Bless the Lord, O My Soul

O Lord My God, You Are Very Great

 

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2014, all rights reserved. 

 

Chapter 1

 

The title comes from Psalm 104, verse 1. 

 

Here is Psalm 104 from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version--

 

___Psalm 104

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul.  O Lord my God, you are very great, you are clothed with honor and majesty.

2 Who covers himself with light like with a garment, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

3 Who lays the beams of his rooms in the waters, who makes the clouds his chariot, who walks on the wings of the wind,

4 Who makes his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire,

5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it would not be removed forever.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment, the waters stood above the mountains.

7 At your reprimand they fled, at the voice of your thunder they hurried away.

8 They go up by the mountains, they go down by the valleys to the place that you've founded for them.

9 You've set a bound so that they can't pass over, so that they don't return to cover the earth.

10 He sends the springs into the valleys, that run among the hills.

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

12 The fowls of the heaven shall have their habitation by them, who sing among the branches.

13 He waters the hills from his rooms, the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your works.

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetables for the service of man, so that he can bring forth food out of the earth,

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

16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon that he has 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 knows its going down.

20 You make darkness, and it's night, in which all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

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

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

23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.

24 O Lord, how many are your works!  In wisdom you've made them all, the earth is full of your riches.

25 So is this great and wide sea, in which are uncountable creeping things, both small and great beasts.

26 There go the ships, there are the whales, that you've made to play in it.

27 These all wait on you, so you'll give them their food in due season.

28 They gather what you give them, you open your hand, they are filled with good.

29 You hide your face, they are troubled, you take away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

30 You send out your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

31 The glory of the Lord shall endure forever, the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles, he touches the hills, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live, I'll sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet, I'll be glad in the Lord.

35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.  Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord.

 

Chapter 2

 

Verse 3.  He walks on the wings of the wind.  Can you do that?  Haven't tried it, but I don't think I can, either. 

 

Vs 4

 

4 Who makes his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire,

 

Angels are spirit beings.  Howard Pittman saw into the spirit world, and saw angels and demons. 

 

Kenneth E. Hagin saw into the spirit world and saw the demon that was causing a woman's cancer, so he cast out that demon. 

 

I saw a demon's face once.  It was fierce and ugly. 

 

I believe that the flaming fire is attributed to angels because the are very powerful like fire is. 

 

5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it would not be removed forever.

 

No doubt the Lord did a good job of laying the foundations of the earth, but the Bible tells us this earth will be destroyed.  “The elements shall melt with fervent heat.” (2 Pet 3:10)

 

Fervent heat.  That sounds to me like some kind of nuclear fire. 

 

Then, there'll be a new heavens and a new earth. 

 

God said, “See, I make all things new.” (Rev 21:5)

 

9 You've set a bound so that they can't pass over, so that they don't return to cover the earth.

 

God has set boundaries for the waters.  Of course, there can be the occasional Tsunami, but usually the oceans remain within the boundaries that God has set. 

 

And the Lord won't let the earth anymore be covered by waters, as in Noah's flood. 

 

He sealed that promise to us by creating the rainbow.  Apparently, there previously had not been rainbows. 

 

How did God arrange for water vapor in the air to work like a prism, when water vapor didn't used to do that?

 

Well, the Lord hasn't told me, but my guess is that he rearranged the geometry of the water molecule, (H2O). 

 

Would you be able to change the geometry of the water molecule?  Me neither. 

 

10 He sends the springs into the valleys, that run among the hills.

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

12 The fowls of the heaven shall have their habitation by them, who sing among the branches.

13 He waters the hills from his rooms, the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your works.

 

The Lord provides springs of water and streams and rivers. 

 

16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon that he has planted,

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

 

Birds need a place to live.  God provided trees for them. 

 

Trees that also give us shade and fruits and nuts, and that give us materials for building houses, and wood to burn in your campfire.    

 

19 He appointed the moon for seasons, the sun knows its going down.

 

There are seasons of the moon.  There's the new moon, there's the full moon, there's the crescent moon, there's the gibbous moon. 

 

20 You make darkness, and it's night, in which all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

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

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

 

God created the night, and God created the day. 

 

Another scripture from the Psalms is, “This is the day the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psa 118:24)

 

That's a good verse to quote when you get up in the morning. 

 

23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.

24 O Lord, how many are your works!  In wisdom you've made them all, the earth is full of your riches.

 

The Lord used wisdom in his creating.  Things work with mathematical precision. 

 

George Simon Ohm discovered the laws of electrical current flow. 

 

Einstein discovered the Theory of Relativity.

 

Sir Isaac Newton had formulas for gravity. 

 

Max Planck discovered Quantum Physics. 

 

But it was the Lord who put those things there to be discovered. 

 

25 So is this great and wide sea, in which are uncountable creeping things, both small and great beasts.

 

You can't count the critters in the oceans. 

 

26 There go the ships, there are the whales, that you've made to play in it.

27 These all wait on you, so you'll give them their food in due season.

28 They gather what you give them, you open your hand, they are filled with good.

 

God provides food for the creatures. 

 

29 You hide your face, they are troubled, you take away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

 

The Lord also knows how to kill. 

 

30 You send out your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

31 The glory of the Lord shall endure forever, the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles, he touches the hills, and they smoke.

 

The glory of the Lord endures forever.  In the book of the Prophet Daniel it says the Lord's kingdom will never end. 

 

Probably one of the reasons that the Jews have trouble accepting Jesus as Messiah is that they were expecting the Messiah to set up an earthly kingdom.

 

But Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” 

 

Jesus' kingdom is headquartered in Heaven, where He rules from. 

 

His kingdom will never end. 

 

Thank God that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life in Heaven.  Thank God that Jesus has provided eternal life for me though the sacrifice of himself on the cross of crucifixion. 

 

My Mother has already gone to heaven.  And my Aunt Dorothy.  And Grandmother, and many others of my family. 

 

The Prophets are there, and the Apostles, including the Apostle to the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus, of the tribe of Benjamin.)

 

As a Pharisee, Saul was persecuting Christians, until the Lord knocked him down on the road to Damascus.

 

The Lord said, “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me. It is hard for you to kick against the sharp points.”

 

Saul answered, “Who are you Lord?”

 

He said, “I am Jesus, whom you're persecuting.”

 

So Saul became a born again Christian and became the Apostle Paul, and wrote more than half the number of books in the New Testament. 

 

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live, I'll sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet, I'll be glad in the Lord.

35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.  Bless the Lord, O my soul.  Praise the Lord.

 

There is no better life than being a Christian.  Jewish Christians are called “Messianic Jews,” because they've accepted their Messiah, Jesus. 

 

Romans 10:9,10 tells us,

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you're saved.  For with the hear man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made for salvation.” 

 

It's not hard to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.  Jesus himself raised people from the dead during his earthly ministry. 

 

Pray this easy prayer:  “Jesus, save me!”

 

The Bible says, “All that call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel chapter 2)

 

 

___James chapter 1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.

2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,

3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.

11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.

21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,

24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

 

___James chapter 2

1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,

3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"

4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?

7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?

8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,

9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.

12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,

16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?

17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."

19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

 

___James chapter 3

1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.

4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.

5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,

8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

 

___James chapter 4

1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?

2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.

3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"

6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.

11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?

13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"

14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."

16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

 

___James chapter 5

1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.

3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.

5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.

6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.

9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.

13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.

16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.

17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,

20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.