Commentary - Psalm 104:31-35

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 104 is a majestic hymn celebrating God as the Creator and Sustainer of all things. It is a detailed meditation on the Genesis account, but with the vibrant colors of poetry. The psalmist walks us through the created order, from the heavens to the earth, from the waters to the mountains, showing how God has wisely and wonderfully provided for every creature. The final section of the psalm, our text, brings this grand tour of creation to its fitting climax. The response to such overwhelming glory is not quiet contemplation, but rather a robust and multifaceted worship. This worship includes a desire for God's own joy, a holy trembling at His power, a lifetime commitment to song, a personal delight in Him, and a zealous concern for His holiness on earth. It concludes, as it began, with a summons to the soul: "Bless Yahweh, O my soul. Praise Yah!"

This passage is the logical and doxological conclusion to everything that has come before. If God is truly the Creator described in verses 1-30, then the response outlined in verses 31-35 is the only sane and righteous one. It moves from the objective reality of God's glory to the subjective response of the believer, and then back out to a desire for that objective reality to be reflected perfectly in the world through the removal of sin and wickedness. It is a comprehensive vision of worship that is both personal and cosmic.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 104 stands as a grand creation hymn, closely paralleling the structure of Genesis 1. It is a celebration of God's creative wisdom and providential care over the world He has made. Unlike a modern, detached scientific description, this psalm is intensely personal and relational. God is not an abstract force, but a personal Lord who clothes Himself with light, sets the foundations of the earth, and provides food for every living thing. The psalm begins and ends with the exhortation, "Bless Yahweh, O my soul," framing the entire meditation as an act of worship. Our passage forms the conclusion, where the psalmist, having surveyed the vastness and intricacy of God's work, turns to the appropriate response. This response is not just awe, but a deep, settled joy in God, a commitment to lifelong praise, and a righteous zeal for God's glory to be unopposed on earth. This final desire for the removal of the wicked is a common theme in the Psalms, reminding us that true worship cannot be indifferent to the presence of evil.

Key Issues

Commentary

31 Let the glory of Yahweh endure forever; Let Yahweh be glad in His works;

The psalmist begins his conclusion not with a request for himself, but with a desire for God. This is the essence of true worship; it is radically God-centered. The first petition is that God's glory would endure forever. This is not a shaky hope, but a confident affirmation of what will be, stated in the form of a prayerful desire. God's glory is the intrinsic weight and worth of His being, and the manifestation of that worth in His creation. The psalmist, having just recounted that glorious manifestation, prays that it would be a permanent fixture. This is a prayer that the universe would continue to do what it was made to do: declare the glory of God.

The second clause is striking: "Let Yahweh be glad in His works." We often think about our gladness in God, but here the focus is on God's gladness in us and in the world He has made. This is not the prayer of a gnostic who despises the material world. This is the prayer of one who, like God in Genesis 1, looks at creation and sees that it is "very good." He wants God to have the perpetual joy of a master craftsman delighting in his handiwork. This is a profoundly biblical sentiment. God is not a stoic, impassive deity. He is the happy God, and His joy is a fountain of joy for His creatures. Our joy is derivative; His is original. The highest aim of our existence is to be the kind of creature in whom God can rightly take delight.

32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

Lest we get too sentimental about God's gladness, the psalmist immediately reminds us of His awesome and terrifying power. This is the God who rejoices in His works, but He is not a tame God. His gladness is the gladness of a consuming fire. The language here is that of theophany, of the raw, unveiled presence of God. A mere glance from Him makes the whole earth tremble. A simple touch from His finger causes the mountains, those symbols of stability and permanence, to smoke like Sinai. This is not the power of a bully, but the inherent power of the Creator in relation to His creation. The creature cannot stand in the presence of the Creator without being undone. This trembling is not the fear of a slave before a tyrant, but the proper, creaturely awe before infinite holiness and might. This is the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. It is the necessary prerequisite for true worship. Without this holy dread, our songs of praise become flippant and our joy becomes superficial.

33 I will sing to Yahweh throughout my life; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

Having contemplated God's eternal glory and terrifying power, the psalmist now turns to his own personal response. And his response is to sing. Faced with a God who makes the earth tremble, the sane man does not run and hide; he picks up a guitar. This is the logic of faith. The response to God's fearsome majesty is not cowering silence, but joyful praise. And this is not a fleeting emotional reaction. He commits to it for the long haul: "throughout my life," "while I have my being." Worship is not a weekend hobby; it is the believer's entire vocation. It is the central business of our existence. The repetition emphasizes the totality of the commitment. As long as there is breath in his lungs, it will be used to praise his God. This is a settled, covenantal vow. It is a declaration of allegiance. My life belongs to God, and therefore the soundtrack of my life will be the praise of God.

34 Let my musing be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in Yahweh.

The worship described here is not just external. It is not just about the songs we sing, but also about the thoughts we think. "Let my musing be pleasing to Him." The word for "musing" refers to meditation, the inner conversation of the soul. The psalmist desires that the very meditations of his heart would be sweet-smelling to God. This is a prayer for sanctification at the deepest level. He understands that God is not just concerned with our outward performances, but with the state of our hearts. True worship flows from a heart that is captivated by God, a mind that loves to dwell on Him.

And the result of this God-centered life and God-centered mind is personal joy. "As for me, I shall be glad in Yahweh." Notice the contrast. The world seeks its gladness in created things, in circumstances, in accomplishments. But the believer's joy is located in a person: Yahweh Himself. This is the secret to a stable and resilient joy. If your gladness is in your circumstances, you will be a slave to your circumstances. But if your gladness is in the Lord, then you are free. For He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This is the great exchange of the gospel: we give Him our sin and our striving, and He gives us Himself, which is to say, He gives us joy unspeakable and full of glory.

35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth And let the wicked be no more. Bless Yahweh, O my soul. Praise Yah!

And now we come to the part that makes modern, sentimental Christians nervous. After all this talk of joy and singing and pleasing meditation, the psalm ends with what we call an imprecation, a curse. "Let sinners be consumed... let the wicked be no more." How does this fit? It fits perfectly. The psalmist has just spent an entire psalm celebrating the glorious, well-ordered world that God has made. He has rejoiced in God's provision for every creature. And sin is the great discordant note in this symphony. Wickedness is a rebellion against this good Creator. It is a marring of His beautiful world. Therefore, a love for God's glory must necessarily involve a hatred for that which dishonors Him. A desire for God to be glad in His works must involve a desire for the removal of that which grieves Him. This is not personal vindictiveness. It is a prayer for cosmic justice. It is a prayer that the earth would be as it was meant to be: a place where God's glory dwells without opposition. It is a prayer for the final victory of God, for the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And so, having prayed for the final cleansing of the earth, the psalmist returns to where he began. "Bless Yahweh, O my soul." This is the great bookend of the psalm. All of creation, all of theology, all of life, must begin and end with this. And then, as if that were not enough, he adds a final, explosive "Praise Yah!" This is Hallelujah. It is the cry of a soul that has seen the glory of the Lord and can do nothing else but erupt in praise. It is the fitting end to a magnificent psalm, and the fitting business of every redeemed soul for all eternity.

Application

First, we must learn to see the world as God's handiwork. This psalm is a master class in paying attention. We are surrounded by the glory of God, but we are often blind to it because we are distracted and self-absorbed. We need to cultivate the habit of looking at the world around us, from the grandest mountain to the smallest insect, and seeing it as a testament to the wisdom and power of our Creator. This is the foundation of all true worship.

Second, our worship must be God-centered. The psalmist's first desire is for God's glory and God's joy. Our worship services, our prayers, and our private devotions should be oriented around Him, not around our feelings or our needs. We come to give, not just to get. We come to ascribe worth to the One who is worthy of all praise.

Third, we must embrace the fear of the Lord. We live in a casual and irreverent age. We have domesticated God and made Him into a celestial buddy. This psalm reminds us that our God is a consuming fire. A true understanding of His holiness and power should produce in us a holy awe and trembling. This is not a fear that drives us away, but a fear that draws us in, in humble adoration.

Finally, we must not be ashamed of the imprecatory aspect of our faith. To love righteousness is to hate wickedness. To pray for the coming of God's kingdom is to pray for the overthrow of all rival kingdoms. We should pray for the conversion of our enemies, but we must also pray for the triumph of God's justice in the world. We must long for the day when sin and wickedness will be no more, and when the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. And until that day, our great business is to bless the Lord with our whole being, and to cry "Hallelujah!"