Psalm 104

Our study through Psalm 104 is going to be unique today because of the theme in this Psalm which for the most part speaks to God’s creation. We are going to highlight words as we read through it and then comeback with a short message around them.

July 14th 2025

(PRECORDED AS SHAWN IS OUT OF TOWN FOR DELANEY AND LARRY’s WEDDING)

Understanding the Bible’s Role

Before we read this today, which is a Psalm all about God’s Creation for Man, I want to point some things out. The Bible is not a science book. There is nothing in the Bible that suggests the writers understood much of anything known in our labs today – known and proven. The Bible is a book about how to live in accordance with a particular monotheistic God on an earth with innumerable ways to exist and see the world God created for human beings. The details are missing – just the principles for those people in those times on those lands living by this God’s laws. I want to use today’s Psalm as a point to help reset the minds of many devout Christian people on how we receive and live on this material earth as people who actually believe what I am about to read. Ready?

The Majesty of Creation

Psalm 104:1 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. 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. 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 labor until the evening. 24 O YAHAVAH, 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. 31 The glory of YAHAVAH on the earth, and it trembleth:

Homage to Creation

they smoke. 33 I will sing unto YAHAVAH 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 YAHAVAH. 35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou YAHAVAH, O my soul. Praise ye YAHAVAH. Obviously, Psalm 104 is a magnificent homage to the creation made especially for man.

Pretty amazing when we think about it that if there is a God, and if He is the Creator, and then since He decided to make us, He built a realm of incomprehensible complexity, from the subatomic to the atomic, to the cellular, then the combinations of cells to the things beasts products, to their environments, then what sustains it all and keeps it alive and repeating, cycling, blessing, renewing, reviving, withstanding . . . and with all of that in place and on a scale of incomprehensible proportions, right temperatures, right consistencies, perfect balances, this God makes Man in His image to govern the place.

Stewardship and Dominion

The big word given is stewardship and it is described in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, saying of Man, Genesis 1:28-31 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The word subdue and dominion imply caring for something, controlling it rightly and gently, having material stewardship means taking care of a thing that is not ours. We have only had it put in our hands. In Genesis 2:15 God goes into some more detail for Adam and we read And YAHAVAH God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. These are terms, dress and keep that are related to “work,” “keep,” “serve,” and “preserve,” which emphasize our role in care and preservation rather than domination and destruction.

Money and Preservation

Now, we enter a bit of a sticky wicket when it comes to this earth and it is a sticky wicket when it comes to all things and money. When we introduce money to any system – and money is certainly part of our world economy – there enters into the fray a word that stands in opposition to preserve and care. Take the medical care system – and please, I am not being political here – I am just addressing some general facts around some principles about our walk as believers on this earth – and so when we look at healthcare and medicine – we once had the town doctor who may have had more money but cared about his or her patients health over the bottom line and today we have the almighty buck in the world of medicine and because a lot can be both made and saved, human-beings have allowed the financial aspect of medicine triumph over the preservation and care of human health.

So, it is with the environment. Instead of people literally taking the Genesis command to heart and working to both make a living and provide services and products for the world reasonably, the almighty buck and unhinged capitalism has allowed some souls to run rampant and irresponsibly with their care and preservation of the world God has both created and given us to govern. Again, I am NOT talking about policy nor am I standing on either side of the aisle, but it seems to me that if or since God himself gave man this earth to govern then those who believe in Him and accept “this gifting as a fact” ought to be LEADING the march to “better balanced reasonable oversight and management of our resources than

Biblical Responsibility for Earth Stewardship

not. The standard thinking is, “ah, come on. This world is huge and God knew we would grow to the numbers we are presently at so he filled the earth with such reserves we don’t need to be so careful. This was the mindset I grew up with and it has been present for decades. I maintain that just because the gift is full and replenishable does not mean being indulgent, indifferent, or greedy to the point that we will treat the gift without a care for who gave it to us, and who will inherit it from us later. And look – I am not even saying that our efforts matter in the scheme of things – that is NOT the point. The point is a matter of respect and gratitude as believers in Him and love for others NOT efficacy. It’s a mindset pure and simple and a respect for God His children ought to be the first to offer.

Resistance to Stewardship in Capitalistic Christianity

So, there is a direct biblical responsibility for this earth placed directly on those who believe in God. Somehow, and I have my suspicions on how, but somehow and especially within the upper echelons of capitalistic Christianity, a resistance has crept in to being stewards of this earth – even a resistance to those who tend to see the Christian walk as more granola. I am not suggesting that we dismantle and divide with each other in our respective life-approaches – we need businesspeople and we need earthy granola souls to be who they are I am merely suggesting that whoever identifies with the Living God and His giving the world His only human Son should be LEADING the way for reason, balance, fairness, and being good, better, great stewards over this earth and all that God has given us. I see this as a central shift necessary in the Great NewsThe message that prophecy is fulfilled and we are free to pursue God in love and liberty—without fear or religious control. – that Yeshuans peacefully, gently and kindly resist overt capitalistic heavy handedness on how such define having dominion and subduing the earth around us. I just don’t see the uber Randian mentality as consistent with Christ.

The scripture also introduces some very vibey sort of eastern notions to the faith also long overlooked and this teaching brings it to the forefront. What am I talking about – what many humanists are seeing as an interconnectedness to the earth around us. Psalm 24:1 reads, “The earth is YAHAVAH’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Moses wrote all the way back in Deuteronomy 10:14 “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” But in harmony with His overall ownership we also read, Psalm 115:6 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. So, the scripture is clear – God made it, God owns it – top to bottom -and He has given it over to the children of men to care for it. My point is that lovers and trusters of God ought to be leading the world in the reasonable, fair, balanced respect and care for it and everything on it.

Interconnectedness and Care for Creation

This is a reflection of humility for some to assume where pride and arrogance one reigned in our outward opinions and actions. I realize how earthy and zen-like and granola it all sounds but that is because those who reflect these sentiments express themselves in these ways. Perhaps believers could receive and reflect some of these sentiments in the age of fulfillment? Perhaps we learn from the Taoist view on life and living not because it is biblically BASED but because it adds to our walk as much as science adds to our walk, something also absent from the Bible. We also face a certain mindset when it comes to our “Christian view of animals” and their place in our lives. I am not suggesting peta world-views – I enjoy all animals as food – but I am talking about kindness, care, sensitivity for them – because we are their stewards and because the Bible proves that we are in fact all connected.

Here is something we might also consider in our day compared to the Biblical age of the Apostolic Record as Paul wrote the following about the earth then, saying, Romans 8:18-23 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility,

Redemption and Transition

Not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

This was Paul’s direct description of the earth and world still roiling under the Fall, sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace., Satan, hell, deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. and the former economy under which these things thrived. Humanity was barbarous, full of tyranny, disease, animal and human sacrifice, warfare, bloodshed, child abuse, rape, multiple wives – all part of that world under which Paul said struggled, writhed, groaned. Listen to how Isaiah described what the Nation had done to its own land which would be fulfilled entirely at the Great and Dreadful day.

Isaiah’s Prophecy

Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. 4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. 7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh. 8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. 9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. 10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in. 11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. 12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

A New Covenant Age

My friends – that world was overcome by the last Adam, even Christ, and when He returned out from the Heavenly holy of Holies, ahhh let me site it as Yeshua even said when He was on earth – John 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: Peter said to the amazed onlooking Jews in his day after he and John healed a man miraculously, Acts 3:19-21 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; (meaning at His return to them) And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

His return launched the world into another age, the new covenant age, and changed all things relative to that former groaning world. So much so that Paul even wrote in his day Romans 14:20 All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence” showing a transition from external bondage to individual freedoms of conscience.

Spiritual Renewal

From His birth, life, teachings, trials, passion, the cross, the ascension, and the culminated return, all things, my friends, all things, shifted and became new – SPIRITUALLY. This suggests a new heaven spiritually, a new earth spiritually, a new type of human (spiritually) new administration, new ideas, new worship, new freedoms, new “God on earth and in us” life! Yes, humanity has resisted the change and shift, striving hard to resist the new mind in Man. We have tried to keep the rules objective and institutional, reformatting almost another Nation of Israelites who, instead of worshipping the Law and their physical identities now worship the Bible and their cultural. But Christ inaugurated once and for

The Power of Belief and Stewardship

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. And that agape loveSelfless love marked by patience, mercy, and humility—central to living in spiritual liberty. and therefore believers.

1st Corinthians 13:7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And then to Revelation where John declares in the second to the last chapter,

Scriptural Insights

Revelation 21:1-2 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. We have directives strewn through the scripture but until they abide and thrive from the heart of us, empowered by Him in us, we will continue to fail and to fail to see how we as believers can better the material world around us.

Even from the mouths of ancient peoples we have wisdom on resting the land, rotating crops, animal husbandry, caring for our beasts, acting to eliminate unnecessary suffering, being responsible for the things around us, being grateful for them, fair about them, and considerate for neighbors. God even takes the time in Deuteronomy 22 to tell the nation how to deal with a birds nest they find in the road.

A Call to Stewardship

All the way out in Jeremiah, listen how YAHAVAH complains against the Nation, saying, Jeremiah 2:7-8 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

In the face of this beautiful Psalm, we suggest that believers today, all Christ-affirming, disciples of Him, begin to reverse the mindset of our forefathers (of recent modern history) and led the way – lead the way – in this victorious world where God is now all in all, on how to better govern, better subdue, better express the sacred stewardship God has given us – especially in the hands of those who love and serve Him. We will be back with you next week live!!!!!!

PRAYER