PSALMS LESSON 104

     We will continue with this lesson in Psalms 104:16 "The trees of
the LORD are full [of sap]; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath
planted;"

     There are several ways we could look at this Scripture. In the
physical, we know that the cedar tree is a very old tree, perhaps one
of the first trees upon the earth. I am told that the cedar tree has
roots as deep into the ground as they are tall. This would make them
very hard to uproot. You could cut them down, but it would be almost
impossible to uproot them. We know that the wood of the cedar does not
rot very easily. Some believe that a variety of this tree is what the
ark was made of. We read in the Scriptures, the cedars of Lebanon were
used in the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. We have cedar
lined closets in our house to keep moths and other insects out.
The aroma from the wood keeps pests away.

     We have been looking at all the Scriptures in this study more
from the spiritual standpoint. Let's look at this from that
standpoint. In the 17th chapter of Jeremiah and the 1st chapter of
Psalm, true believers are spoken of as a tree. If a person is the
strong believer they should be, their roots will go deep like this
cedar tree. You could kill them, but you could not uproot them from
their belief. They would be rooted and grounded in the Word of God.
Rot comes from decay. A true believer will not decay, because they
draw water from that well that never goes dry, and they are full of
sap, because they feed upon the Word. The cedars of Lebanon were used
to build God's temple. The believers in Christ are the lively stones
that the temple is made up of. In the spirit, the insects and pests
would be the worldly and those who are of the devil. Christians do not
fellowship with those of unbelief. The world can smell the beautiful
aroma that they put off though. Worldly people living around
believers, may not be converted to Christianity, but down deep they
admire you for the stand you have taken. If they ever have a truly
terrible problem, they come to you for help.

     Psalms 104:17 "Where the birds make their nests: [as for] the
stork, the fir trees [are] her house."

     The beautiful thing we must see here, is the fact that each bird
has its own peculiarities. God provides for the needs of each, He does
not provide the same for both, because their needs are not the same.

     Psalms 104:18 "The high hills [are] a refuge for the wild goats;
[and] the rocks for the conies."

     It seems that the conies were something like our rabbits, but
more wild. They hid in the rocks for safety. Believers in the Lord
pray to the Father to hide them in the Rock where there is safety.
Jesus is the Rock. Wild goats are high upon the hill to see danger
when it comes. They are colored almost the same as the terrain around
them. An unskilled eye would never be able to see them.

     Psalms 104:19 "He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth
his going down."

     Each thing that God created had its purpose. We see in the
following Scripture the reason for the moon being created. Genesis
1:14 "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven
to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for
seasons, and for days, and years:" The Hebrew's calendar changes
months with the new moon. The seasons mentioned above could, also,
mean mark the time of the feasts of the Lord, as well. In one
particular dream, the sun symbolized the father of Joseph, and the
moon symbolized the mother. The moon is a reflection of the sun. The
sun is the brightest and the moon reflects off the sun. This is true
with husband and wife spiritually. The wife and husband are one in the
flesh. The wife is a reflection of her husband, in a sense.

     Psalms 104:20 "Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all
the beasts of the forest do creep [forth]."

     Darkness is an absence of the light. Evil things happen under the
cover of darkness that would not be done in the light of day. The
beasts of prey are out more at night. They are trying to find
something to kill. The best thing to do with darkness is to rest and
sleep. The only other thing is to shine the light and make it day.

     Psalms 104:21 "The young lions roar after their prey, and seek
their meat from God."

     In the physical, a lion hunts at night. He is hoping to find an
animal off guard, so that he can kill him. We know, looking at this
from the spiritual standpoint, the devil is like a roaring lion going
through the earth seeking whom he may devour. Both are night
creatures.

     Psalms 104:22 "The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together,
and lay them down in their dens."

     When it becomes daylight, the lion, in the physical, goes and
lies down and rests. He can not sneak up on his prey in the daytime.
In the spiritual, Light does away with darkness. The devil has no
power to destroy when the Light of Jesus is shining.

     Psalms 104:23 "Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour
until the evening."

     Man was made the opposite of this beast of prey. Mankind is a
daytime being. They work while it is day and rest after dark,
ordinarily. We know that we who are of the Light {Jesus Christ} are to
work while it is day. There will come a day of darkness, when man
cannot work any more. This evening, spoken of, could be of each day,
or the evening of our life, as well. Christians are to shine forth the
Light of Jesus. We pray that we are a Light set upon a hill for all to
see. Jesus is the Light, we are the fixture that you can see His Light
in.
     Psalms 104:24 "O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast
thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."

     We look at the world around us and see great beauty and order in
these things. If we admire the earth and all that it contains, how
much more should we admire the Creator of it all? The LORD of all the
earth is greatly to be praised by His creation.

     Psalms 104:25 "[So is] this great and wide sea, wherein [are]
things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts."

     Again, we remember that the 104th Psalm is a Psalm of the
creation of the world and everything in it. Acts 14:15 "And saying,
Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with
you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto
the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all
things that are therein:" Let me show one more Scripture on this.
Genesis 1:21 "And God created great whales, and every living creature
that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their
kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that [it was]
good." As we said before, all of this was made for mankind.

     Psalms 104:26 "There go the ships: [there is] that leviathan,
[whom] thou hast made to play therein."

     Leviathan, in this particular Scripture, means a wreathed animal,
a serpent. It, also, means the constellation of the dragon. This is a
piercing serpent that will bite you, if he has a chance. This
leviathan is at the bottom of the sea. The ships ride over the top of
the waves. In many instances, the seas mean the worldly people.  We do
know that Noah was saved by a great ship that floated above the world
and the lost in the flood.

     Psalms 104:27 "These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give
[them] their meat in due season."

     We know that God is not only the Creator of all, but He is the
provider for their needs, as well. When He established the earth, He
made specific things to be food for specific animals, and fish, and
fowl. Man is not like the animals. Man not only needs food for his
body, but must have food for his spirit, as well. Man, alone, needs
food for his soul. Jesus said, Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said,
It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."  The needs of man are not
only physical, but spiritual, as well.

     Psalms 104:28 "[That] thou givest them they gather: thou openest
thine hand, they are filled with good."

     All of God's creation of beings with life, must gather the food
that He has provided for them. An animal can be in a field of clover,
but will not be blessed by it, until he begins to eat. He must be
moved to eat of what is provided, before he will be blessed. God gives
freely to His children, as well, but we must reach out and take what
He has offered. If we have our hand clenched in a fist, we can not
receive what He is trying to give us. This can be spiritual, as well
as physical.

     Psalms 104:29 "Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou
takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust."

     About the worst thing that can happen to us, is for God to turn a
deaf ear to our cry. How many times in this lesson, have I said that
the next breath we breathe is a gift from God?. When He takes the
breath of life away, we die. Our body will return to the dust from
which it was made. Our Spirit will live forever. If we are a
Christian, our spirit body will live in heaven with the Lord Jesus.
I Corinthians 15:44 "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a
spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual
body."

     Psalms 104:30 "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created:
and thou renewest the face of the earth."

     There are two creations really. God at first made man of the dust
of the earth, and breathed the breath of life in him, and he became a
living soul. The second birth is that of the spirit of man. God is
actually creating each day. Creation as such is an ongoing thing.
I Corinthians 15:45 "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made
a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit." We know
that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:1 "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."

     Psalms 104:31 "The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the
LORD shall rejoice in his works."

     God is from everlasting to everlasting. There is a time mentioned
in the Bible when God was sorry that He had made man. He drowned all
of them in the flood, except Noah and his family. God loves all of His
children and wants to fellowship with us. We are His children, if we
accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour.  After each thing that the Word of
God created, He said it was good. His creations were all good. There
is reason to rejoice.

     Psalms 104:32 "He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he
toucheth the hills, and they smoke."

     The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is speaking
of the terribleness of God. The earth and inhabitants tremble before
Him. He can do whatever He wants to with His creation. If He is
displeased with it, it is within His power to destroy it. The earth
and its people tremble, because they are guilty of sin. Whether this
is speaking of a volcano, or whether these are lofty people who His
fire descends on are both bad.

     Psalms 104:33 "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I
will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
     We see the penman coming from the awesomeness of God, to what he
is going to do about it. He has determined in his heart to praise the
Lord, while there is life within him. Songs are one of the very best
ways to praise the Lord. He would be a sweet, sweet sound in the ear
of the Lord.

     Psalms 104:34 "My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be
glad in the LORD."

     The penman here, says, that even his thoughts are sweet to him.
To think upon the Lord and His blessings bring pleasant thoughts. We
must be glad when we think of the wonderful provision the Lord has
made for us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

     Psalms 104:35 "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and
let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye
the LORD."

     This is as if he has read of the terrible wrath that will come
upon the earth and the evil people of the earth who did not repent. He
says, even though this is so, I will bless the Lord with everything
that is within me. This Psalm began with praise and ends with praise.
This should be the state of the Christians. We should get up in the
morning praising the Lord and go to bed at night praising Him. We must
not look with regret at the outcome of the sinners. They will be
judged fairly. We must do what we can to convert them, and if they
won't listen, we must say with the penman here: let it be. Praise the
Lord.


























                             Questions 104

1.  The trees of the Lord are full of ___.
2.  What are some of the things we know about the cedar tree in the
    physical?
3.  From what standpoint have we been studying these lessons.
4.  Compare the physical cedar to the believers.
5.  What two chapters in the Bible show the believer as a tree?
6.  Where does the stork make her nest?
7.  Where is a refuge for the wild goat?
8.  Where do the conies hide?
9.  What did God appoint the moon for?
10. Quote Genesis chapter 1 verse 14.
11. What relation does the moon have to the sun?
12. What is darkness?
13. What creeps forth at night?
14. When does the lion kill its prey generally?
15. The _____ is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
16. What does away with darkness?
17. When does the devil have no power to destroy?
18. What is different about man and his working habits from these
    animals?
19. What are we to shine for the world to see?
20. Quote Psalms chapter 104 verse 24.
21. The 104th Psalm is a Psalm of the ___________.
22. What does leviathan mean?
23. What are the seas symbolic of many times?
24. What is God, besides the Creator of all?
25. Man needs what in addition to food for his body?
26. Quote Matthew chapter 4 verse 4.
27. God gives to His children freely, but what must we do?
28. What is about the worst thing that can happen to a person?
29. What happens, if God removes our breath?
30. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 44.
31. What is born in the second birth?
32. Quote Revelation chapter 21 verse 1.
33. When did God say He was sorry that He made man?
34. He looketh on the earth, and it ___________.
35. He touched the hills, and they _______.
36. The penman says, he will praise the Lord how long?
37. What did the penman say brought him pleasant thoughts?
38. Quote Psalms chapter 104 verse 35.