THE GLORY OF GOD REVEALED Psalm 19
Pastor Dennis Bone
10-11-15
Psalm 19 has been called one of the finest and most beautiful poems ever written; and there have been many hymns written calling us to praise God based upon the great lyrics of this song and prayer of David. It’s a familiar Psalm to most of us yet one well worth spending some time reviewing and exploring this morning. One reason that the chief end of man is to glorify God is because God Himself is glorified in His creation; and what we see calls us and commands us to worship the Creator. As Christians we know and understand that we need more than natural revelation to figure this out and be willing to do it; we need God’s special revelation through His Word to glorify God in the way He commands us through His Son.
Psalm 19 speaks to us about both types of revelation in a beautiful and powerful way so as to remind us and teach us about the great God we worship and serve. Through the words of David, God expresses Himself and His glory in two specific ways. First, we see the glory of God increation: verses 1 – 6; and second, we see the glory of God inScripture: verses 7 – 14. Let’s begin by listening to the first six verses of Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
David doesn’t set out to prove that God exists, nor does the Bible, rather he rejoices in this wonderful truth; and sets out to celebrate it as one who has had this glorious truth revealed to Him by God. I don’t go on Facebook as often as some of you, but at times I see people posting beautiful pictures of where they live or are visiting, yet rarely do I hear or read any comments about the glory of God. It seems ironic that virtually no one denies the beauty and wonder of nature, yet many deny the one who created it. It’s not David’s job to prove God’s existence or His glory, nor is it ours, rather he takes up the task to proclaim it; and as he does David reminds us first of how God reveals His glory in creation.
First, in verse one we are told that creation magnificently declares God’s glory. It tells us or really shows us a story about our Creator. David says, “Look at the sky; it is one great big billboard for God.” Look up and around at what God has created and its one beautiful advertisement for God’s glory. Creation is not an accident; it’s meant to glorify God. We all know that God is Creator because we all see His handiwork. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; and He has made it evident by the works of His hands. You might ask, if God has made Himself and His glory so obvious then why doesn’t everyone seek to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 1: It’s not because man doesn’t know the truth – they do, and always have – but sinful people choose to deny it because they would rather worship the creation rather than the Creator.
Paul tells us that men suppress this truth in unrighteousness, even though what may be know about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. The revelation of God’s glory is clear to all, but is purposefully made unclear by the sin of man. To deny the Creator is to deceive ourselves and suppress the true knowledge that God has declared in His creation.
The root cause of unbelief is moral not intellectual. The fool says in his heart there is no God. It’s a hard and rebellious heart that leads people to faulty thinking. Creation is not just a one-time shout out to God’s glory; creation continually shouts out God’s glory – verse 2 – “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” Creation is a “speechless” and uninterrupted or perpetual sermon to the glory of God. No matter where you live, or when you lived, or language that you speak the witness of heaven is unmistakable and continual – verse 3: “There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” This is why Paul can say in Romans 1:20: “For since 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.”
The consistency of natural revelation leaves all people without excuse. The excuse of “I didn’t know” or never heard about God, doesn’t fly in the face of God’s revealed glory. In fact the creation shouts so loud that even as people reject the Creator because of their moral depravity they end up worshipping the creation. Have you ever watched the Discovery channel? This is the conclusion Paul arrives at in Romans 1: When you suppress the truth about God, you exchange this truth for a lie and worship the creation instead of the Creator; and this idolatry has been going on throughout human history. In verses 4 – 6, the Psalmist lays out the final piece of evidence by telling us that creation universally testifies to God’s glory. He uses the imagery of the sun to illustrate the beauty and power of God’s glory going out to all and being seen by all without exception. The sun is like the circuit preacher, who travels around from place to place proclaiming the message of God’s glory.
In verse 5 he compares this message to the joy of a bridegroom anticipating his wedding day and a runner finishing his course, which seems to indicate or point us to the success of God’s glorious revelation.
The glory of God in creation is achieving God’s purpose; no one can escape the unmistakable and obvious message of God’s glory; and no one is excused from the responsibility or accountability of worshipping Him as the Creator. But we also know that man is incapable and unwilling to achieve this purpose, thus we need more than natural revelation, we need God’s special revelation in His Word, specifically the Word of His Son Jesus Christ. The answer to our moral dilemma – to man’s sin and unrighteousness – is found in Christ, not creation. In Romans 10 the apostle Paul quotes from verse 4 of this Psalm in reference to the universal spread of the gospel – “Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” So we can say in terms of application, that God’s creation points us to the message of Christ.
David is speaking in terms of creation’s message; Paul quotes this in terms of the gospel’s message, and the fact that Israel heard the message and was without excuse. Of course Paul’s argument in Romans 10 is that righteousness comes by faith and this faith is through the word of Christ. I believe that we can make the connection that the glory of God in creation is designed to lead us to the glory of God in Scripture. For apart from the Scripture one will never be able to truly see their Creator or be moved to worship Him. This is why the second half of Psalm 19 is a proclamation and testimony to the witness of God’s Word; and why we need God’s Word of revelation to properly see and respond to the glory of God in our lives.
The first section speaks about the virtue of God’s Word and the second about the value of God’s Word. Let’s begin with verses 7 – 9: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure, and altogether righteous.
The Psalmist presents to us a comprehensive testimony to God’s Scriptures, which is His law or His Word, and as such is a revelation of Himself and His glory. It points us to our Creator and the necessary benefits of His Word in order to find His grace for our lives. The creation of God is beautiful and majestic, but the Word of God is more precious and of far greater value than anything in the creation. So in the brief time we have let me give you a four point overview. First, the Word of God iscompleteand itconvertsthe soul. God’s Word is perfect or complete in the sense that it addresses all aspects or areas of our life. It starts by reviving the soul; by making spiritually dead people with hard and rebellious hearts, alive and able to see the glory of God revealed, in both creation and in God’s law.
Second, the Word of Godcommunicatestruth and gives us wisdom to makerightchoices. When we are made alive by faith, through God’s Word, it makes us spiritually aware; and we now see the need to make right choices based upon the truth that God provides in His Word. The “simple” person is the one who doesn’t have the ability or opportunity to make wise decisions, thus the Word of God opens up this opportunity for wisdom and discernment; and gives us a trustworthy source by which to make decisions and choices. There is nothing more “simple” than to just do whatever you want, which we see a lot of in this world because the majority of what is being communicated today does not come from a trustworthy source. In contrast to this – verse 8, “The precepts of the Lord are right,”not just in the sense of not being wrong, but in also in terms of setting a right course or path for us.
This brings us to the third point: the Word of Godcheersour heart and gives usguidancein our lives. The Word brings joy to our hearts and gives light to the eyes, so as to give spiritual and moral direction. There is true joy when we are walking along a godly path. Jesus says, “Happy is the person who hears my word and does it.” God’s Word sets the right path for us; and then is the light to walk down that path.
And then fourth, the Word of God endures forever and champions righteousness. As God’s saints, we are called to be the “righteous ones,” a theme we have seen over the past several weeks, and we can only be champions of righteousness in our lives when we are committed to God’s Word. Thus we are reminded in verse 10 that the Word of God must be our greatest priority, because it is of more value to us than anything else we have in this life. The verse reads:“They (all of these comprehensive characteristics of God’s Word) are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”
The final four verses of the Psalm: verses 11 – 14, speak to us about the specific value of God’s Word to us in terms of personal application. What should be our response to God’s objective Word as His saints? This is what David says: “By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 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. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
First, the Word of God corrects us. It warns us and points out our errors and reminds us of the blessings that are ours when we listen to God and seek to follow His Word. The Word of God calls us to repentance and then rewards us by cleansing us from sin; and forgives us even from those sins we may not be aware of. As we read in Hebrews 4, the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, designed to purify our hearts and draw us closer to our God. Second, the Word of God forgives us. Apart from the cleansing power of God’s forgiveness the Word of God judges us and ultimately would destroy us. The value of God’s Word for us, who are His saints, is that it leads us away from sin; and leads us back to Christ. As believers we turn to God’s Word not only for forgiveness but for protection, so that our sins will not overtake us or cause us to stumble. Our prayer, like David’s prayer is that we will avoid sin, and that the Word of God will guard us. We pray that God will guard our hearts and minds; and we know that God will do this when we spend time in His Word, and as we read in Psalm 1: “The one who is blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” The value of God’s Word comes to those who are in His Word, so that God’s Spirit will apply its great truths to our lives.
The Psalm closes by reminding us that the Word of God comforts us. There is only one place where we can find true comfort and peace in this life; and only one way that the words of our mouth and meditations of our hearts can be pleasing to God. We find this one place or one way in knowing God as our Redeemer. David was able to see the glory of God in creation because by faith he saw the glory of God in the law; and the glory of the law pointed him to the grace of God as His Redeemer, and the joy of a coming Messiah who fulfilled the law for him and for us.
This knowledge does not come through looking at creation, even though it clearly reveals God’s glory, but it does come – and only comes through God’s Word – for it’s through the Scriptures that God reveals His glory through His Son, the Redeemer for sinful men and women. Man’s sin keeps them from seeing God’s glory in creation, but through the grace of the gospel men can see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Thus the virtue and value of God’s Word is not only for us who believe, but it’s to be proclaimed to those who don’t, for its only through the redemptive word of Christ that men and women can glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC.
Pastor Dennis Bone
10-11-15
Psalm 19 has been called one of the finest and most beautiful poems ever written; and there have been many hymns written calling us to praise God based upon the great lyrics of this song and prayer of David. It’s a familiar Psalm to most of us yet one well worth spending some time reviewing and exploring this morning. One reason that the chief end of man is to glorify God is because God Himself is glorified in His creation; and what we see calls us and commands us to worship the Creator. As Christians we know and understand that we need more than natural revelation to figure this out and be willing to do it; we need God’s special revelation through His Word to glorify God in the way He commands us through His Son.
Psalm 19 speaks to us about both types of revelation in a beautiful and powerful way so as to remind us and teach us about the great God we worship and serve. Through the words of David, God expresses Himself and His glory in two specific ways. First, we see the glory of God increation: verses 1 – 6; and second, we see the glory of God inScripture: verses 7 – 14. Let’s begin by listening to the first six verses of Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
David doesn’t set out to prove that God exists, nor does the Bible, rather he rejoices in this wonderful truth; and sets out to celebrate it as one who has had this glorious truth revealed to Him by God. I don’t go on Facebook as often as some of you, but at times I see people posting beautiful pictures of where they live or are visiting, yet rarely do I hear or read any comments about the glory of God. It seems ironic that virtually no one denies the beauty and wonder of nature, yet many deny the one who created it. It’s not David’s job to prove God’s existence or His glory, nor is it ours, rather he takes up the task to proclaim it; and as he does David reminds us first of how God reveals His glory in creation.
First, in verse one we are told that creation magnificently declares God’s glory. It tells us or really shows us a story about our Creator. David says, “Look at the sky; it is one great big billboard for God.” Look up and around at what God has created and its one beautiful advertisement for God’s glory. Creation is not an accident; it’s meant to glorify God. We all know that God is Creator because we all see His handiwork. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; and He has made it evident by the works of His hands. You might ask, if God has made Himself and His glory so obvious then why doesn’t everyone seek to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 1: It’s not because man doesn’t know the truth – they do, and always have – but sinful people choose to deny it because they would rather worship the creation rather than the Creator.
Paul tells us that men suppress this truth in unrighteousness, even though what may be know about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. The revelation of God’s glory is clear to all, but is purposefully made unclear by the sin of man. To deny the Creator is to deceive ourselves and suppress the true knowledge that God has declared in His creation.
The root cause of unbelief is moral not intellectual. The fool says in his heart there is no God. It’s a hard and rebellious heart that leads people to faulty thinking. Creation is not just a one-time shout out to God’s glory; creation continually shouts out God’s glory – verse 2 – “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” Creation is a “speechless” and uninterrupted or perpetual sermon to the glory of God. No matter where you live, or when you lived, or language that you speak the witness of heaven is unmistakable and continual – verse 3: “There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” This is why Paul can say in Romans 1:20: “For since 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.”
The consistency of natural revelation leaves all people without excuse. The excuse of “I didn’t know” or never heard about God, doesn’t fly in the face of God’s revealed glory. In fact the creation shouts so loud that even as people reject the Creator because of their moral depravity they end up worshipping the creation. Have you ever watched the Discovery channel? This is the conclusion Paul arrives at in Romans 1: When you suppress the truth about God, you exchange this truth for a lie and worship the creation instead of the Creator; and this idolatry has been going on throughout human history. In verses 4 – 6, the Psalmist lays out the final piece of evidence by telling us that creation universally testifies to God’s glory. He uses the imagery of the sun to illustrate the beauty and power of God’s glory going out to all and being seen by all without exception. The sun is like the circuit preacher, who travels around from place to place proclaiming the message of God’s glory.
In verse 5 he compares this message to the joy of a bridegroom anticipating his wedding day and a runner finishing his course, which seems to indicate or point us to the success of God’s glorious revelation.
The glory of God in creation is achieving God’s purpose; no one can escape the unmistakable and obvious message of God’s glory; and no one is excused from the responsibility or accountability of worshipping Him as the Creator. But we also know that man is incapable and unwilling to achieve this purpose, thus we need more than natural revelation, we need God’s special revelation in His Word, specifically the Word of His Son Jesus Christ. The answer to our moral dilemma – to man’s sin and unrighteousness – is found in Christ, not creation. In Romans 10 the apostle Paul quotes from verse 4 of this Psalm in reference to the universal spread of the gospel – “Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” So we can say in terms of application, that God’s creation points us to the message of Christ.
David is speaking in terms of creation’s message; Paul quotes this in terms of the gospel’s message, and the fact that Israel heard the message and was without excuse. Of course Paul’s argument in Romans 10 is that righteousness comes by faith and this faith is through the word of Christ. I believe that we can make the connection that the glory of God in creation is designed to lead us to the glory of God in Scripture. For apart from the Scripture one will never be able to truly see their Creator or be moved to worship Him. This is why the second half of Psalm 19 is a proclamation and testimony to the witness of God’s Word; and why we need God’s Word of revelation to properly see and respond to the glory of God in our lives.
The first section speaks about the virtue of God’s Word and the second about the value of God’s Word. Let’s begin with verses 7 – 9: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure, and altogether righteous.
The Psalmist presents to us a comprehensive testimony to God’s Scriptures, which is His law or His Word, and as such is a revelation of Himself and His glory. It points us to our Creator and the necessary benefits of His Word in order to find His grace for our lives. The creation of God is beautiful and majestic, but the Word of God is more precious and of far greater value than anything in the creation. So in the brief time we have let me give you a four point overview. First, the Word of God iscompleteand itconvertsthe soul. God’s Word is perfect or complete in the sense that it addresses all aspects or areas of our life. It starts by reviving the soul; by making spiritually dead people with hard and rebellious hearts, alive and able to see the glory of God revealed, in both creation and in God’s law.
Second, the Word of Godcommunicatestruth and gives us wisdom to makerightchoices. When we are made alive by faith, through God’s Word, it makes us spiritually aware; and we now see the need to make right choices based upon the truth that God provides in His Word. The “simple” person is the one who doesn’t have the ability or opportunity to make wise decisions, thus the Word of God opens up this opportunity for wisdom and discernment; and gives us a trustworthy source by which to make decisions and choices. There is nothing more “simple” than to just do whatever you want, which we see a lot of in this world because the majority of what is being communicated today does not come from a trustworthy source. In contrast to this – verse 8, “The precepts of the Lord are right,”not just in the sense of not being wrong, but in also in terms of setting a right course or path for us.
This brings us to the third point: the Word of Godcheersour heart and gives usguidancein our lives. The Word brings joy to our hearts and gives light to the eyes, so as to give spiritual and moral direction. There is true joy when we are walking along a godly path. Jesus says, “Happy is the person who hears my word and does it.” God’s Word sets the right path for us; and then is the light to walk down that path.
And then fourth, the Word of God endures forever and champions righteousness. As God’s saints, we are called to be the “righteous ones,” a theme we have seen over the past several weeks, and we can only be champions of righteousness in our lives when we are committed to God’s Word. Thus we are reminded in verse 10 that the Word of God must be our greatest priority, because it is of more value to us than anything else we have in this life. The verse reads:“They (all of these comprehensive characteristics of God’s Word) are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”
The final four verses of the Psalm: verses 11 – 14, speak to us about the specific value of God’s Word to us in terms of personal application. What should be our response to God’s objective Word as His saints? This is what David says: “By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 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. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
First, the Word of God corrects us. It warns us and points out our errors and reminds us of the blessings that are ours when we listen to God and seek to follow His Word. The Word of God calls us to repentance and then rewards us by cleansing us from sin; and forgives us even from those sins we may not be aware of. As we read in Hebrews 4, the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, designed to purify our hearts and draw us closer to our God. Second, the Word of God forgives us. Apart from the cleansing power of God’s forgiveness the Word of God judges us and ultimately would destroy us. The value of God’s Word for us, who are His saints, is that it leads us away from sin; and leads us back to Christ. As believers we turn to God’s Word not only for forgiveness but for protection, so that our sins will not overtake us or cause us to stumble. Our prayer, like David’s prayer is that we will avoid sin, and that the Word of God will guard us. We pray that God will guard our hearts and minds; and we know that God will do this when we spend time in His Word, and as we read in Psalm 1: “The one who is blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” The value of God’s Word comes to those who are in His Word, so that God’s Spirit will apply its great truths to our lives.
The Psalm closes by reminding us that the Word of God comforts us. There is only one place where we can find true comfort and peace in this life; and only one way that the words of our mouth and meditations of our hearts can be pleasing to God. We find this one place or one way in knowing God as our Redeemer. David was able to see the glory of God in creation because by faith he saw the glory of God in the law; and the glory of the law pointed him to the grace of God as His Redeemer, and the joy of a coming Messiah who fulfilled the law for him and for us.
This knowledge does not come through looking at creation, even though it clearly reveals God’s glory, but it does come – and only comes through God’s Word – for it’s through the Scriptures that God reveals His glory through His Son, the Redeemer for sinful men and women. Man’s sin keeps them from seeing God’s glory in creation, but through the grace of the gospel men can see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Thus the virtue and value of God’s Word is not only for us who believe, but it’s to be proclaimed to those who don’t, for its only through the redemptive word of Christ that men and women can glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC.
