Psalm 104 celebrates the manifold works of God, made by wisdom. The earth is full of Yahweh’s creatures. So is the sea (v. 27), which spreads far and wide, is filled with swarms of creatures small and great, like Leviathan that plays in the deeps (v. 28). Sea creatures like ” ships ” (v. 28). Ships are among God’s sea creatures; man is among God’s sea creatures. No “if God had wanted man to cross the ocean, He would have given him gills” mentality. Man in his ship belongs right there on the sea with Leviathan. Man with his culture and technology belongs right there in the vast and wide ocean.
God feeds the ships as well as the sea creatures and Leviathan (v. 29-30). These are trading ships, bringing food and ivory and apes from distant lands. Not only men but merchants are among Yahweh’s sea creatures, and trade is a gift from His open hand.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
