SSL 7 - Psalm 19:1-14
Prayers & Announcements
LAST WEEK: We covered Psalm 95, which combined a hymn of praise and a warning from God. The most noticeable feature of the psalm was a dramatic shift in mood from a joyous song praising God to a stern warning not to repeat the errors of the previous generation and to commit ourselves to faithfully heeding God's "voice," because, as we learned, this principle applies as much to us 21st Century Christians as it did the Children of ancient Israel. There were many points of application, but the two major practical lessons we learned from it were:
1. Taken as a whole, Psalm 95 teaches us that worship is not incidental; it is fundamental. It is not peripheral but primary. We should worship God because He is worthy of it. We should worship God because He desires it (Jn. 4:23-24). We should worship God because He commands it (Ps. 95:1-7a). And finally and importantly, we should worship God because the failure to do so will lead to hardened hearts (= stubborn, close-minded), dissatisfaction, disobedience, and ultimately, to God's discipline.
2. Notice also that worship is not only to be primary, it is to be persistent. Every day of our lives is "today" (Ps. 95:7b; cf. Heb. 3:13-4:7). It is not enough to initially choose to trust in God and to follow Him. And it is not enough to see God's power or to hear His promises. No, we must persist in worshiping, trusting, and obeying Him today and every day. We can't rest on the past but must continue in that work which God had begun in us. Those who benefit from God's promises must persist and persevere in His Word by diligent study, reflection, and prayer.
THIS WEEK: We study Psalm 19, written by David to demonstrate that God has spoken to us through His revelation in both His World and in His Word. Moved by the greatness of God, David's writing combines beautiful poetry with profound theology, and concludes by showing how we, as believers, should respond to God's revelation. In a nutshell, the psalm shows (1) God's general revelation in the heavens; (2) God's specific revelation in the Scriptures; and (3) David's response to it. C. S. Lewis said of Psalm 19, "I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world."
Read Ps. 19:1-6 - God is Seen in His Creation
1The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
v. 1a: "heavens declare the glory of God" - David looked to the heavens, not the spiritual heaven where God is enthroned, but the heaven of the blue sky and night sky above our heads; the blue sky with the glory of the sun and clouds and the splendor of sunrises and sunsets; the night sky, with the shining moon, expanse of stars, and the aura of distant galaxies. These together show his glory. "Glory" comes from the Heb. root meaning "weight" or "worth," and we see abundant evidence of God's weight or worth by looking at His creation.
v. 1b: "the sky above proclaims His handiwork" - Repeating the idea of the previous phrase, David poetically describes the sky as an act of divine craftsmanship, proclaiming God's glory with its sheer beauty and vastness. As a lookout aboard a submarine running on the surface in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on a crystal clear, moonless night, I remember looking up into the vastness of the constellations and nebulas, and getting a tinge of vertigo as if I were falling into it.
v. 2: "Day to day pours out speech...night to night...knowledge" - Each day and each night is a testimony to the next, pouring out like a fountain in a flow that's never broken (except when God made the sun and moon stand still in Josh. 10:12-14). The term "knowledge" refers to the fact that God may be known to man through the simple observance of the creation.
v. 3: "no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard" - Here David declares that the glory of God in the visible heavens for all to see is communicated to all of mankind, no matter what language he speaks, because no words are needed. This divine message is worldwide, unlimited in scope. Paul expanded on this idea in Rom. 1:20, saying, "For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
v. 4a: "Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" - The Heb. word for "voice" can also be translated "message" or "lines (of writing). The "voice" of the creation needs no sound to communicate the glory of the work of God's hands because the creation speaks for itself, and since the sun rises and sets across the whole earth, God's glory in it should be obvious to everyone.
Comment: If people choose to ignore God's revelation in His creation, it is not for of lack of evidence. The "voice," the "message" extends everywhere. The reason people don't see the evidence is moral, not intellectual. The evidence is there; however, people don't want to submit to God; they want to be their own lord. Paul explained this in Rom. 1:21-23, where he said, "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." Many people today worship the creation, not the Creator, which is a modern form of pantheism or nature worship. The Bible makes it clear that God is in nature, but nature is not God. The Creator, therefore, must be kept separate from His creation.
v. 4b: "In them he has set a tent for the sun," - "Them" refers to the bright sunlight of the day and the darkness of the night. In poetic word picture, David describes the nighttime sky as a "tent" (tabernacle in older translations) for the sun. The sun comes out of its "tent" every day to cross the heavens and then returns to its tabernacle at night.
v. 5: "like a bridegroom leaving his chamber...strong man, run its course with joy" - These two metaphors characterize the sun as both a bridegroom and an athlete. Both impart an impression of youthful strength and energy. The sunrise is pictured as the exuberant attitude of a groom emerging from his room, and movement of the sun through the day seen as a young man in his prime running a race with jubilation.
v. 6: "rising is from the end...its circuit to the end... nothing hidden from its heat" - The course of the sun through a day depicts the unchanging nature of the creation, rising every morning in the east and then moving across the sky until it sets in the west. Two important spiritual truths can be derived from these analogies: (1) God never changes. As surely as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, God is faithful and dependable; and (2) God is omniscient and omnipresent-nothing is hidden from Him. Just as surely as the sun's rays shine everywhere on the earth, nothing is hidden from its heat. Like the rays of the sun, God searches you out and knows all that there is to know about you, so that there's no escaping from Him.
Read Ps. 19:7-11 - God is Seen in His Word
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
v. 7a1: "law of the LORD is perfect" - Here, David make an abrupt shift from praising God for revealing Himself through His creation to praising Him for revealing Himself through His Word. It's almost as if David is saying that creation tells us much about God, but His Word tells us much more. While God's Word does not give us all available knowledge, all of the knowledge and wisdom it provides is true and perfect. Understood in its literary context, God's Word is never wrong in science or history, or in its understanding of divine and human nature.
v. 7a2: "reviving the soul" - Part of the perfection of God's Word is that it's effective. There is power in the reading, hearing, and studying of the Word that goes beyond intellectual benefit; it "revives the soul" by changing us for the better.
v. 7b: "testimony of the LORD is sure...making wise the simple" - As used here, "testimony" is a synonym for God's Law, and "sure," which can also mean "guaranteed, declares it to be completely dependable, truthful, and relevant. "Simple" people, that is unsophisticated people who are inclined to believe anything, can be transformed and obtain wisdom from God's Word.
v. 8a: "precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart - "Precepts" refer to responsibilities God places upon His people. "Right" is used here in terms of architecture, that God's precepts are perfectly straight, true, and square; and they are morally, practically, and universally right. Those who adopt them to guide their lives find joy, actual pleasure from them. In Ps. 119:24, David declared, "Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors."
v. 8b: "the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;"- In this context, "command- ment" refers to God's covenant with His people. Because God's commandments come for a God who is Himself pure and holy, His commandments are themselves pure, because God, in His holiness, can communicate in no other way. Therefore, a person who obeys God's commandments never has to worry about being led into sin or impure thoughts or deeds. "Enlightening the eyes" means His commandments bring cheer, comfort, knowledge, and confidence to those who obey them.
v. 9a: "fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever" - The word "fear," understood to mean reverence and respect, describes those who live their lives with a sincere awareness of God's nearness, with an understanding of who He is. The term "clean" signifies one's fear of God will never fade or corrode but will endure forever.
v. 9b: "rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether" - "Rules" refers to God's judgments in the past, which are recorded in Scripture, and since God never changes, any future judgments will be "righteous altogether," that is, wholly consistent with God's righteous character.
v. 10: "More...desired are they than gold, even much fine gold...sweeter than honey" - Although David became a very wealthy man as king of Israel, he firmly believed God's instruction was far more valuable and desirable, and he underscored the point by saying, "even much fine gold." Honey, a luxury item in those days, was the sweetest substance available, yet to David, God's Word was sweeter, in that it gives more lasting satisfaction and happiness than any pleasure of the senses.
v. 11: "Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward" - Here David gives two compelling reasons why God's Word is greater than material riches or pleasures to the senses: (1) God's Word gives instruction-warningsfor (a) sins we may be tempted to commit and (b) for dangers we cannot see, now or in the far future; and (2) God's Word gives benefit-reward that is far greater than wealth or pleasures. The reward, in reality, comes in the keeping of God's precepts and commandments, because we live the way God designed us to live. Spurgeon said, "A quiet conscience is a little heaven."
Read Ps. 19:12-14 - Celebrated in His People
12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
v. 12: "discern his errors?...Declare me innocent from hidden faults..." - Here, in a rhetorical question, we see David looking inward, at his own sin, past and present. "Errors" suggest unintentional sins committed out of ignorance or by accident. David asked God to cleanse him not only from those sins known to him but from "hidden faults, the sins he didn't even know he had committed. Through the illumination of God's Word and the conviction of the Holy, we too can experience cleaning of the hidden sins.
v. 13: "Keep back...presumptuous sins...I shall be blameless...innocent" - In this verse David moves to his intentional sins-outright rebellion against God, praying that God would keep him from committing such deliberate sin. This similar to Jesus' statement in the Lords' prayer in Mt. 6:13, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." This could be paraphrased as "deliver us from the power of Satan and his temptations. Spurgeon asked this: "Did David need to pray thus? Did the 'man after God's own heart' need to cry 'Keep back your servant?' Yes, he did." What does that say about me and you? We are powerless against Satan on a human level; only God can protect us.
v. 14: "words of my mouth... meditation... be acceptable...my rock and my redeemer" - David ends the psalm with the hope that his words and thought would be accepted by God. "Rock" is a metaphor for a safe refuge and "redeemer, " a family relationship in its OT context, prefigures the NT idea that believers are adopted into God's family through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
APPLICATION:
1. God has revealed Himself generally through His Creation (19:1-6). We see abundant evidence of God's glory by looking at His Creation, especially the vastness and majesty of His universe. Every day the sun in its brilliance and every night the stars and the constellations tell about the greater glory of the God who spoke them into existence. If people choose to ignore God's revelation in His creation, it is not for of lack of evidence. It's message-the existence of a divine and all-powerful Creator-extends everywhere. The reason people don't see the evidence is moral, not intellectual. The evidence is there; however, people don't want to submit to God; they want to be their own lord. Many people today worship the creation but not the Creator, which is a modern form of pantheism or nature worship. The Bible makes it clear that God is in nature, but nature is not God. The Creator, therefore, must be kept separate from His creation.
2. God has revealed Himself specifically in His Word (19:7-11). These verses establish five facts about God's Word: (1) God's Word is authoritative: The principal terms of these five verses-law, testimony, precepts, commandments, and fear-all imply authority. (2) God's Word is abundantly adequate: God's Word is not a burden designed to take away our pleasure but as a blessing to give us real joy in every circumstance of life if we obey and follow it. We should desire God's Word more than wealth or good food, because it has value not only for life, but for the life to come. (3) God's Word is accurate: If there is any seeming error in God's Word, it is due to our limited knowledge and understanding, not God's mistake. We can be totally confident that God's word will never lead us astray, because it is, as the psalm describes it, perfect, sure, right, pure, and clean in every way it applies to us. (4) God's Word is absolute: Since God never changes, His Word is altogether righteous and endures forever. God's standards are not relative to the times and never shift in response to human events. Instead of being bounced back and forth by man-made principles, we can live by the unchanging and accurate standards of God's Word. When people ask me my position on a particular issue, political, moral, or both, my response is the "I agree with God because His Word says...." (5) God's Word is abrasive: Like David, we must respond to God's Word by looking inward to face our own sin, both unintentional sin and deliberate sin, and call out for God's help to both cleanse us and protect from the temptations to sin again.
