Making 'Psense' of Psalms-- Psalm 19: Two Revelations

Our local foothills aren't the alps, but the clouds above are
a daytime reminder of the  heavens declaring the glory of God

It’s a classic film with an iconic opening that reminds me of Psalm 19. “The hills are alive,” sings Julie Andrews, playing the part of would-be nun Maria, “with the sounds of music.” As cameras pan magnificent mountain scenery behind her, she twirls trying to embrace it all.

That’s close to the impression I get of David’s opening words to Psalm 19: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (v. 1). I grew up memorizing that last part as the King James’ “the firmament sheweth his handywork.” For years I mistakenly thought “firmament” referred to the wonders of the earth. But it doesn’t. “Firmament” is the vault or arch of the sky, thus all that’s above the “terra firma” (earth). It’s like David is taking us back to his shepherding days, inviting us to lay on the ground beside him.  As his sheep bleat nearby, we watch meteors skim across the blackness, seek out familiar constellations, perceive faint stars beyond the most obvious, and wonder about the moon.  After all that, in hushed tones, David says, “The skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Yet in all his observations, David had no clue what we’re still learning: that the stars are beyond number and our planet, solar system and our Milky Way galaxy, are mere dots in a universe. The only credible explanation of all this is God.

Psalm 19 describes God’s natural revelation (1-6) and His written revelation in the Bible (7-10). It concludes with a suggested response: confession and obedience.

 

WHAT YOU SEE (VV. 1-6)

Psalm 19 uses two Hebrew names for God, “El” and “Yahweh.”  In this first section He is “El,” the powerful creator-God. His creation does more than hint about Him. The skies “pour forth speech,” the verb “pour” indicating a strong gushing up like a vibrant spring. Even without human words, their mystery and immensity can only point us to a Creator.

Even the sun testifies to a Creator. In comparing the sun to a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, David could have meant both the “before” and “after” of the Jewish wedding customs. In the midst of celebrations, the groom would come out, claim his bride, and take her into the marriage tent to consummate the union. Also, in contrast to today when all eyes are on the bride’s gown, in those times the Jewish bridegroom was richly attired. In the second image, “like a champion rejoicing to run his course,” imagine yourself at a track competition, watching the face of the victor. Who can forget the exhausted yet ecstatic face of the star who played Olympian and future missionary Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire?

In David’s time, astronomy hadn’t advanced to understanding how the sun and planets were related.  But he knew the cycle of day and night had to be the plan of a Creator.

This testimony of nature is where the early apostles started in leading people to Christ. When Paul came to Athens and saw a city filled with false gods (and even an altar to an “unknown god”), he stood on the famed Areopagus and declared, “What you worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you” (Acts 17:24). The true creator-God, he said, doesn’t live in manmade temples. Instead, from the creation of one man (Adam) came all nations according to His divine design. “God did this,” Paul said, “so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him…For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28).

Paul made the same appeal in the opening statements of his letter to the Romans: “Since from the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Later, in Romans 10:18, Paul quoted Psalm 19:4 as evidence that God speaks through His creation.

WHAT YOU READ (VV. 7-11)

Besides creation, God speaks to us through sacred written revelation, the Bible. Thus this section uses the covenant name “Yahweh” (translated as “LORD” and printed in small capitals).  Nothing can hide from the heat of the sun (v. 6), so nothing is exempt from examination via scripture. People who dismiss the Bible as “old Jewish history and poetry” fail to acknowledge its divine assignment. God decided to communicate about Himself through writings that have amazing connections despite being written by 40 different authors over 1,500 years.

In his lifetime, David had the “Torah” or early Jewish history and books of law. Studying those prompted him to search for words to describe scriptures and their effect. C.S. Lewis called Psalm 19 “the greatest poem in the psalms and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”  This section is a microcosm of Psalm 119, longest in the psalter and a Hebrew acrostic poem that entirely lauds God’s Word.

David’s synonyms for scripture are law, statutes, precepts, commands, fear, ordinances. His scripture adjectives: perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, sure. The results: reviving the soul, making wise the simple, giving joy to the heart, giving light to the eyes, enduring forever, altogether righteous. They’re more precious than gold, sweeter than honey right off the comb (v. 10). That’s a stop-and-think-about-it analogy! It can grow stale with repetition, but what a claim.

HOW YOU OBEY (VV. 12-14)

The psalm ends with personal application: to heed the warnings of God’s revelations, and thereby enjoy His “reward.”  Then David prays for all of us to listen in:

Who can discern his errors?  Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.  Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. (v. 14)

Talk about one size fits all! He’s teaching us to ask God to push back the curtain and show us sins we’re hiding or not aware of.  There’s no other way to build intimacy with God except to let everything be examined.  Then, David concludes with a prayer that’s often mine.  I’ve spoken it when quiet before God. It’s helped me choose wise words in difficult situations. And it’s been my quick prayer when I walk to the front of an audience to speak:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock, and my Redeemer. (v. 14)

Rock:  echoes of the previous psalm (18:2, 31, 46).  Redeemer: the bigger God-story that would come hundreds of years later, with the arrival of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, whose earthly birth Heaven declared with extraordinary glory!

Next: Psalm 22