Psalm 104:1-9, Lord of Creation

Open any modern commentary on a Bible book and you will find what literary genre(s) might have been used by the biblical author. Among these genres is poetry, which is used most often to describe the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. However, we must be careful not to mistake the term poetry for unreal. Imagery is provided to aid readers in comprehending the message, but there is a very real message that needs to be understood and the nature of the imagery should be considered. I say this because there is already too much liberty taken by preachers to take verses out of context to support topical preaching (as opposed to biblical teaching), and genres like poetry and apocalyptic are often used as excuses to extract meanings from the texts that could not have possibly been understood by the readers of the author’s day.

Now that I’ve dragged you through this preamble, I would like to review Psalm 104 to determine what the metaphors suggest about how God created the Earth and universe. Genesis is not by any means the only biblical passage to describe the Lord’s creative work. Furthermore, Genesis was not written for the purpose of describing how God created everything but merely to establish that He did and in what order. So we have much to gain from other teaching in the Bible on this subject. Please note that all Bible quotes are from the NASB unless otherwise indicated.

1 Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

The unknown author begins by describing the universe as God’s clothing that entitles Him to “splendor and majesty” or honor and dignity. This description is not contested by true Christians but is willfully ignored by naturalists, who believe that everything in the universe can be explained by natural processes and, in its present state, exists as a matter of chance. Even most unbelievers in modern times admit that the scientific evidence for our universe’s beginning is compelling; however, they persist in disregarding the possibility of a creator. Such a conclusion is unreasonable to the point of absurdity. Unfortunately, this irrational thinking is to be expected. Paul teaches, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). In our present age, we are discovering that science and the Bible beautifully align regarding the necessity of the entire universe for human life to exist on Earth. While the Bible teaches us that God created the universe to demonstrate His existence, benevolence, and sovereignty, astronomers have learned in recent decades how the design and cosmic movement of the majority of celestial bodies have, over time, succeeded in uniquely preparing Earth (and only Earth that we know of) with elements necessary to support life.

2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, On the first day of creation, “God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light” (Gen. 1: 2). God’s clothes of “splendor and majesty” are initially covered by His cloak of light. At the moment of creation (the Big Bang), all one would have been able to see is light. Astronomers believe that light filled the universe for the first 300,000 years of history. By the time God created Adam, the Lord had removed His cloak of light (although leaving scientific evidence to corroborate verse 2 and other passages) to reveal His clothes of “splendor and majesty.”

Stretching out the heavens like a tent (NIV). Verse 2 also gives powerful imagery to support what scientists have only discovered since Einstein’s day: an expanding universe! As one would raise a tent (either in the Psalmist’ day or in our own), the middle is erected first followed by extending the outer boundaries. Could there be a better analogy for an expanding universe? This also agrees with modern science that the universe is not infinite but possesses borders just as a tent.

3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks on the wings of the wind;

The waters of verse 3 are not referring to the oceans and seas upon Earth’s surface. There are two contextual reasons for this: (1) God’s “upper chambers” would not be described as being below winds and clouds, and (2) the context has not yet changed from discussing the universe and atmosphere to the Earth. This is why Moses wrote, “God made the expanse, and separated the waters that were below the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse ‘heaven’ (Gen. 1:7-8).” Furthermore, Amos 1:9 reads, “The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, the Lord is His name.” The water likely describes the precipitation formed in the clouds and blown by the wind (see verse 13). Just as God’s ways are higher than our ways (and not even on the same plane of understanding), His realm of existence is above our realm of existence.

4 He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.

God is established as the creator and coordinator of angels. Just as the grandeur of the universe exceeds that of winds and lightning, God is superior to angels. Hebrews 1:7 switches the direct objects and indirect objects, writing, “And regarding the angels He says, “He makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.” The author of Hebrews was probably quoting the Septuagint, which also switches the Hebrew word-order.

5 He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever.

The author now transitions from creation of the universe to the Earth. For those who wonder how the Psalmist could possibly know about God’s universe being cloaked in light and expanding like a tent without divine inspiration, the knowledge regarding verse 5 will also puzzle them. The moon, which is only 4.25 billion years old, is younger than the Earth by about 340 million years. About 4.25 billion years ago a planetary body collided with the Earth. As that body broke apart, the moon was formed and remained in Earth’s gravitational field. As a result of the moon’s presence, our Earth was able to form an atmosphere able to sustain life (not just human life). One of the ways that the moon’s presence made life possible was to reduce the Earth’s rotation rate “so that it will not totter forever and ever.” This is not to suggest that the Earth will exist forever for two reasons: (1) the word “forever” can be used in Hebrew to mean a long but finite time, and (2) the Bible is clear that the earth will not last forever (Ps. 102:25-26; Matt. 24:35; Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 20:11).

6 You covered it with the deep sea as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains. 7 They fled from Your rebuke, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.

The third creation day contains much of Earth’s geological history. The world was created covered in water, but this does not mean that the entire Earth was comprised of H2O (Gen. 1:6-8). Psalm 104:6 explains that this global inundation of water covered existing mountains. This is precisely what geologists confirm, just as we learn in elementary school that the Earth has long been comprised of a core, mantle, and crust. Notice the order of what happens next: the waters fled. The heavens and earth also will flee on judgment day by means of “intense heat” (Rev. 20:22; 2 Pet. 3:10-12). The cause of “intense heat” is the means by which the universe flees into non-existence. Likewise, there would have been causes for the water to flee but over a long process, which is described next.

8 The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them. 9 You set a boundary so that they will not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth.

Young Earth Creationists would have Christians believe that the mountains and valleys of the world were formed in the span of one year during Noah’s Flood, which they teach was global in nature and occurred approximately 4,500 years ago. However, such an interpretation dismisses not only well-established geological findings but also the Psalmist, who explains that mountains rose and valleys sank as a result of the creation process. Pay attention that the mountains rose and the valleys sank: descriptions that align with the geological record consistent with a 4.59 billion year old Earth. Had the water simply receded, the mountains would only appear to rise. Since the continental drifts slowly form mountain ranges, we can know that the mountains really rose. With the billions of years of water carving out valleys (like the Grand Canyon), we can also know the valleys truly sank. Furthermore, God set boundaries of land in place so that waters “will not return to cover the earth.” This statement is at odds with the interpretation that Noah’s Flood was global. I highly recommend reading my blog entitled, “Was Noah’s Flood Global?” The rest of chapter 104 shifts from past tense to present tense (except verse 19) and expounds on God’s provisions for the needs and joy of His created beings upon the Earth.

In conclusion, there is no need to limit our understanding of God’s creation based on either genres like poetry or on Genesis 1 alone. We have the whole Bible at our disposal from which to glean information about creation and, more importantly, the nature of God. We also have all the universe and Earth to explore for signs of His creative fingerprints. All believers need to make two commitments in weighing evidence for different creation theories. First, we cannot be afraid of adjusting our theology based on new information. We do this with everything else in life. Why wouldn’t we be this reasonable with our faith in the Bible? It takes spiritual and mental maturity to want to understand what we believe in. And, to be frank, I grow tired of Christian leaders mistaking faith in their interpretations for faith in the Bible. We must grow to understand the difference and think for ourselves. Second, we must admit that God does not hide the evidence of His miraculous work. The six days/ages of creation were indeed miracles, but this does not mean that God deliberately deceives us by making the Earth or Universe appear to have been created in a different way or at a different time than He really did. Such a contradiction is against His nature. I welcome comments or questions on my contact page.

June 11, 2022