Psalms 104
1
Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
3
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
4
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
5
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
6
Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
7
At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
8
They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
9
Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
10
He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
11
They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
12
By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13
He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
14
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
15
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
16
The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath 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 knoweth his going down.
20
Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein 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 ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
23
Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
24
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
25
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
26
There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
27
These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
28
That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
29
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
30
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
31
The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.
32
He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
33
I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34
My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.
35
Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.
Arcana Coelestia #9286
9286. 'Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year' means enduring worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of deliverance from damnation. This is clear from the meaning of 'keeping a feast' or 'holding a feast' as worshipping the Lord with gladness of mind on account of deliverance from damnation, dealt with in 7093; and from the meaning of 'three times in the year' as a state complete right to its end, for 'three' means complete from the beginning to the end, 2788, 4495, 7715, 9198, and 'year' a whole period, 2906, 7839, 8070. At this point therefore complete and whole deliverance is meant; for 'the feast of unleavened bread' means purification from falsities, 'the feast of harvest' means the planting of truth in good, and 'the feast of ingathering' means the implanting of good from there. Thus complete deliverance from damnation is meant by these feasts; for when a person has been purified from falsities, and after this has been brought by means of truths into good, and is at length governed by good, he is in heaven with the Lord and has accordingly undergone complete deliverance.
[2] The consecutive stages of deliverance from damnation are like the consecutive stages of regeneration; for regeneration is deliverance by the Lord from hell and being led by Him into heaven. For a person who is being regenerated is first purified from falsities, after that the truths of faith he knows are planted in the good of charity, and finally that good itself is implanted in him. When all this has been done the person has been regenerated and he is then in heaven with the Lord. Therefore the three feasts in the year also meant worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of regeneration. Because these feasts were established on account of the everlasting remembrance of those things, the worship and thanksgiving are called enduring; for the most important things in worship should endure forever. The things which should endure forever are those which have been inscribed not only on the memory but also on the actual life that is led. When this is so they are said to reign universally with a person, see 5949, 6159, 6571, 8853-8858, 8865.
