Dwell in the Word: Psalm 19

Contemplate these questions as you dwell in Psalm 19:

1. How does Psalm 19 demonstrate the concept of general revelation through creation, and why is this significant for our understanding of God?

2. In what ways does special revelation, as described in Psalm 19, differ from general revelation, and what specific truths about God does it reveal to us?

3. Why is it important for believers to desire God's law more than gold and to view it as sweeter than honey, as emphasized in Psalm 19?

Transcript:

Here in Psalm 19 we see a few different phrases that you probably find to be familiar. And you know the kind of statements in the Psalms that I'm talking about here. You are reading through a passage and you come across some verses, and the words are something that is used often, say, in prayers or in worship, and your brain says to you, oh, that's where this phrase is found in the Psalms. In fact, when we got to the end of Psalm 19, you might have thought, hey, that's what Mark says at the end of the prayer for illumination each week. Well, several phrases here are memorable to us because they are powerful and they use language that really draws us in. This Psalm of David is filled with praise and prayer, and he starts out by speaking about the handiwork of God. As this Psalm begins, it starts out from a wide scope, doesn't it? The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." This is a strong statement of praise. David is praising God because he is saying that we see his glory in the creative work of God. And we don't struggle here to understand what he's saying, do we? Where we live, we're blessed with nominal light pollution. There are some nights where you look up at the sky and this verse might actually come to mind for you. The heavens sit silent before our eyes, but at the same time they are screaming at us the majesty of God. And this is the idea the psalmist gives us here. Every day and every night the created order is showing us this majesty of a holy God. And we read in verse 4 that this voice of the testimony of the greatness of God goes out through all of the earth. And as we arrive in verse 7, this psalm goes from speaking about the majesty and glory of God in what is testified to us in creation to telling us about how the law of the Lord is perfect. And this is a point where I have to remind us of the important categories of general revelation and special revelation. General revelation is the way in which God reveals himself in creation and special revelation is the Word of God. It is a direct revelation of who God is and His will for His creation. General revelation shows us that there is a designer. Special revelation tells us who that designer is. Standing in awe of a night sky causes us to see that there is a God, but it can't tell us that this God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The majesty of a sunset will give us the idea that God is a God who is majestic, but the sunset can't tell us that God the Son took on flesh to bear the wrath of God that we deserve for our sin. So the psalm starts out with the general and now is getting specific for us. God has not only revealed himself in creation, but he is revealing himself to us in his word. And we read that his law is perfect. It revives the soul. It is a sure testimony. Even the simple can be made wise by doing what is commanded in it. His law is pure and it endures forever. It's true and righteous. And because of this the psalmist tells us that it is to be desired more than gold and the word of the Lord is sweeter than honey. And we see that a significant part of this is the fact that the law of God makes the people of God aware of their sin. David acknowledges that as humans we struggle to know our errors. We are blind to our sins and so David has a powerful prayer for us here, doesn't he? Declare me innocent from hidden faults and keep me from presumptuous sins. I think the most powerful statement here is a request that he would not let those sins have dominion over him. He wants to be ruled by God and serve him faithfully instead of being ruled by his sin. And the statement that closes this psalm up gets to the heart of this. The psalmist wants not only the words of his mouth, but also what is going on in his heart to be acceptable in the sight of God. So, may this be our prayer today. That not only what comes out of our mouths will be pleasing to God, but that what we meditate on in our hearts and our minds would be pleasing and glorifying to God as well.