The Powerful Life Changing Word of the Lord Psalm 19

Dr. Jerry A. Collins

 

If you believe in an evolutionary hypothesis, you won’t like Psalm 19. For that matter you won’t like Hebrews 1:3 by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Or Colossians 1:16 for by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Or John 1:1-3 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. Or Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Genesis 1 tells us how the creation came to be. Basically, you won’t like the Bible. Its testimony is clear.

PT—Remember, everything is an attack on the Bible. Whether, sanctity of life, monogamous lifelong marriage, patriarchy, gender binary, undefiled marriage bed, spiritual male leadership, salvation in Christ, heterosexuality, nuclear family or creation—these have all become pejoratives in our society. But why? And how? For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. That’s why. That’s how. Its all a set up for the eventual emergence of Antichrist’s kingdom on earth. There can be no biblical mindset influencing that society for sure. Satan and his minions attack. But Psalm 19 sets things straight.

 

ALL OF NATURAL CREATION IS A CLEAR WITNESS TO GOD’S GLORY

Verse 1: This begins a description of God’s wordless revelation the heavens are telling of the glory of God. The heavens indicate everything above—primarily the sun, moon, clouds, stars, and planets—that vantage point from which God’s glory is communicated. Each heavenly hosts are personified as constantly declaring their testimony. It is as of all of the contents of the heavens are glorifying God from this heavenly sanctuary—just by their actual existence and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Everything in the heavens declares that there is a creator who has made everything. His hands are not literal, but anthropomorphic since God called everything into existence by decree by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host (Psalm 33:6).

 

At the heart of the witness and heavenly declaration is the glory of God. God signifies the sovereignty and power of the creator and supreme being of the universe. To speak of God’s glory is to speak of His intrinsic value. Anyone looking at the universe and understanding that God created all this by his powerful word, could come to no other conclusion than that he is the most important person in existence—ever—no one else could even come close! There is no one as important as he! Glory is not merely an attribute of God. It is the sum total of God’s essential being. God is a glorious God.

Application: Our entire lives must be about the glory of God. In everything we do whether we eat or drink do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). To glorify Him means acknowledging the greatness and splendor of His Majesty through honor, worship and praise of which He alone is worthy as God of all.

 

Verse 2: Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. Day and night continually make God known pouring forth speech that reveals cognitive knowledge, not some type of experience. So everything visible in the heavens testifies all of the time. Pours forth means ‘utters’ so that the communication is irrepressible. It cannot be stopped. The heavens keep showing up everyday with the same unalterable message for decades, centuries, and millennia. That constant drumbeat is the evidence of the majesty and power of God almighty. What do we see?

·      Act of creating everything by his own will and command reveals his eternal power

·      Vast expanse of universe and all its complexities reveal his infinity and sovereignty

·      Perfect functioning of all aspects of creation reveal his wisdom

·      Beauty of all creative expanse reveals his artistic splendor

 

Verse 3: There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Natural revelation may not audibly communicate with specific words, but its message is clear nonetheless. Actually there is no speech, nor… words… their voice is not heard. Heavenly witnesses, (sun, moon, clouds, stars, planets) may seem silent, but their testimony is heard continuously.

 

Verse 4a: Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. Here is the extent of the revelation—it goes throughout the inhabited world. It is as if heavenly revelation continues as a line of text, without interruption, throughout the whole earth, these utterances reaching the ends of the inhabited earth.

PT: Wherever people live on this planet, and whenever they have lived, natural revelation communicates the truth to them that there is a sovereign creator apart from the creation.

Application: The purpose of natural revelation is to testify not to itself, but to the originator of its existence. According to the Bible, that can only be God, the One identified in Genesis.

 

Verse 4b-6: In them He has placed a tent for the sun. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber. We move from the whole creation to the dominating part of that creation as we see it—the sun. During the day its so bright we cannot see the stars or planets. The sun is so powerful it changes the weather, warms the earth, causes everything to grow. The personified sun emerges from this tent in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the tent must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night. Like a bridegroom the metaphor likens the sun to a bridegroom who rejoices on his wedding night.

 

It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. Like a strong man the metaphorical language reflects the brilliance of the sunrise, which attests to the sun’s vigor. This course from one end of the heavens where the sun rises to the other end where it sets—under its dominant presence nothing is hidden from its heat or light. God so ordered the universe that the sun and earth are in the exact relationship for the right time to sustain life on the earth.

PT: You may believe in the ‘big bang’ theory. I do too. Except the timing is wrong, and so is the outcome. Peter says the ‘big bang’ is yet future when at the day of the Lord [the big bang] will come like a thief not the past. And when it comes the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10), not originate our universe. So it happens at the end of history not beginning. As usual the world has both the timing and outcome the opposite.

Application: The sun is just part of God’s creation. Creation is not to be worshiped. It is a witness to the Creator who is to be worshiped. Creation does not give the law or champion justice, but the Creator God does.

 

GODS WORD REVEALS GODS WILL THAT TRANSFORMS LIFE

Special revelation in comparison to natural revelation has a significant role. Natural revelation declares a good deal about the power and majesty of God, but it cannot communicate the details specific revelation reveals. All of the heavenly hosts, especially the sun, have a great impact on life on earth, but they cannot match the impact of specific revelation. Lives are transformed ad enriched as people follow the instructions and principles of the word of the Lord. Here are six aspects of that word:  

Verse 7: The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The first is the law of the Lord a reference to the law given at Sanai. Natural revelation can tell us about a sovereign, powerful God who created all things—specific revelation can tell us of the expectations of this God, parameters of existence, His will and plans for us. This law is perfect in the sense of flawless, without error. There is no misleading or unnecessary instruction. It has divine integrity, sound consistent, unimpaired, and genuine. No matter the spiritual condition this law shows one how to be restored to a right relation with God—forgiveness, restoration, and peace. Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him.

 

The second, the testimony is a general reference to the commands and precepts that make up the covenant God made with Israel. That testimony is sure meaning its reliable and trustworthy. It is a reliable witness to God’s moral character and demands. How so? Its effect it to make wise the simple—not poor, rich, or ugly, beautiful, or underprivileged, privileged. The naïve person without training or discipline or knowledge, who wanders into all kinds of needless danger, chaos, and damage control, needs wisdom. The skill to live a life with an understanding of how things usually work out. But without Scripture, there can be no godly wisdom.

 

Verse 8: The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The third, the precepts carries are the idea that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right. They are upright, exactly right, appropriate, clear, direct. Abiding by these directives increasing the quality of life and cause the heart to rejoice. Living out the plan of God revealed in His covenant is nourishing to life. Sadness and insecurity come from rebellion to God’s precepts.

Application: Its when you take Gods word to be in your best interest that your life solidifies. Unbelief says I know better than God what is in my best interest. CNN and the news cycle, counsel of Government or classroom instruction all teach you to determine your own best interest.

 

The fourth, the commandment refers to the entire law’s provisions. Every one of them is pure, without imperfection or pollution since they all are based upon reality—the truth—the way things actually are. The outcome of such purity is enlightening the eyes giving people spiritual understanding and guiding into decisions consistent with reality. Faith is understanding Gods Word to be true.

 

Verse 9: The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. The fifth, the fear of the Lord is what the effect of the law of God should have. The law properly understood and received and welcomed prompts reverence for that law. The law which prompts such fear is clean and not contaminated or corrupted. In other words, a fear is generated that keeps the devout from ignoring or disobeying the Word of the Lord. Otherwise, these gracious outcomes, restoration, wisdom, righteousness, enlightenment, understanding, rejoicing and purity are jeopardized. Pollution, corruption, deception, judgment, discipline, are generated when the law of God is violated. Spiritual perception is essential for survival in a corrupt world. Gods holy word will endure forever, stand permanently, because it is the truth.

 

The sixth, the judgments refers to the rulings in the law that decided cases. Truth is that which corresponds to reality and is therefore reliable. In deciding a legal case, the purpose is to get to the truth. All God’s decisions will do just that and so the conclusion is they are righteous altogether. Not unrighteous or duplicitous or compromising. Only in the decisions God renders will anyone ever find true justice.    

 

GODS WORD ENABLES PEOPLE TO BE PLEASING TO THE LORD

Verse 10: They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. After this survey is an announcement of the writer’s delight in and benefit fro the Word of the Lord. For believers that word is not a burden but desirablethan gold, than much fine gold. Really? Those laws are also sweeter than honey or honeycomb. So, Gods Word is sweet in its enrichment of one’s life when it is followed and applied. Its desirability increases day by day. Here is a call to put that word into practice. It is not just meant to be studied, but understood and then worked out in the life where its life-bringing effects can be experienced.

Verse 11: Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. Reflecting upon its impact, Gods servant is first warned about the choice one makes in life. The law warned of the consequences if they violated the word of the Lord. They are inbuilt within the revelation. On the other hand, there is great reward by keeping this word that prevented people from ruining their lives and those around them. We don’t get to sin without consequences.

 

PROPER RESPONSE TO GODS WORD RESULTS IN BE ACCEPTED BY THE LORD

Verse 12: Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. We should all want to live a life acceptable to God. That is all dependent upon how we respond to the Word of the Lord. The point is no one can discern these errors. The type of sin he is taking about are ‘sins of ignorance.’ Sins that were unintentional, hidden, or inadvertent. Leviticus prescribed the sin offering for these sins when the guilty found out about them or was made aware of them. Though not premeditated, they were nevertheless sins. David knows he cannot detect them, ad so prays for God to clear him of these—and if discovered that they be removed so he can be free.

 

Verse 13: Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. He prays to be preserved from presumptuous sins. These are premeditated sins of a willful sinner against God’s word. David prays that such arrogant sins not have dominion over him—they are that powerful let them not rule over me. If he was cleared, then he would be blameless and innocent great transgression. Freed from sins guilt, he is acquitted of his rebellious acts. He wants to be free of any serious sin.

PT: So with all of God’s people, that when we are cleansed of secret sins, protected from committing presumptuous sins, we can be clean and innocent in God’s eyes—but this takes constant vigilance to maintain spiritual integrity.        

 

Verse 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. He now prays that his words to God would also be acceptable to God. But also his meditations. These meditations refer to the prayerful analysis and application of divine revelation. The prayer is that everything he says and everything he thinks be acceptable to God. The Lord is then addressed as my rock and my Redeemer the one who protects and delivers. God is the solid foundation of life. His place is security, safety and strength. God is the one who will make things right.

PT—For believers today, Christ’s revelation is complete. We have far more than the Psalmist ever had and yet the nature and effect of divine revelation is the same. Our Christ is the Creator and the heavens declare the glory of Jesus Christ. He is the word, the complete revelation of God. Our faith in Him we gain spiritual understanding. His word uncovering our rebellious acts so we might find forgiveness and gain spiritual strength to resist great sin.

 

So what?

·      It is a reasonable conclusion that natural creation witnesses to the power of the biblical God

·      Creation should motivate the devout to praise and glorify the Creator of the universe

·      Conforming life to the Word of God brings pleasure to God because we think the way God does

·      The Word transforms us by clarifying for us, and enlightens our understanding of Gods will