Scripture Reference: Psalm 19

In Psalm 19, David contemplates how creation proclaims the glory of God and then considers the riches of the Lord’s instruction in the Scriptures. He recognizes that, unlike the gods of the nations who are aloof and silent, Yahweh is a God who graciously makes Himself known through the revelation of creation (verses 1-6) and the revelation of His Word (verses 7-11). David understands that just as all of physical life is dependent on the sun, one’s spiritual life is dependent on the Word of God. David uses the beautiful parallelism of Hebrew poetry to convey these truths. David also realizes such wonderful revelation and communication from God necessitates a response. So, his request is for the cleansing of his sin so that what he does, says, and thinks will be pleasing to God (verses 12-14).

In verses 1-6, David looks to the heavenly host in wonder at how they declare the glory and knowledge of God. First, he focuses on the heavens in general, and then he narrows his focus to the sun. Verse 1 uses synonymous parallelism with three words in the second line matching the three words in the first. The pairs are “heavens” and the “firmament,” “declare” and “shows [proclaims],” and “the glory of God” and “His handiwork [work of His Hands].” The “heavens” and “firmament” both refer to the skies and everything in space beyond. The words “declare” and “shows” are participles in Hebrew, meaning the heavens and firmament are continually declaring and showing as verse 2 also asserts. By recognizing the first two pairs as synonyms, it reveals that the third pair are synonyms too.

So, David is saying that “His handiwork” witnesses to “the glory of God.” “His handiwork” means all of the skies and space above are God’s creation. The word “glory” in the original language means heaviness or weightiness. So, David is saying God’s creation of the heavens gives weight to who God is. He is transcendent, above the highest reaches of space. He is of ultimate importance; there is none like Him, anywhere. Without words, the heavens pour out this knowledge of God’s omnipotence, His wisdom, and splendor for everyone to see.

Most notable of all the heavenly hosts is the sun. David uses similes to describe its splendor. The heavens stand over it like a tent. Like a bridegroom and an athlete, the sun is brilliant and strong. It provides warmth and sustenance for the entire Earth (verses 4-6). The sun is central to life on the earth. It affects the oceans and the weather, providing energy for the plants to grow which in turn provide oxygen and nourishment for life on Earth. Without the sun, we could not survive. The sun not only reveals the power and beauty of God but also the wisdom and goodness of God to provide for all of physical life on Earth.

Likewise, God has provided for our spiritual lives by the revelation of His Word. Once again, employing the beauty of Hebrew parallelism, David expounds the blessing and centrality of God’s Word to all of life. Without God’s Word, we could not survive. Creation reveals the glory of God; God’s Word reveals the way to God. How? The “law [meaning instruction]” of God restores vitality to the spiritually infirmed and life to the spiritually dead (verse 7).

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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