November 29
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COVER YOURSELF WITH LIGHT AS WITH A CLOAK
Bless the LORD, my soul!
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 on the wings of the wind;
4 He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers. – Psalm 104:1-4
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According to a commentary, “Bless the LORD, O my soul” is repeated three times in the previous psalm, this phrase is a call to worship God in spirit and in truth, and to do so from one’s inmost being. barak. The Hebrew for blesse is the verb “barak” which means to kneel as seen in Genesis 24:11. However, when written in the piel form it means to show respect as seen in Genesis 12:2. When the psalmist say this, he means to give praise to God. Sadly, many of us today do not know how to worship God in spirit and truth. We worship him according to our limited minds which may have been corrupted by religion and other worldly system. Enduringword.com comments that the psalmist worshipped Yahweh as his God, and as the great One who is clothed with honor and majesty. The idol gods of the nations were often described as crude and shameful in their conduct, but Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, is known for His honor and majesty. God’s honor and majesty are as apparent as a person’s clothing, and so is the light-like purity of His being. Just as the creation in Genesis begins with describing the creation of light, so the psalmist first mentions light.
In verse 2, God’s honor and majesty are as apparent as a person’s clothing, and so is the light-like purity of His being. Just as the creation in Genesis begins with describing the creation of light, so the psalmist first mentions light in 1 Timothy 6:16 which says God dwells in unapproachable light. Perhaps this is another description or allusion to light as a garment. Spurgeon comments “If light itself is but his garment and veil, what must be the blazing splendour of his own essential being! We are lost in astonishment, and dare not pry into the mystery lest we be blinded by its insufferable glory.”
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REFLECTION
• How can we cover ourselves with God’s light?
• How can we worship God in spirit and in truth?