Iceland: The God of All Creation

Introduction: Theologian John Calvin, said, “The world is a theatre of God’s glory.”[1]

The Psalmist said, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)

Who created the world? God did! And what a world He has created. It is full of splendor and beauty because it reflects the splendor and beauty of God.

Look how the Psalmist opens this chapter in verse 1,

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

The entire focus of this Psalm is on Creation. Many theologians believe that the seven days of Creation mentioned in Genesis 1 are found here in Psalm 104. We will approach this chapter with this in mind.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The Psalm gives an interpretation to the many voices of nature and sings sweetly both of creation and providence. The poem contains a complete cosmos: sea and land, cloud and sunlight, plant and animal, light and darkness, life and death, are all proved to be expressive of the presence of the Lord.”

Now, let’s look at the CREATION that God made by looking at pictures Debbie and I took while in Iceland. These slides you are going to witness today testifies of God’s wonderful creative ability.

I. Day One of Creation –Heavens, earth, and light – Psalm 104:1-2

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

What does it mean to “Bless the LORD”? It means to kneel as an act of adoration, to praise Him.

Praise to God must be intentional. Look at the words, O my Soul! We must personalize our praise to God. When we look at all that God created it should cause us to PRAISE Him (Dictionary – express warm approval).

Next, we also must recognize the greatness of Almighty God. The Psalmist declares,

You are very great.

We have a great BIG WONDERFUL GOD! (Amen). Each of us must see God’s greatness from something as small as the ant He spoke into existence to something as massive as the largest glacier in Europe.

Get this – Creation is not a complicated task for Almighty God.

Notice first in this Psalm that God covers Himself in light. Scripture tells us that,

God is light (1 John 1:5)

On what day did God create light? On Day 1. He said,

Let there be light (Genesis 1:3)

Light is vital to all creation. Life is dependent upon light.

Summer in Iceland has 23 hours of daylight. It was weird, but it was also enjoyable. We had a lot of daylight to see so much of God’s creation. We would pull into our camp sites at 10-11 P.M. and it was still light outside.

Thank God for the light.

II. Day two of Creation – the Firmament – Psalm 104:3-4

3He lays the beams of His upper chambers 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 flame of fire.

On day 2 of Creation God created the firmament and divided the waters which were under from the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. This is found in Genesis 1:6-8.

These verses speak to us about the abode of God above the water, the clouds, the wind, and the angels God created. The angels are God ministers. Are you aware that angels were present and a part of God’s creation at the very beginning.

Hebrews 1:14 tells us that angels minister to us who will inherit salvation. Angels serve God’s creation – they serve mankind, and without fanfare.

III. Day three of Creation – God forms dry land – Psalm 104:5-18

5 You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, 6You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains. 7 At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. 8 They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them. 9You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth.

God created dry land and water on Day 3. He laid the foundations of the earth and created all the bodies of water. He created the mountains and the valleys. He set the boundaries for the seas. In Iceland there is the North Atlantic, the Greenland Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the Denmark Strait. God has set the boundaries of all the waters.

What these verses tell us is that God has complete control over everything He created.

We also discover in these verses that God provides for all His Creation:

· The Springs and the Rain – Psalm 104:10-13

10He sends the springs into the valleys; They flow among the hills. 11They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. 13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

Water is life! You see these verses played out in Iceland. There are well over 10,000 waterfalls, countless streams, and lakes (Show the waterfalls, streams, and lakes of Iceland).

Like light, water is a substance for all life. We cannot survive without water, and neither can the animals that God made. God provides for and cares for His creation.

· Provision for all His Creation – Psalm 104:14-15

14He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, 15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And breadwhich strengthens man’s heart.

Most of the people outside the cities of Iceland are farmers. They have farms, and they are growing crops. The words, wine, oil, and bread are expressions of God’s goodness.

Here are some of the animals that Debbie and I saw in Iceland:

· Sheep

· Milk cows

· Icelandic horses

· Birds

· Arctic fox

God created the animals! Just the animal world alone should cause us to “Bless the LORD”. Praise God for the uniqueness of all the animals God created.

· Homes for His created Creatures – Psalm 104:16-18

16The trees of the Lord are full of sap, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted, 17 Where the birds make their nests; The stork has her home in the fir trees. 18 The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. 1

These verses are speaking about the trees of the Middle East, but What about trees in Iceland? Originally Iceland was covered in Birch trees. With the arrival of the Vikings, the trees were cut down and used for firewood, house building, ship making, and furniture. Iceland was deforested within the first 300 years of the arrival of the Vikings.

Most of the trees in Iceland today have been planted. They are all lined up in rolls. There are very few natural trees in Iceland today. I have also read that it will still take another 150 years before Iceland has 5% of its land covered in trees (Show pictures of trees).

The way the birds and animals made their homes in the trees and hills of the Middle East is true also in Iceland. And because there is 23 hours of daylight the birds are always making noise – even when you are trying to sleep.

IV. Day Four of Creation – The Sun and Moon – Psalm 104:19-23

19 He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down. 20You make darkness, and it is night, In which all the beasts of the forest creep about. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. 22 When the sun rises, they gather together And lie down in their dens. 23 Man goes out to his work And to his labor until the evening.

God created the Sun and the Moon on day 4 of creation.

- The LORD created the moon for seasons.

- The LORD governs the Rhythm of Day and Night – Psalm 104:19-24

The Sun knows its going down. Yes, even though there are 23 hours of daylight in Iceland in the summer the Sun still sets even for a short time.

Please understand that the Psalmist worships the God who created the Moon and the Sun. He is not worshipping these two created objects.

We saw a lot of sun in Iceland, except for two days when it was raining, windy, and cloudy. I cannot remember seeing the moon at all.

How God made Animals and Humanity Different

In our text we also discover how different animals and man really are. Animals come out at night in search for food. Many animals are nocturnal.

Mankind is uniquely different – we wake up in the morning, go off to work, come home at night, and go to bed. God created the sacrarium rhythm within each of us.

Notice too that the Psalmist is speaking about how the world works now, not what it was like at the beginning of creation when all animals got along with one another.

V. Day Five of Creation – Sea Creatures and Flying Birds – Psalm 104:24-26

24O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions

The New Living Translation reads like this,

O LORD, What a variety of things you have made!

On day 5 of creation God made sea creatures and land animals. Our God is a God of variety. For this, we ought to praise Him. How dull life would be if everything God made look the same.

Let us worship the God of creation (v. 24). Our God is the creator of everything in the animal kingdom.

· The LORD delights in His Creatures – Psalm 104:25-26

25 This great and wide sea, In which are innumerable teeming things, Living things both small and great.

Such vast amounts of sea creatures. We saw several seals when we were at Glacier Lagoon. Whale watching is a big thing in Iceland. We saw swans, geese, and birds of all kinds (Show the pictures of seals and birds).

Did you know that fishing is the major industry in Iceland? Back in 1958-1976, Iceland had a war over “fishing rights” called the “Cod Wars”? It happened between the United Kingdom and Iceland. They fought over water rights surrounding Iceland for some 20 years.

The Great Leviathan

26 There the ships sail about; There is that Leviathan Which You have made to play there.

The fact that ships are mentioned here again reminds us that the Psalmist is reflecting on a post-Edenic world.

When we were at the furthest point north, we saw the fishing boats racing out of the harbor out into the open ocean, and it was around 1-2:00 A.M. (Still daylight).

Notice in verse 26, that the Leviathan is mentioned. Bible teachers believe that we are looking at a large sea monster (see Job 42:1-34). Well, Iceland also has a large sea creature – it’s a myth of very large proportions. It is called the…

Lagarfljo’t Worm

The first sighting of this sea monster was in 1345. (I want to show you a video about this sea monster).

VI. Day Six of Creation – Cattle, Creeping things, and Man – Psalm 104:27-30

27 These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season.

· God is the great provider for all of life – animal and mankind – Psalm 104:28

28 What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good.

· All provision comes from the hand of God. God help us to never take our heavenly provisions for granted – Psalm 104:29

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

God is the author of life. He created it, and it shall return to Him.

· Life comes by the Spirit – Psalm 104:30

30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.

Everything that God made He said that it was good.

VII. Day Seventh of Creation – God Rested – Psalm 104:31-32

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; May the Lord rejoice in His works.

What did God do on day 7 of the Creation account? He rested, and He rejoiced in His completed work. The final verses of this Psalm reflect praise to the God of creation.

Please hear this - God’s glory is displayed in all His creation. All we need to do is look at it. There is design and order in all things. You cannot have a design without a designer! This fact alone should cause us to believe in God.

32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke.

Volcanic activity? Maybe! Geothermal activity? No doubt! Iceland has over 200 hundred volcanos, and so much geothermal activity – the hills do smoke.

Conclusion: I cannot fathom how anyone can look at creation and not see God’s fingerprints everywhere. Knowing that God created all things should cause all of us to do three things:

1. We should sing to the LORD – 104:33

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

Creation should cause us to sing unto the Lord. We should have a song in our hearts as we dwell within this created world. If you are not a singing Christian, you should ask God to put a song in your heart.

2. We should meditate on God’s Creation – 104:34

34 May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.

Creation should also cause us to meditate on all that God created. It should stir our souls. The Psalmist glorified God as he reflected on God’s creation.

Take a walk, look around, and think on all of it.

3. We should praise the LORD – 104:35

35 May sinners be consumed from the earth, And the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!

God's people praise Him for His creation. Not so with sinners. They refuse to acknowledge the fingerprints of God in creation. In their mind all they look forward to is death. And one day they will be no more. They have no hope, but not so with the Christian – we are full of hope.

God’s people will bless the LORD. God’s people will bless the LORD from within their soul (their very fibers will cry out), and we will Praise the LORD! Stand back and admire all that God has done.

[1]Akin, D. L., Hunt, J. M., & Merida, T. (2021). Exalting Jesus in Psalms 101–150 (D. Platt, D. L. Akin, & T. Merida, Eds.; p. 38). Holman Reference.