A Recount of Creation - Psalm 19

I am so excited this morning. I am thankful for the response to study Psalm 19 in depth this week. I am encouraged by your hunger for the Word. Let us not be casual readers. Let us be students of His Word.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. Ephesians 1:17

I pray our spiritual eyes would be opened to His Word. To the greater depths of scripture. To Psalm 19.

Let's get started.

I've got my coffee.
Bible - check.
Pen - check.
Highlighter - check.
Journal - check.
And....a blank note card or paper....for memorization. Check. You too.

Yes, lets memorize this passage. Oh yes, you can. Word for word. I'll tell you why you can...Jesus says in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit, who lives inside us, who lives within every believer, will teach us all things and bring to our remembrance all that God says to us.

So there you go. How's that for some encouragement? You don't have to do all the work...He will. The Holy Spirit will remind you.

We are going to break Psalm 19 into three parts.

Part One - A recount of creation v. 1-6
Part Two - The Law addresses the soul v. 7-11
Part Three - A humble response to the law v. 12-14

Today we will focus only on v. 1-6. Take some time to rewrite these six verses on a separate sheet of paper or a few note cards. This is going with me everywhere today. I commit to memorization and meditation.

Psalm 19
1) The 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 his 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.

I wonder what David sounded like when he sang this verse. I envision him sitting in a green field, looking at the sky, hands raised, celebrating His Maker. In awe of His creation. In awe of the Heavens.

Confession...so I sang this psalm to the Lord. Out of tune. Painful to the natural ear. I tell you, if God was an eye roller, He would have been rolling those Holy eyes. Getting a big kick out of me, I'm sure.

In praise and adoration, David is recounting the glory of God and the divine story that creation tells.

V.1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

* The Heavens - Shamayim - The visible universe. Atmosphere. The abode of the stars.

* The atmosphere, the sky in all its expanse - This is David's focus.

* The heavens declare, this word means to CELEBRATE, the glory of God.

*Glory - Kabowd meaning abundance, riches, honour, splendor, dignity, reputation, reverence.

Piecing back together....The visible universe, the Heavens, celebrate the SPLENDOR, the RICHES, the ABUNDANCE of God. His REPUTATION rests in his Creation. His Dignity celebrated in the abode of the stars.

What a reputation!

V. 2
Day to day pours out speech.
* Pours - naba meaning to utter, publish, tell.
* Speech - omer meaning a word of poetic language, especially used in the words of God.

So... the Day publishes God's poetic language. His Glory, His Splendor is published, like poetry, in the Heavens. In the expanse of the sky.

Night to Night reveals knowledge.
* Reveals - chavah meaning to breathe out. Hence to declare, to show, a word used in poetry instead of prosaic.

This makes me want to change my blog to joyfulchavah! (cymbal cling!)

Oh my. The English major in me is LOVING ALL OF THIS. Do you see?

The night REVEALS...it breathes out knowledge (discernment and understanding) to us like POETRY.

Def. -Poetry - the productions of a poet. Something likened to poetry, especially in beauty of expression.

God doesn't just write to us in prose. He's a Poet. He expresses Himself in the beauty of the heavens. The sky. Day. Night.

And His poetry is translated in every tongue. The wordless voice of nature is silent, yet speaks in every language.

V. 3&4
There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
* Voice - qav means sound. The string of a harp.

Their SOUND goes out through all the earth - sounding as the string of a harp.

He's a poet and a musician.

His creation, the heavens, the sky, day and night is like a poem, written to you, set to the sound of a harp. Amazing.

V. 4b-6
In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes our like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 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.

The whole bridegroom analogy makes me blush - just a little. A newlywed groom, leaving his wedding chamber. Yes. Does anyone else find this a bit funny? What a comparison! And how accurate.

Rarely will a man's face shine more brightly.

The sun: Nothing more brilliant. Nothing hidden from its heat. It's tabernacle the sky - for all to see. Glorious.

This thought will lead us into the next section, Part Two: The Law Addresses the Soul. The ever-searching, all-covering, brilliant, pure and perfect law of the Lord. Nothing is hidden from Him.

Today, as you meditate on this passage...celebrate Him. His reputation is before us. On display. Nothing hidden.

Now this is poetry.