What is your understanding of this text?

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TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
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#1
Psalm 104
Easy-to-Read Version
104 My soul, praise the Lord!
Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with glory and honor.
2 You wear light like a robe.
You spread out the skies like a curtain.
3 You built your home above them.[a]
You use the thick clouds like a chariot
and ride across the sky on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers
and flames of fire your servants.
5 You built the earth on its foundations,
so it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with water like a blanket.
The water covered even the mountains.
7 But you gave the command, and the water turned back.
You shouted at the water, and it rushed away.
8 The water flowed down from the mountains into the valleys,
to the places you made for it.
9 You set the limits for the seas,
and the water will never again rise to cover the earth.

10 Lord, you cause water to flow from springs into the streams
that flow down between the mountains.
11 The streams provide water for all the wild animals.
Even the wild donkeys come there to drink.
12 Wild birds come to live by the pools;
they sing in the branches of nearby trees.
13 You send rain down on the mountains.
The earth gets everything it needs from what you have made.
14 You make the grass grow to feed the animals.
You provide plants for the crops we grow—
the plants that give us food from the earth.
15 You give us the wine that makes us happy,
the oil that makes our skin soft,[c]
and the food that makes us strong.

16 The great cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the Lord.
He planted them and gives them the water they need.
17 That’s where the birds make their nests,
and the storks live in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are a home for wild goats.
The large rocks are hiding places for rock badgers.

19 Lord, you made the moon to show us when the festivals begin.
And the sun always knows when to set.
20 You made darkness to be the night—
the time when wild animals come out and roam around.
21 Lions roar as they attack,
as if they are asking God for the food he gives them.
22 When the sun rises, they leave
and go back to their dens to rest.
23 Then people go out to do their work,
and they work until evening.

24 Lord, you created so many things!
With your wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of the living things you made.
25 Look at the ocean, so big and wide!
It is filled with all kinds of sea life.
There are creatures large and small—too many to count!
26 Ships sail over the ocean,
and playing there is Leviathan,[d]
the great sea creature you made.

27 Lord, all living things depend on you.
You give them food at the right time.
28 You give it, and they eat it.
They are filled with good food from your open hands.
29 When you turn away from them,
they become frightened.
When you take away their breath,[e]
they die, and their bodies return to the dust.
30 But when you send out your life-giving breath,[f]
things come alive, and the world is like new again!

31 May the Lord’s glory continue forever!
May the Lord enjoy what he made.
32 He just looks at the earth, and it trembles.
He just touches the mountains, and smoke rises from them.

33 I will sing to the Lord for the rest of my life.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
34 May my words be pleasing to him.
The Lord is the one who makes me happy.
35 I wish sinners would disappear from the earth.
I wish the wicked would be gone forever.

My soul, praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
 

2ndTimothyGroup

Well-known member
Feb 20, 2021
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#2
Nice. You've asked us to comment on Psalms 104, which happens to be a part of my daily reading plan for today.

In my meager opinion, I believe that "christians" (note the lower case "c") read WAAAAAAAAY too much into this text-set and others like it. Look . . . we must ALL read, know, and understand the Old Testament because if we do, the first thing that we should realize is that God is Powerful and that we are not. In fact, verse one of chapter 104 states "You are very great," and this is the very context of the entire chapter.

What you are reading about is the Raw, Almighty, Power of God. Until we understand THIS, we will never Truly Fear the Lord. Hence, Christians claim, I am a servant of Christ!" Or, "I am a slave to Christ!" Or, "I am a Truly saved Christian because I believe in Jesus!" - If we do not fear the Power of our amazing God, the above three "quotes" are nothing but words. Empty words that mean nothing. For unless we Truly fear the Lord, we are hellbound.
 

2ndTimothyGroup

Well-known member
Feb 20, 2021
5,883
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#4
As I wrap up this particular study (of chapters 102-104), chapter 104 contains the character string "You" 22 times. Most of that character string is "You", while the rest are "Your." This chapter is clearly about God and His Power. The focus is to be on God and the things that He has done. If we're going to attempt to prove things about the design of the earth through this text-set, I think that it is a foolish thing to do. We must stay on track; remain focused, and that focus is on God and not His creation. If we focus on Creation to fulfill our own agenda, whatever that might be, we will not be focusing on the Raw, Almighty, Power of God . . . and this is something that a wise person will do each day, if not throughout the entire day. We must be in Awe of our Powerful God!
 
Oct 23, 2020
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#5
Fun
Nice. You've asked us to comment on Psalms 104, which happens to be a part of my daily reading plan for today.

In my meager opinion, I believe that "christians" (note the lower case "c") read WAAAAAAAAY too much into this text-set and others like it. Look . . . we must ALL read, know, and understand the Old Testament because if we do, the first thing that we should realize is that God is Powerful and that we are not. In fact, verse one of chapter 104 states "You are very great," and this is the very context of the entire chapter.

What you are reading about is the Raw, Almighty, Power of God. Until we understand THIS, we will never Truly Fear the Lord. Hence, Christians claim, I am a servant of Christ!" Or, "I am a slave to Christ!" Or, "I am a Truly saved Christian because I believe in Jesus!" - If we do not fear the Power of our amazing God, the above three "quotes" are nothing but words. Empty words that mean nothing. For unless we Truly fear the Lord, we are hellbound.
Funny that

4 You make the winds your messengers
and flames of fire your servants.


connects to 2 Thessalonians 1: 7-8
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,462
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#6
Our Fathere will take down that which is with something that is not. It seems to me He does this a lot. All glory to God, amen.
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,624
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#7
This comes to Mind for some reason

“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men…..

…Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3:7, 13‬ ‭
 

Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
7,312
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#8
I think this psalm is pointing to our need to keep our lives in tune with the law and order that God created us and our world with. Verse 7 is very important (But you gave the command, and the water turned back.) It points out that although everything follows God's order, when God parted the Red Sea it proved that the order is directly from God and God can change it. The works of the wicked are not in tune with the perfect wonderful order God created us with.
 
Jun 9, 2021
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#9
Clearly David is describing Noah's Flood and then David goes into great detail how God restored the earth and the inhabitants. Plus, David is honoring God for providing the needs to His creation from food, shelter, companionship.
 

TheLearner

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Jan 14, 2019
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#11
Clearly David is describing Noah's Flood and then David goes into great detail how God restored the earth and the inhabitants. Plus, David is honoring God for providing the needs to His creation from food, shelter, companionship.
I don't see Noah's Flood in, just Creation.
 
Jun 9, 2021
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#14
I don't see Noah's Flood in, just Creation.
I don't see mountains unveiled when God separated the waters, it just mentions land during the Creation. But in Noah's Flood, his Ark rested on top of a mountain. So I would have to disagree with your viewpoint of this passage of Scripture.

Creation:
9: And God said, "Let the water that is beneath the heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so.

10: And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good.
 

Mem

Senior Member
Sep 23, 2014
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#15
This is something of an precursor of Acts 17, where Paul reveals the 'Unknown God,' the One, sustainer of all time space and matter, in the Areopagus'
 

Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
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#16
Personally, I am sort of reeling from a multitude of attacks on me personally in posts because I have stood up for the law. I makes me see law in so many things, and this is what I see in this beautiful psalm. The majesty, order, precision, beauty, fineness that God creates with. When our lives are in tune with this law the results are awesome. Anyway we are out of step with the Lord and live in any way outside this order the opposite happens.

It makes the forgiveness of our sins something that is hard to comprehend in its majesty.
 

Journeyman

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2019
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#17
I think it means sinners will disappear from the earth and be gone forever when they come to know our Lord.
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
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Brighton, MI
#18
I don't see mountains unveiled when God separated the waters, it just mentions land during the Creation. But in Noah's Flood, his Ark rested on top of a mountain. So I would have to disagree with your viewpoint of this passage of Scripture.

Creation:
9: And God said, "Let the water that is beneath the heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so.

10: And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good.
The Hebrew word for mountain yin the Noah story simply means Hill.
 

Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
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#19
I think it means sinners will disappear from the earth and be gone forever when they come to know our Lord.
I don't think this psalm is prophesying at all, it is about that unpopular subject that we should obey and praise the Lord and through our obedience we will be happy.

The first of the psalm is all about how absolutely awesome the order, beauty, and wonder the Lord's creation is, and that order is in the law.

34 May my words be pleasing to him.
The Lord is the one who makes me happy.
35 I wish sinners would disappear from the earth.
I wish the wicked would be gone forever.
 
Jun 9, 2021
1,871
425
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#20
The Hebrew word for mountain yin the Noah story simply means Hill.
It's cool man. The majority of Theologians and Scholars side with this passage being about Noah's Flood. I tend to agree with them on this. But like anyone of us, we are more than welcome to believe as we do. So you go on thinking this is about Creation (y)