like a field flower, exposed to every wind, liable to be c”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 104:10: 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, Psa 104:10. There is water enough indeed in the sea, that is, enough to drown us, but not one drop to refresh us, be we ever so thirsty - it is all so salt; and therefore God has graciously provided water fit to drink. Naturalists dispute about the origin of fountains; but,”