In this psalm, the author focusses on the greatness of God as revealed in his creation. He imagines the sky has a big tent and the light of the sun as God’s clothes – as Calvin observed, ‘although God is invisible, yet his glory is conspicuous enough.’ The seas are the foundation of this building, and the clouds are the chariots that convey him throughout it as they are blown along by the wind. The psalmist uses those illustrations to highlight the bigness of God, that he can do what humans cannot do. Even the angels are his servants. The planet is like a large temple in which God reveals himself so that he can be worshipped and served (vv. 1-4).
In verses 5-9, the psalmist considers what happened when God made all things at the beginning. It is interesting to compare these verses with what Genesis 1 says. Initially it was all water (v. 6), but God used his power to change things so that valleys and mountains appeared. The waters are now prevented from moving from their place. (It is possible that the author has the flood of Noah in mind here.)
In verses 10-12, the author notices how God gives water to animals and birds; in verses 13-15, he mentions how God sends water (rain) so that grass and other vegetation and trees will grow for the blessing of humans and provide for their needs; in verses 16-17, he waters the trees so that birds build their nests on them; the mountains and rocks on which the rains fell are the place where wild animals can live (v. 18).
In verses 19-23, he considers how the sun and the moon control life, whether animal or human. The darkness is when wild animals roam and hunt and are provided for by God. Daylight is when humans work and then return home for the evening. His conclusion about what happens on land is that the Lord has wisely ordered how his creatures will live, even although there are great differences between the various kinds (v. 24)
What about the sea? It is full of small and great creatures, and the psalmist notices that some of them frolic (maybe he has whales in mind). Nevertheless, ships can sail. Both humans on the ships and creatures of the sea need God to provide for them, and he does so abundantly by opening his hand (vv. 25-28).
Nevertheless, over it all is the dark shadow of death on all his creatures, even although the Lord is the source of life in all generations, whether that life is human, animal or vegetable (vv. 29-30). This is a reminder that the earth is under God’s curse as well as God’s care.
The psalmist praises God for his works in creation. He desires that the Lord would have pleasure in his creation through all the activities in which he engages. But he knows that before there can be true harmony in creation, a great change must take place. Therefore he prays for the time when sinners will be no more. He does not pray like this because he desires divine judgement on them. Rather he prays for a world in which all things, including humans, will live in harmony forever, and his longing will be fulfilled in the new heavens and new earth yet to come.
As Spurgeon said about this psalm, ‘It is every way our sweetest consolation that the personal God is still at work in the world — leviathan in the ocean and the sparrow on the bough may be, alike, glad of this, and we, the children of the great Father, much more!
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