Created, Directed, and Remembered by God (Psalms 104–106)

Start with a sky full of galaxies and a drop of pond water alive with unseen creatures, and you begin to sense the scale and precision of a world crafted by a wise Creator. We follow that thread from Psalm 104’s vision of light, winds, and angels to a tender image of a wild donkey finding water in the desert. The point is simple and life-giving: God is both vast beyond measure and near enough to meet us where we hide, offering what we need when we feel barren and alone.

From there, we turn to Psalm 105 and trace the arc of promise through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, landing in the surprising place where many stories of rescue begin—chains. Joseph’s fetters and iron collar become a doorway to purpose, a reminder that difficult seasons can serve a larger good we cannot yet see. We talk about how grace fulfills God’s promises and how obedience shapes our ability to fully enjoy the gifts he gives. It’s not about earning favor; it’s about walking in the way that turns gifts into sustained joy.

Finally, Psalm 106 holds up a mirror to our forgetful hearts. Israel lost sight of God’s works and love, and the cost was exile. Yet the refrain that outshines failure is this: God remembered his covenant, looked on distress, and acted for his name’s sake. We explore how divine mercy outlasts human inconsistency, why remembrance is a spiritual discipline, and how praise—anchored in a closing doxology—grounds our lives in hope. If creation is a teacher, covenant is the curriculum, and grace is the steady hand that guides us back when we drift.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Creation As The Center Of Worship
• 2:34 Telescope, Microscope, And God’s Grandeur
• 4:12 Angels, Vastness, And Intimate Care
• 5:12 The Wild Donkey And Divine Provision
• 5:41 Time, Seasons, And Design
• 6:00 Creation As Teacher And Newton’s Model
• 7:20 From Creation To Covenant Praise
• 8:06 Patriarchs, Joseph, And Pain With Purpose
• 10:07 Promises, Obedience, And Consequences
• 11:31 Exile, Forgetfulness, And God’s Mercy
• 13:10 Doxology And Final Blessing
• 14:05 Resources And How To Connect

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:37

God's glorious creation, as well as his gracious works on our behalf, should be at the center of our praise and worship of him. They also remind us of our solemn obligation to live in faithful obedience to him. The fact that God created you means that he has the right to make certain claims over your life. When you submit to him, it brings blessing and joy and fulfillment. Stephen called this lesson created, directed, and remembered by God.

SPEAKER_01: 2:14

What do the telescope and the microscope have in common? Each of them, in its own way, is able to magnify and intensify the glory of God's handiwork in creation. For instance, the telescope has revealed that we are merely one of a billion and counting galaxies in the universe, and each galaxy contains billions of stars and planets, and we haven't come close to seeing the outer edges of the universe. The microscope reveals the teeming complexity of creation. We now know that in one tiny drop of water from the pond out back are millions of bacteria, oxygen-producing algae, tiny organisms, little tiny living creatures. One drop of water is home to more than 10 million identifiable living things we don't know much about at all. Well, what does this say about our creator God? Well, I think the psalmist put it perfectly in Psalm 104 and verse 1, where he draws this conclusion. O Lord my God, you are very great. What else can you say? God is incredibly great. Now the psalmist goes on here to poetically describe in the first nine verses God's relationship to creation. God is, as it were, wearing a garment made of light in verse 2. He's riding in the clouds like a chariot over here in verse 3. He's got angels circling the globe doing his bidding, verse 4. In this brief tour of heaven, as well as a rather extensive tour over in the book of Revelation, the Apostle John saw, well, too many angels to even begin counting. He just said that there were 10,000 times 10,000. That means there were a hundred million angels singing to God. How vast is God's creation? Well, even though it's vast, the psalmist tells us here that God cares enough to give one wild donkey a little water to drink. That's verse 11. One Old Testament scholar writes that the wild donkey was timid, was jealous of their freedom. They would hide out deep in the desert rather than be caught. Now, in the desert, of course, there's there's not a lot of water, but the Lord is providing for them. Now today you might be uh feeling a little like that wild donkey out there. You you rather be left alone in some uninhabited, lonely wilderness. Well, let me tell you, the Lord can meet you there. He can give you a drink of water, he'll give you what you need. Now the psalmist goes on in verses sixteen to twenty-three to describe God's wisdom in designing creation. Even even the rhythm of time and the seasons provided by the sun and the moon, all that's designed with amazing precision by God. The New Testament tells us that creation is actually a tutor. It's a teacher, Romans chapter one, and it's designed by God to point us to the reality of His presence and his design. I remember reading about the brilliant physicist and astronomer Isaac Newton, who, by the way, was a committed believer. On one occasion he built a perfectly scaled down replica of our solar system. A large golden ball represented the sun at the center, and the known planets were revolving around it through a series of cogs and belts and rods that he had designed. It was a rather sophisticated machine. Well, one day while Newton was studying his model, an agnostic friend stopped by for a visit, and he he asked Newton, this is amazing, who made this exquisite machine? And without even looking up, Newton replied, Well, nobody. Nobody, his friend asked. Well, that's right, Newton said. All these belts and gears and miniature planets just happened to come together and and by chance they began revolving in their orbits with perfect timing. Well, nothing more was said. The message was loud and clear. Creation is sending a message to our world that we happen to have a creator and a savior. Question is, are you listening? Now Psalm 105 has a lot in common with the previous Psalm. It's also calling us to worship God for his creative handiwork. In fact, verse 2 says here, Sing to Him, sing praises to Him, tell of all His wondrous works. These wondrous works being referred to here are going to now include God's special relationship with His people Israel. In fact, many believe that this psalm was written during the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon after their 70 years in captivity. And now they're going to rebuild the temple, they're going to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. And frankly, they're going to need encouragement. Well, let's look together at that encouragement. Verses 7 to 15 cover the history of the patriarchs, beginning with Abraham. And the readers are reminded here in verse 8. He remembers his covenant forever. The covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob, to Israel as an everlasting covenant. Now, if you were with me on our wisdom journey through the book of Genesis, you might remember how God sent a lifesaver into Egypt. His name was Joseph. Joseph had been sold into slavery, but God raised him up to be prime minister so that he could rescue his family and ultimately all of Israel from starvation. Now all of that is rehearsed here in this psalm in verses 16 through 25. What's unique here is that we're told something about Joseph's prison time that Genesis did not tell us. Verse 18 tells us his feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron. Joseph's captivity was designed by God to bring comfort to his people later on, but it's a good reminder to us that our own circumstances might be very uncomfortable. And that's part of God's purpose, not just for our future, but for our present. Now that doesn't mean the fetters on our feet and that collar around our neck isn't going to hurt as much, but we can trust that God is essentially setting the table for the next course. We just don't happen to know at the moment what's on the menu. Now down here in verses 44 and 45, we're given two very important principles to keep in front of us. Verse 44 says that God gave his people the lands of the nations. That's in fulfillment, by the way, of his promise to them. The first principle is that what God promises his people they will experience or receive. The second principle is this. The other night I gave my grandson some ice cream for finishing his vegetables. There aren't many incentives to eat your vegetables more powerful than ice cream and chocolate syrup. Well, he received that ice cream blessing, so to speak. I think he's gonna appreciate that enough that next time we sit down and eat together, he's gonna want to please his papa. But you know, even if he doesn't obey me next time and finish his supper, he's still gonna be my grandson. But he won't get any ice cream. See, that's the principle here. God gave Israel the land just as he promised, but he expects them to cooperate and obey him. And if they don't, they're gonna remain his people, they're just not gonna be able to fully possess and enjoy the land as a nation, and that's exactly what will happen as they're sent into exile. But with that, Psalm 106 takes us back to when Israel was in exile from the land because of their disobedience. They had forgotten God's blessings, they'd followed in the footsteps of their rebellious forefathers back in Egypt, who, verse 7 tells us, did not consider God's wondrous works. They did not remember the abundance of his steadfast love. Now let me tell you, the psalmist isn't trying to beat his readers over the head, you know, with a list of their failures. We we know that because after describing their sinful actions, he's now going to point them to the grace of God. That God saved them for his name's sake, verse 8. He redeemed them from the power of the enemy, verse 10. He gave them what they asked, verse 15. He delivered them many times over, verse 43. Here's the wonderful thing about God, the psalmist says now in verse 44. Nevertheless, God looked upon their distress when he heard their cry. For their sake, he remembered his covenant and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Yes, they forgot God. And frankly, you're gonna forget about God at times like I am, and we're gonna go about our busy lives as if he doesn't exist. But let me tell you, God will never, ever forget us. Now we come to the close of book four of the Psalms. Remember, each book, as catalogued in ancient times, ends with a closing doxology. Well, here's the doxology that concludes book four. Here it is in verse 48. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, and let all the people say, Amen, praise the Lord. Amen means, well, I believe it. It's true. Amen. God will be faithful to his promises and his people throughout all of eternity. That's forever and ever and ever without end. Well, until our next wisdom journey, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

SPEAKER_00: 13:45

Thanks for listening to The Wisdom Journey with Stephen Davey. To learn more about us and access all of our Bible teaching resources, visit wisdomonline.org. Our phone number is 866-482-4253. And you can email us at info at wisdomonline.org. Stephen developed this daily program to help you know what the Bible says, understand what it means, and apply it to your life. So please join us next time to continue the wisdom journey.