Praise of God for His Work in the Kingdom of Nature
O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all, being guided in His creative activity by His infinite all-wisdom; the earth is full of Thy riches, of His creatures.
V. 25. So is this great and wide sea, spreading out so far, to the distant horizon, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
V. 26. There go the ships, man venturing out on the ocean depths in pursuing his commercial activities; there is that leviathan, some sea-monster, probably the whale, whom Thou hast made to play therein.
V. 27. These, all the millions of creatures, wait all upon Thee, looking to the providence of God, that Thou mayest give them their meat, the food which they need, in due season, at the proper time.
V. 28. That Thou givest them they gather, from the various places where it is provided; Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good, plentifully supplied with all they need.
V. 29. Thou hidest Thy face, refusing, for a time, to recognize and supply their need, they are troubled, terrified, immediately feeling themselves forsaken; Thou takest away their breath, depriving them of what they need to sustain their life; they die and return to their dust, Gen. 3, 19; Eccl. 12, 17.
V. 30. Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, as active in the work of creation, Gen. 1, 3, they are created, and Thou renewest the face of the earth, with every new generation of creatures.
V. 31. The glory of the Lord shall endure forever, as manifested in His work of creation; the Lord shall rejoice in His works, as He did when He found them very good, Gen. 1, 31.
V. 32. He looketh on the earth, with a frown of anger, and it trembleth, in fear of His punishment; He toucheth the hills, and they smoke, set on fire at His will. Thus God could glorify His power in destruction if He so chose; therefore it is best for the believers to spend their lives in grateful praise of Him.
V. 33. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. V. 34. My meditation of Him, in considering all the miracles of His mercy and power, shall be sweet, acceptable to the Lord; I will be glad in the Lord.
The same fine relation, according to the psalmist, ought to obtain everywhere, those who refuse to enter into fellowship with Yahweh being punished forever. V. 35. Let the sinners, those who refuse Him faith and service, be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.
Bless thou the Lord, O my soul, the final self-admonition of the psalmist. Praise ye the Lord, or, “Hallelujah!” giving full expression to the emotions of the poet, and calling upon the Church of God of all ages to join him in his hymn of praise.