PSALM 104


1 Bless Yahweh, O my soul. O Yahweh my Elohim, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Through the vast oceans of space his dominion extends through his Spirit, through his angelic agents or mighty messengers. Pslm.62.11 

"power belongeth unto God." "He spake and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast." Pslm 33.9. "Let all the earth fear Yahweh: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." (Pslm.33.8).

INTELLIGENT DESIGN NOT CHANCE

Psalm 104 is a glorious hymn of Creation or as the superscription says

"A meditation on the power and Providence of God and of his eternal glory."

It is a word painting of Creation and the 'Creator; who keeps all creation in balance and order by his immutable power wisdom and laws (v.24) through the Elohim (v.4). In the grand scheme of celestial architecture, the earth and its elements and life are shown as dependent and interdependent on the One Supreme Creator; the great focal centre of energy and light and power (1 Tim.6.15,16).

Should one, of these components of the celestial architecture fail, such as gravity, or light, or energy (Spirit), in its diverse forms, then would the whole system collapse into chaos.

It is all sustained by the power vested in the myriads of Elohim, ministers of flaming fire, who are continuously creating new worlds and galaxies, so that man has never reached the furthest confines of the Universe with his most powerful telescopes.

The Copernican revolution,

Kepler, Galileo (tried for heresy), Newton simply discovered the true arrangements and forces that underpin the Cosmos in all its mathematical beauty and glory, and of the solar system, its perpetual motions wheels within wheels, like a giant clockwork mechanism, which unlike Big Ben, needs no adjustments and maintenance century after century, determining in their relative motions and cycles or orbits the times and the seasons (Gen. 1.14) .*




3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

We believe that the word is derived from the root rachav, "to ride" whether on an animal or in a vehicle. By transposing the first two letters and heemantively inserting wav before the last, we have "cherub" or that which is ridden -- in the plural, "cherubim." This convertibility of' the verb rachav into the noun "cherub" is illustrated in Psalms 18:10, thus:

WY-YIRCHAV

And-he-rode

CHERUB-AL

upon-a-cherub

WI-YOPH

and flew

...the clouds are styled Yahweh's r' chuv or chariot, which is "ch'rub.," with the first two letters transposed.

The "Cherubim," then, constitute a vehicle, in and upon which the Eternal Power self-styled "Ehyeh" or "Yahweh," rides as in a chariot. Hence, David, in speaking of them in 1 Chron. 28:18, terms them ham-merchavah hak-cheru- vim," "the chariot of the Cherubim" which, he says, "spread out and covered the ark of covenant of Yahweh."

The Spirit is the rider, and the Cherubim the "clouds," the "horses," the "chariots," the "living creatures," the "wheels," the "great waters," the "winged host," upon which He rides. Hence, of the Eternal Spirit it is said: "Behold, He cometh with clouds" -- the clouds of His witnesses, of whom the present evil aion, or course of things, is not worthy (Rev. 1:7; Heb. 12:1; 1 Thess. 4:17); and again:

"Was Thy wrath against the sea that Thou didst ride upon Thine horses, Thy chariots of salvation? Thou didst march through the sea with Thine horses, through the heap of great waters" (Hab. 3:8, 15);

also,

"Whither the Spirit was to go the living creatures went .... and they ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. And the noise of their wings was like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, as the noise of a host" (Ezek. 1:12, 14, 24; Rev. 1:15; 19:14).

In this last citation, wings, great waters, Almighty, and host, all refer to the same company -- a multitudinous embodiment of the Effluence of the Eternal Father, who soars on these wings of the Spirit. Wy-yaide-al chanphai ruach (Ps. 18:10).

But the Eternal Spirit not only "rides upon," "soars upon," and "flies upon," but the Father by that Spirit also "inhabits the Cherubim." David, in Psalm 80, and Hezekiah in Isaiah 37:16, say in their address to Yahweh,

"O Yahweh of Hosts, Elohim of Israel, inhabiting the Cherubim, shine forth, Thou, He, the Mighty Ones (athtah-hu ha-Elohim). Thou alone of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou didst make the heavens and the earth."

Phanerosis - Yahweh Manifested in Cherubim



4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

The Cherubim stationed as guards at the east of Eden's garden were certain Elohim or powerful Ones, detailed by the Eternal Spirit for the protection of the Life-Imparting Tree, and "the Way," that led thereto. Hence, all communications from the Eternal throne for the instruction of mankind would pass through them. Themselves corporeal localizations of Spirit, they were vehicles in and by which were conveyed "the mysteries of the faith," into which they desired to look, but were not able (1 Pet. 1:12; Mark 13:32).

These "conveying vehicles" or chariots of the Eternal Spirit, were "public official spirits sent forth for service on account of those hereafter to inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14). Hence, they are styled Malachim Yahweh, angels or messengers of the Eternal Power, self-styled Ehyeh or Yahweh. David, addressing these Angel-Elohim, says:

"Bless ye Yahweh, ye His angels, mighty of power, executing his command, hearkening to the voice of His word. Bless ye, Yahweh, all ye His hosts, His attendants, executing His pleasure";

and elsewhere

"O Yahweh, my Elohim"! -- O Eternal One, my Mighties -- "Thou art very great, covering Thyself with light as a garment, spreading out the heavens as a curtain; who makest dark clouds His chariot; who goes on the wings of spirit, making His messengers spirits, His attendants a flaming fire. He established the earth upon its foundations, that nothing shall be moved during the age and beyond" olahm wah-ed (Psalm 103:20; 104:1-5).

The angelo-elohal cherubic executors of the mandates of the Eternal Power, through His effluence, created our terrestrial system, which is subjected to their secondary administration in all its relations, until "a New Order of Cherubim" shall have been manifested to supersede them.

Until then, all things pertaining to this present "evil world," aion, or course of things, are under their supervision and control. They cause all things to work together for good to them who love the "Eternal Ail," and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). That purpose is the polar star of their administration; so that nothing among the kingdoms and empires of the world is permitted to prosper that would contravene it.

Phanerosis - Yahweh Manifested in Cherubim



5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

...the primeval state of the earth, its foundations (core, mantle, crust), its vast oceans and hydrosphere; gaseous cycles, protective atmospheric spheres and forces.

None of this by chance.*


7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.


9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

...the third day of Creation (Gen, 1.9,10) when a new earth was born from the miry waters on the third day speaking of Christ's resurrection and the establishment of a whole new divine order on the earth. The waters fled, raging and roaring until they were calmed and set to bounds, typtifying Armageddon and the peace of the kingdom - a sea of glass after the storm (Rev 4.6, 15.2), flesh bound within Yahweh's laws (Is.2.3,4).*


10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.


13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

...a beautiful picture of the proliferation of new life as a result of the life giving waters that refresh and rejuvenate the hills and valleys of the earth, echoing the work of Days 3, 4,5, and 6. This new life was spread by the work of the prophets and apostles (Gen.17, Ex.20, Acts 2, Deut. 32.2) and will ultimate in the new Heavens and New Earth (Is.11, Is.65, Is.60, Ezk.40-48), Christ the centre of that new life which cometh from above (Jhn.6.63).*



15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

Day 6 Man's dependence on God's blessings; the grass, the herbs, the wine and oil and bread of life.

"Oh that men would praise Yahweh for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men," (Pslm. 107.8).

Yet the opposite is true. Man has polluted and defiled the earth, and God will destroy such as destroy the earth, and nations will tremble (Rev.1.l8, Mic.7.16,17).*



16 The trees of Yahweh are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

17 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

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

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

21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from El.

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

23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.



24 O Yahweh, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

.

Consider the composition of the atmosphere: consider the constitution of the earth: consider the structure of the vegetation that flourishes upon it. Examine the tiniest blade of grass, the meanest insect, the commonest animal: they all exemplify, in the most perfect manner, the adaptation of means to ends - beneficent ends.

Yea, this prevailing wisdom is more prevailing still. There are creatures we cannot see: here also, when the microscope makes them visible, we behold the most perfect mechanical contrivances for fulfilling the objects of being.

In our own bodies, we carry about a whole world of such contrivances. Our general structure is a masterpiece of wisdom: our constitution in detail is an almost endless series of wise appliances, not to speak of the wonderful apparatus of digestion and assimilation, the fibre of every muscle, the minute vessels of every blood-holding part, yea, the discs in every drop of blood strike the highest intelligence dumb with admiration of the wisdom with which all things have been contrived.

Seasons 1.101




The true form of the rainbow is a circle, symbol of perfection and endlessness, like the spirit-wheels of Ezekiel's cherubim. It is significant that the higher we go the more of the circle we can see. It is only our low, earthly outlook that prevents us seeing the fullness and perfection of the divine purpose-the endless, everlasting covenant.

In our weak mortal state we see through a glass darkly, and we know in part. But even in our weakness, the higher we raise the plane of our spiritual vision, the more of the full circle of the purpose we can perceive. From an airplane (up in the heaven, entirely, away from the earth's obscuring), the full circle of the rainbow is visible.

So in the spiritual-the higher the view, the fuller the perception, the more complete and entire is the vision of the eternal purpose.

The clouds are held up in the sky, and given motion and directions, by the wind. In Hebrew, there is no separate word for wind. It is ruach-"breath, spirit."

This may at first seem unnecessarily confusing. We are inclined to think there would be less danger of misunderstanding if it were a separate word, as in English.

But there must be a purpose. It must be to teach us something. Similarly, when we come to "thunder" we find again there is no separate word, it is "voice."

The thunder is the voice of God, and the wind His breath. Does not this give us a more intimate conception of His relations to His creation? Does it not make us more careful of ourselves, in relation to our attitude toward it?-toward all the various manifestations of His power and purpose in the weather?

We realize all too little the direct and continual dependence of the Creation upon its Great Creator. We get too detached and mechanical a view. The Scriptures try to teach us differently.

Bro Growcott - Consider the Heavens



25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

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



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

... the wonder of manifold life rejoicing in the golden light of the sun by day and the moon by night (Rev.21.22-27).*


'...it is manifest, that the ruach or spirit is all pervading. It is in heaven, in sheol, or the dust of the deepest hollow, in the uttermost depths of the sea, in the darkness, in the light, and in all things animate, and without life. It is an universal principle in the broadest, or rather, in an illimitable sense. It is the substratum of all motion, whether manifested in the diurnal and ellipsoidal revolutions of the planets, in the flux and reflux of the sea, in the storms and tempests of the expanse, or in the organism of reptiles, cattle, beasts, fish, fowls, vegetables, or men. The atmospheric expanse is charged with it; but it is not the air: plants and animals of all species breathe it; but it is not their breath: yet without it, though filled with air, they would die.

The atmosphere, which extends some forty-five miles in altitude, and encircles the globe, is styled the expanse, by Moses; and the breath of God, in Job. It is a compound body, consisting when pure of nitrogen and oxygen, in the proportion of 79 of the former to 21 of the latter, in 100 parts. These are considered as simple bodies, because they have not yet been decomposed; though it is probable they have a base, which may be ruach. This may exist free or combined with the elementary consituents of the neshemeh.

Uncombined, it is that wonderful fluid, whose explosions are heard in the thunder, whose fiery bolts overthrow the loftiest towers, and rive the sturdy monarch of the woods; and in less intensity gives polarity to light, the needle, and the brain. These three together, the oxygen, nitrogen, and electricity, constitute "the breath" and "spirit" of the lives of all God's living souls.

Thus, from the centre of the earth, and extending throughout all space in every direction, is the Ruach Elohim, the existence of which is demonstrable from the phenomena of the natural system of things. It penetrates where the neshemet el, or atmospheric air, cannot. When speaking, however, of the motivity and sustentation of organized dust, or souls, they are co-existent within them. In this case, the ruach Elohim becomes the ruach chayim, or "spirit of lives;" and the neshemet el, the neshemet chayim, or "breath of lives;" and both combined in the elaboration and support of life, the neshemet ruach chayim, or "breath of the spirit of lives."

Living creatures, or souls, are not animated, as physiologists and speculative "divines" erroneously imagine, by "a vital principle," capable of disembodied existence as the ghost of man, or the transmigrating spectres of other animal species; -- ghostly things, the laws and functions of which in the animal economy physiologists are unable to discover; and theologists are nonplussed to prove the existence of from the word of God.

On the contrary, "souls" are "made living" by the coetaneous operation of the ruach chayim and the neshemet chayim upon their organized tissues according to certain fixed laws. When the as yet occult laws of the all-pervading ruach, or spirit, shall be known, this subject will be understood; and men will then be as astonished at the ignorance of the "divines," and physiologists of this "cloudy and dark day," respecting "living souls'...

Elpis Israel 1.2.



31 The glory of Yahweh shall endure for ever: Yahweh shall rejoice in his works.

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

33 I will sing unto Yahweh as long as I live: I will sing praise to my Elohim while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in Yahweh.

35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou Yahweh, O my soul. Praise ye Yah. [The glory of Yahweh shall fill the earth pslm.72, Song 6.10-13, Is.24.23,.Is.60, Nu.14.21, Hbk.2.14, Deut.33.2, Hbk.3.7, Rev. 16.17-21]*

*THE APOCALYPTIC MESSENGER, Mar 2017

thomas.lister1@btinternet.com