Psalms 105:1

 Psalms 105:1 says, O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.  Giving thanks to God and making His works known to people is what we as followers of Christ should be doing today as well.  Verse two adds, Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.  We do this in worship services in the church building, but we should do this out in the world as well.  Verse three continues, Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. David called on the people of Isreal to glory in the holy name of God and to let the hearts of those who sought Him rejoice.  This is what we need in America today.  Christians should glory in the name of God and those that seek and find God through faith in Jesus Christ should rejoice.  Verse four states, Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.  As David said, we need to seek God's strength as we live life everyday.  Verse five adds, Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;  As we remember the marvelous works that God has done, the most important one I believe is the work of redemption when Jesus Christ came to die for our sins.  Verse six says, O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.  Israel was God's chosen people then, and we as followers of Christ are His chosen people today.  It was not because the people of Isreal were better than other people because of who they were physically, but because of their relationship to God spiritually that they were His chosen people, and so it is with Christians today.  Verse seven adds, He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.  David said that God was their God and His judgments applied not only to Isreal but to all the world.  This is still true today.  Verse eight continues, He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.  God's word is everlasting and we fall somewhere within that thousand generations.  Verse nine states, Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;  God entered into a covenant relationship with Abraham and continued it with Isaac, and it has never ceased to exist for those who put their faith in Him.  As followers of Christ, that covenant relationship is just as true today as it was then.  Verse ten adds, And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:  Again, David tells us that God's covenant relationship with His people is an everlasting covenant.  Verse eleven continues, Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:  God promised the people of Israel the lord of Canaan, and He promises us a much better place today, and that is our heavenly home. Verse twelve concludes, When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.  When God promised the people of Israel the land of Canaan, they were a very small group of people, but they served an all powerful God.  No matter how small we may be in numbers today as Christians, we serve an all powerful God so we should sing His praises to the world no matter what. 

Psalms 104:24

Psalms 104:24 says, O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.  The works of God are certainly manifold and made in the riches of His wisdom.  Nothing was created by accident, in spite of what many people would have us believe.  Verse twenty-five adds, So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.  The seas are a part of God's creation, separated from the land by His word.  Verse twenty-six continues, There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.  The ships, made by man, sail on the seas God created, and the seas are full of the sea creatures which God created.  Verse twenty-seven continues, These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.  All the creatures of the sea are dependent upon God for their food, and so are we really.  We may believe that we provide for ourselves, but God can take it all away were He to choose to do so.  Verse twenty-eight states, That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.  Just as God provides for the sea animals out of His gracious hand, so does He provide for us as followers of Christ.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.  As David said about fish, if God takes away their breath, they die, and so do we.  God is the Giver and Sustainer of all life.  Verse thirty continues, Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.  Once more, we are reminded that God is the Creator of everything, and it is by His power that the earth is renewed, or fruitful.  Verse thirty-one declares, The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.  We may look around us and think the world is a terrible place and doomed to destruction, but we are reminded that God's glory will endure forever and that the LORD will rejoice in His work.  When God created the heavens and earth and all that live in them He pronounced them to be good, and one day He will restore everything to its original status, except for mankind, which will only be restored by faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  All others will go away to the place of suffering that God has prepared for them.  Verse thirty-two adds, He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.  Just as the psalmist said then, God has complete power over His creation.  Only people are the exception, because God gave them self will.  Verse thirty-four says, I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.  As followers of Christ, this should be our goal as well.  We should sing praises to God for as long as we live.  Verse thirty-four adds, My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.  David said that his mediation on the LORD would be sweet and that he would be glad in Him.  No matter what is going on in life, we should be glad when we think about God and all that He has done for us.  Verse thirty-five continues, 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.  Though this will not happen until Chist returns, one day the sinners who do not accept Him as Savior and Lord will be consumed out of the earth.  We as Christians in the meantime need to simply praise the Lord. 

Psalms 104:10

Psalms 104:10 says, He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.  Verse eleven adds, They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.  God causes the springs to water the valleys, which then quech the thirst of the wild beasts.  God created everything to work in an orderly fashion, but people corrupted His creation because God gives them free will.  Verse fourteen continues, By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.  Not only do the streams provide water to drink, they also allow the grass and trees to grow, which provide food for the animals and a home for the birds.  Verse thirteen states, He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.  The water of the springs come from within the earth.  It satisfies the needs of the fruit of the earth.  Verse fourteen adds, 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;  God not only provides water, but He provides food for people and animals.  Some might claim that God isn't doing a very good job of providing these things, but the problems exist because of the sinful corruption of mankind.  Verse fifteen continues, And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.  We are told that God made the wine that makes the heart glad, which would indicate to me that it is just regular wine and not more like grape juice, and the oil and bread.  God provides for all our needs and even gives us things to bring pleasure into our life.  Verse sixteen says, The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;  Verse seventeen adds, Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.  Once again it is stated that God gives us trees which are the home of the birds among other things.  Verse eighteen states, The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.  The high hills serve as a home for the goats and the rocks for the conies.  Matthew Henry says the high hills and rocks are a refuge for those animals that are not as swift as others.  God provided a place of refuge for all of the animals He created, even people, before people through sin corrupted God's design.  Verse nineteen declares, He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.  God also created the moon to declare the seasons and the sun to rise and set.  Verse twenty adds, Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.  David said God created the darkness, and that during the darkness of night the beasts of the forest creep forth.  Verse twenty-one continues, The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.  During the night,the lions hunt their prey, which is said to provide meat from God.  Verse twenty-two states, The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.  After the sun rises, the lions go to their dens to rest.  Verse twenty-three adds, Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.  I believe this is saying that because the beasts prowl at night, people did their work during the daytime.  With the invention of electric lights, this may no longer be true, but we still would be reluctant to go out into the dark without a light, especially in some parts of the world.  God created the world in perfection, and one day He will restore it to perfection. 

LUK2:08 says, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  That first Christmas night there was a group of lowly shepherds going about their normal night.  There was nothing that said it was anything special.  Verse nine adds, And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  Suddenly, the night was no longer normal as an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and they were very afraid.  We may not have an angel appear to us on Christmas day, but as followers of Christ, Christmas should always be a day that reminds us of the good news that the angel was going to share with the shepherds, and we have no reason to be afraid.  Verse ten adds, And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  The good tidings of great joy that the angel shared with the shepherds was for all people.  We may not have been there that night, but this good news was for us as well.  Verse eleven declares, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  This is the true and only meaning of Christmas.  A Savior was born that day Who is Christ the Lord.  He is the One and only Savior, so let's not forget the reason we celebrate Christmas.  Verse twelve adds, And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  The angel said that the shepherds would find the Savior not as a king in power but as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.  Jesus was born as any other baby was born, but He was the only begotten Son of God.  Verse thirteen continues, And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Verse fourteen adds, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  For the shepherds, this became anything but a normal night, and if we have met Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, this day should be a celebration of His birth, a Savior Who is Christ the Lord.  

Today, on Christmas eve, we will pause a little to think about that first Christmas eve.  There were no Christmas trees or light displays, just people gathering to be taxed and counted.  For Mary and Joseph, there was no on-line booking, nor even a room when they did finally get to Bethlehem the next day.  For Mary especially it was a very hard journey, but she had no choice but to go.  So, as we look at the lights and the decorated trees today from the comfort of our room or car, let's remember that first Christmas eve and how little people had to celebrate then, before the Savior, the Redeemer of mankind, was born the next day.  

Psalms 104:1

Psalms 104:1 says, Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.  David says that his soul should bless the LORD.  It is our soul, the everlasting part of us, that needs to bless God for His greatness.  Verse two adds, Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:  God does cloth Himself in the light of truth and the heavens are His home.  Verse three continues, Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:  God is above all creation and is in control of it.  I don't believe this means that everything that happens is caused by God, because He has allowed Satan to have temporary power in the world, but God was, is and always will be the ultimate authority.  Verse four states, Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:  The angels are a part of God's creation, and are His ministers, except I believe for those who followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God.  Still, they are limited in power compared to God.  Verse five adds, Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.  God laid the foundations of, or created, the earth by His own design and it will not be destroyed by anything unless God Himself destroys it.  Verse six declares, Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.  David said that the earth was covered with water.  The waters were above the mountains.  We read occasionally that certain places in the world that are now very dry were once under water, and this tells us that this is true.  I don't profess to understand how God created as He did, but I believe that He is the Creator of all.  Verse seven adds, At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.  God set the seas in their boundaries so that they no longer cover the dry land.  Verse eight continues, They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.  God placed the seas in valleys that He created for them.  Verse nine concludes, Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.  God has set boundaries for the seas so that they will never again cover the earth.  God set His creation in order and continues to be in control of it.

Psalms 103:12

Psalms 103:12 says, As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  David said when we put our faith in God that we are completely separated from our sins.  Verse thirteen adds, Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.  Though this says a father pitieth his children, I believe at means has compassion for his children.  Like earthly fathers, God has a great compassion for His children.  Verse fourteen continues, For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.  God knows the weak state of mankind.  We were created out of dust and we will return to dust.  Verse fifteen states, As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. David continues to speak about the brief physical nature of the life of people, though our soul will live forever.  Verse sixteen adds, For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.  I believe this is saying that when our brief life here on earth is gone that it is gone forever.  We are not coming back in some other form or as someone else. Verse seventeen declares, But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; As opposed to our temporary physical body, God's mercy is everlasting to those who put their faith in Him through accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse eighteen adds, To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.  As followers of Christ, we certainly should remember and obey God's commandments, even though salvation comes through our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse nineteen continues, The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.  God's kingdom is in the heavens, and one day we as Christians will gather around His throne.  Verse twenty says, Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.  This tells us that even the angels are to bless God.  Though some people seem to think so, we will never be angels.  Verse twenty-one adds, Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.  All of creation is called on to worship God, but in this case refers to the angels in particular, as they are ministers of God's will.  Verse twenty-two continues, Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.  We are to bless the LORD for all His works in all places that He has dominion, which is everywhere.