John Calvin Commentary Psalms 104:3

"Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; Who maketh the clouds his chariot; Who walketh upon the wings of the wind;" — Psalms 104:3 (ASV)

Laying the beams of his chambers in the waters—David now proceeds to explain at greater length what he had briefly stated under the figure of God’s garment. In short, the scope of the passage is this: we do not need to pierce our way above the clouds to find God, since He meets us in the fabric of the world and is everywhere displaying to us scenes of the most vivid description.

Lest we imagine that there is anything derived in Him, as if, by the creation of the world, He received any addition to His essential perfection and glory, we must remember that He clothes Himself with this robe for our sake. The metaphorical representation of God as laying the beams of his chambers in the waters seems somewhat difficult to understand; but it was the prophet's design, from something incomprehensible to us, to inspire in us greater admiration.

Unless beams are substantial and strong, they will not be able to sustain even the weight of an ordinary house. Therefore, when God makes the waters the foundation of His heavenly palace, who can fail to be astonished at such a wonderful miracle? When we take into account our slowness of apprehension, such hyperbolical expressions are by no means superfluous, for it is with difficulty that they awaken and enable us to attain even a slight knowledge of God.

What is meant by His walking upon the wings of the wind is made more obvious by the following verse, where it is said that the winds are his messengers. God rides on the clouds and is carried upon the wings of the wind, since He drives the winds and clouds about at His pleasure, and by sending them here and there as swiftly as He pleases, thereby shows the signs of His presence.

By these words we are taught that the winds do not blow by chance, nor do lightnings flash by a random impulse, but that God, in the exercise of His sovereign power, rules and controls all the agitations and disturbances of the atmosphere. From this doctrine, a twofold advantage may be reaped:

1. If at any time noxious winds arise, if the south wind corrupts the air, or if the north wind scorches the grain, and not only tears up trees by the root but also overthrows houses, and if other winds destroy the fruits of the earth, we should tremble under these scourges of Providence.
2. If, on the other hand, God moderates the excessive heat with a gentle cooling breeze, if He purifies the polluted atmosphere with the north wind, or if He moistens the parched ground with south winds, in this we should contemplate His goodness.

Since the apostle who writes to the Hebrews (Hebrews 1:7) quotes this passage and applies it to the angels, both the Greek and Latin expositors have almost unanimously considered David as speaking allegorically here. Likewise, because Paul, in quoting Psalm 19:4 in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans 10:18), seems to apply to the apostles what is stated there concerning the heavens, the whole psalm has been injudiciously expounded as if it were an allegory.

The apostle's design in that part of the Epistle to the Hebrews referred to was not simply to explain the prophet's meaning in this passage. Instead, since God is shown to us, as it were, visibly in a mirror, the apostle very properly draws an analogy between the obedience that the winds manifestly and perceptibly yield to God and the obedience that He receives from the angels.

In short, the meaning is that just as God uses the winds as His messengers—turning them here and there, calming and raising them whenever He pleases, so that by their ministry He may declare His power—so too, the angels were created to execute His commands. And certainly, we profit little from contemplating universal nature if we do not behold with the eyes of faith that spiritual glory of which an image is presented to us in the world.