David Bahn – Reflections

Read Psalm 104

“Did you know that there re unicorns in the Bible?” This question came from a youth at St. John who approached me last night. I didn’t know/remember that, but sure enough, in the King James version of the Bible the word Unicorn is found nine times. She was delighted. I was wondering what she was making of the fact. Was this immature infatuation with these mythical creatures, or was something else at play?

As we spoke, it seemed clear: no infatuation here, but rather a high view of the Bible and the conclusion that somewhere at sometime there must have been an animal called a unicorn that may have become extinct since those times. Today the ESV, for example, translates the Hebrew word as “wild oxen.”

In Psalm 104 several different animals are listed, including the rock badger or coney. The various animals are sentimentally embraced by many. So animal lovers would certainly want to embrace this psalm. But the psalm is actually about the care of God for all of creation – from mountain to valley, from springs to grass, from trees to rock badgers. God provides for these things and provides these things for us. Even the fruit of the vine is a gift of God to gladden the heart.

Last night Diane and I were sitting on our deck enjoying a glass of wine and the sound of the waterfall in our newly-reworked water feature. We agreed: it was a gift of God. From the pond to the goldfish to the deck to the wine, God’s goodness was evident to us and we are thankful to God for it!

Where do you see God’s goodness in your life? Have you thanked him for it?

Psalm 104:10-18

¹⁰You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
¹¹they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹²Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
¹³From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

¹⁴You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
¹⁵and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

¹⁶The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
¹⁷In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees.
¹⁸The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.