Psalm 104:3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; (NAS)
How mighty and glorious is the Lord God? Psalm 104 is filled with descriptions of His splendor. The God of Scripture should be a delight and frequent meditation of the believer.
Psalm 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; 4 He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers. (NAS)
In our modern times we do not see many displays of our leaders parading around with great pomp and circumstance but that sort of thing was not uncommon in the ancient world. Kings and princes frequently made splashy public appearances, but here in Psalm 104 God displays His own pomp which is far superior than any earthly leader. Kings showed their greatness in the following ways:
- In their robes.
What is the apparel of God? You are clothed with splendor and majesty, (Psa 104:1 NAS) The first article that describes God is His uniqueness; His character is majestic, and should be honored for His deeds. All that He does could be described in one word; Great!!! If that’s not enough to set God apart from every created thing, He clothes Himself with Light! Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak (Psa 104:2 NAS)
God is light and there is no darkness in Him. This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. (1John 1:5 NAS) He is the Father of lights who gives every gift: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17 NAS) He lights our way that we may not walk in darkness:
28 For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness. (Psalm 18:28 NAS)
13 For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living. (Psalm 56:13 NAS)
10 Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. (Isaiah 50:10 NAS)
He turns us from darkness to light:
to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ (Acts 26:18 NAS)
For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6 NAS)
“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:21 NAS)
So the Psalmist says that God covers Himself in light which Genesis says was the first thing He created on the first day (Genesis 1:3). God cloaks Himself in light, for no man can see His face and live.
- In their palaces.
What kind of palace does God have? Well, God has a curtain which covers His palace: the heavens. Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. (Psalm 104:2 NAS) He made the heavens to divide the waters.
6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day (Gen 1:6-8 NAS)
For the almighty God making this “curtain” the heavens was as simple as pulling a curtain to separate a room. There is in this description a love and care that God has for His creation, His curtain is stretched out like a curtain stretched around a bed to keep the occupants warm and protected from the outer world. Further, the psalmist describes the strength of His palace. Its beams are so great that are in the hights of the heavens. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; (Psalm 104:3 NAS) That might seem like a strange place to build a palace because the heavens and waters are not stagnant, but by the authority of God Himself they are kept firm and fixed as the chambers of God Himself.
- Their horses and carriage.
We do not put much weight on horses today because we have automobiles and jets to carry us around. In that day how you traveled as a king said a lot about your power and prestige. Today we would speak about our leaders Limousine or Bentley or some other extraordinary priced vehicle or private jet.
But the Lord God, His chariots are the clouds! He makes the clouds His chariot; “He walks upon the wings of the wind;” (Psalm 104:3 NAS)
On the cloud He rides far above any that would wish Him harm, the clouds swiftly and powerfully carry Him anytime He wills. He descended upon Mount Sinai in a cloud and that cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud (Exodus 24:16 NAS).
This Psalm also says He walks upon the winds: He walks upon the wings of the wind (v 3). The winds are not some uncontrollable force, but they obey the Lord and He walks upon them with ease. He commands the winds, and they follow His every word (Luke 8:24-25; Matthew 8:26-27). The disciples marveled at Jesus and were fearful when they saw His mighty power; the power of the Everlasting God!
They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” (Luke 8:25 NAS)
- The attendants.
He created the angels also and they serve Him. He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers. (Psalm 104:4 NAS) The NAS is not as helpful here as it is not obvious from the translation that he speaks of angels. The word רוּחַ ruach can mean breath, wind, spirit. The word מַלְאָךְ malak can mean simply messenger or an angel. Given that the psalmist already mentioned the winds in verse 3, and given the context of verse 4 which is clearly different, (the winds being His messengers makes little sense with the next part of the verse, flaming fire His ministers).
Angels should be the preferred reading, let alone the quotation of this verse in the New Testament: And of the angels He says, “WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.” (Hebrews 1:7 NAS) It’s also interesting that the Greek word πνεῦμα pneuma also means wind or spirit. The Angels are His ministers and they unlike man are spirits, though they seem to be able to take on a physical form in performing the commands of God on the earth. They are bright and quick and are described as like a flash of lightening:
And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning. (Ezekiel 1:14 NAS)
The manifold description of the majesty of God should drive us to praise and joy that the eternal God became a man. He left the grandeur of His heavenly palace and became a man. He has glorious beings who serve Him (Mark 1:13). Although He was God, He humbled Himself and became a servant (Phil 2:5-11; Isa 42:1-4; 52:12-53:12; Matt 12:18 20:26; Acts 3:13, 3:26 etc.).
Psalm 104 is not the only time that God’s Word speaks about Him riding on the clouds, but it is more significant that Jesus Himself ascended to heaven upon the clouds (Acts 1:9) and will return riding upon the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:63-64). That’s why the religious leaders of Israel were so incensed at Him, in a sense that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They understood who He was claiming to be, the eternal God, and they considered it blasphemy and condemned Him to the cross.
Isaiah 19:1 The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. (NAS)
Matthew 26:63-64 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” (NAS)
Acts 1:9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (NAS)
Christ will establish His kingdom in the world despite the opposition of the forces of evil that sought to hinder Him. The world and the powers of darkness may rage, but God has set His King upon Zion His Holy Mountain.
“But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” (Psalm 2:6 NAS)
He was made in the likeness of sinful man so that He might be the mediator between God and man. Even though He is like us in all ways except sin, He is the blessed Son of God. Our Creator, Redeemer, Savior and Friend and yet He has been given all authority by the Father.
and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. (John 5:27 NAS)
Christ is the stone cut out of the mountains without hands, and His kingdom will endure forever!
Daniel 2:44-45 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. 45 “Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” (NAS)
This same one who has all authority, who God has established, whose Kingdom will crush all opposing forces and will never end; this same man willingly offered His body as a sacrifice for sins upon Calvary’s cross.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (NAS)
And He will return soon riding triumphantly on the clouds to judge the living and the dead. This is why our Lord deserves all reverence for He comes swiftly, powerfully, and irresistibly to reign upon the Earth. He is majestic, powerful, and everything He does is splendid. Praise Him for He is glorious, and plead with the lost to not forsake Him, for His Kingdom will never fade. Jesus Christ is the son of man who Daniel saw in His vision as quoted in Matthew 26:63-64.
Daniel 7:13-14 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. (NAS)
Recently in the United States we have a new person who has been sworn in to the office of President. Although Big Tech companies have attempted to pretend that the vote was the most honest and transparent election ever. There have been numerous reports of irregularities in the vote counts in several states. There were a number of lawsuits, counts and recounts, and decisions by courts. Frankly, we may never know if the current President truly won, but whatever the seeming chaos that goes on this Earth we should know that there is a great ruler in heaven whose reign cannot be overcome. He will not be removed from office, and no opposition can thwart His will. He cannot be impeached; none can overpower Him or defraud Him out of His rule. And He is coming back to the Earth to rule and to judge. He gave His life to save an unworthy people because He counted the cost and declared His love for tsinners by purchasing the church of God with His precious blood (Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19)! Marvel at Him, for He is glorious and will return on the clouds of heaven soon.
In Christ the Eternal King,
Jeremy Murphy
Delivered by Christ 