A Commentary on the Book of Psalms: Psalm 103 — God Is to Be Praised for His Mighty Works; and Wonderful Providence
24 An exclamation in admiration of the works of God all over the earth, and a sort of conclusion from the six foregoing considerations. His admiration turns on the excellence, wisdom, and multitude of God’s works. In regard of their excellence he says, “how great are thy works!” how splendid, noble, superior, and worthy of all praise are thy works, O Lord! In regard of their wisdom he says, “Thou hast made all things in wisdom;” nothing has been done by chance or at random; everything has been done, with consummate prudence and judgment, so that there is not too much or too little to be found anywhere; in fine, there is no one thing where God’s wisdom does not shine forth and appear, and especially in the formation and construction of the human frame, and of all its minutest parts. In regard of the number of his works he says, “The earth is filled with thy riches.” These beautiful, valuable, extraordinary works, formed with such consummate skill, are not few in number, for they are innumerable; they fill the whole world, they are to be found everywhere, so that the earth may be truly said to be “filled with thy riches.”
25–27 Having praised God’s wisdom by reason of his works in the heavens, the air, and on the earth, he, at length, comes to the sea, and sings of God’s wisdom as displayed therein, by reason of its extent, the multitude and variety of its fishes, its utility as a highway for shipping, and the magnitude of one of its denizens, the whale; and comes to the conclusion that all those animals, and not only those of the deep, but all animals in general, however innumerable, are supported and maintained by God. “This great sea which stretcheth wide its arms.” This great sea, too, is one of the wonderful works of God, great in its depth, great in its extent, and as the strength of a man is judged by the extent to which he can stretch out his arms, we can infer what the power and might of the sea is, when we look at its various and extensive ramifications. “There are the creeping things without number.” Another of the wonderful works of God to be found in the sea is, that notwithstanding the incredible and daily capture of fish over the world, they still so abound that they are “without number,” which fecundity was alluded to when the Creator said to them, “Increase and multiply and fill the waters of the sea.” Add to this their variety, which is nearly infinite, to which he alludes when he says, “Creatures little and great.”—“There the ship shall go.” Another wonderful attribute of the sea is its being able to bear up ships laden with the heaviest materials, transporting them with facility from one part of the world to the other, and thus promoting man’s comforts by the blessings of trade and commerce. “This sea dragon which thou hast formed to play therein.” Great and heavy as the ships may be, a greater and a heavier burden still is borne by the same waters, and not only borne by them, but this great sea dragon skips about and “plays therein.” And all these animals, great and small, so living in the sea, were not only created, but are even fed and supported daily by God. “All expect of thee that thou give them their food in season.”
28–29 He repeats, at greater length, that all animals are so dependent on God, that when he opens his hand to give them food, they all live, and when he closes his hand, in refusal of the food, they die; and though, strictly speaking, this is said of those in the deep, it is true in regard of all animals, who equally depend upon God. “What thou givest to them they shall gather up.” If you cooperate with them through secondary causes, or rather yourself move the secondary causes, and by your assistance help them to procure their food, “they shall gather up,” and, therefore, live. “When thou openest thy hand they shall be all filled with good;” a repetition, in different language, of the same idea, which clearly proves God to be the author of all good, and without whose assistance neither the art of man, nor the fertility of the soil, can be of any avail. “But if thou turnest away thy face they shall be troubled.” If you turn from them in anger they will feel it severely, they will be troubled; “they will fail,” die away, for “you will take away their breath,” the spirit of life you infused into them; “and shall return to their dust,” the mother earth from whence they sprang.
30 He proves that God’s power should be greatly praised and extolled from the fact of his being able to restore life to things he had deprived of life, a thing he can do even in individual cases, as he actually will do in the resurrection of the dead on the day of judgment; however, he speaks here of resurrection, not in the individual, but in the species, for God deprives a thing of life, when, by various ways, he suffers it to die; and, again, he infuses the spirit of vitality into animals, by a new generation; and thus, “he renews the face of the earth,” by filling it with all manner of animals.
31 Having explained the wonderful works of God in the heavens, the air, the land, and the sea, he concludes the Psalm with prayer, using the first petition in the Lord’s prayer. “May the glory of the Lord endure forever.” May the Lord always be praised, not only by the words, but also by the life and conduct of his servants. “The Lord shall rejoice in his works;” hence will come to pass, that God will always be glad of what he shall have done, and will have no occasion to regret or be sorry for it, as he did in Genesis, where we read that “God, seeing the wickedness of men upon the earth was great, and being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart, he said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” God cannot suffer sorrow, nor regret, nor joy; but the prophet uses the ordinary mode of expression, to convey to us, that God, in order to punish sinners, destroys his own work, just as those do who regret having produced a work; while, on the contrary, he cherishes and regards with fondness other works of his, to reward the just, as those who are proud of having produced them.
32 Having said that all created things were the works of the Lord, he proves it briefly, from the fact that such is the power of God over all creation, that a single look of his makes the earth tremble, and a touch of his ignites the very mountains, alluding to God’s descent on mount Sinai, when the whole mountain smoked and trembled.
33–34 Another petition, that his praise may be pleasing to God. As I wish that God should be praised by all, I too, “will sing to the Lord as long as I live,” and will celebrate his praise, not only with my voice, but also with the psaltery. But this I ask and pray for, “that my speech be acceptable to him;” that is, that the hymn I shall constantly chant to his praise may be agreeable to his Majesty, and I, too, “will take delight in the Lord;” will be delighted in loving him, and in constantly reflecting on his goodness.
35 This is the last petition, praying that those sinners who know not how to praise God “be consumed out of the earth,” either that they be no longer sinners, by being converted, or if they will not be converted, that they be cast beneath the earth, never again to appear.