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Psalm 19
INTRO TO READING:
We’re in a sermon series looking at the
book of Psalms. Each week we’re examining a different doctrine that’s
taught in the Psalms. This week we come to Psalm 19 where we encounter
the doctrine of God’s Revelation. We’re thinking about the fact that God
speaks. This is an amazing truth and it changes everything. It means we
are not left to our own devices to piece things together. It means that
God is not an unknown quantity to be guessed at. God makes Himself open
to His creatures. He tells them who He is, what He does, what He loves,
what He hates, what He thinks, what He wants. He doesn’t have to do this.
If He were anything like us, He would keep His cards close to His chest,
at least until He thought He could trust us. Who begins a relationship by
revealing everything? Who tells the whole world His deepest secrets? The
Living God does. He has nothing to hide. But in a sense He has everything
to lose. In revealing Himself, the Triune God puts Himself on the line
with His own creatures. He lays His heart open to us and He beckons us to
draw near to His Voice. He knows full well that we can and we do refuse
to listen. Yet still He speaks. Let’s pray right now that we would have
ears to listen.
PRAY
READING: Psalm 19
SLIDE PRESENTATION
[SLIDES – montage of hubble pictures – music ‘God of wonders’]
SERMON
How would you feel if you were being
preached at every single day – from the moment you woke up to the moment
you went to bed? What if you were inundated minute by minute with sermon
after sermon after sermon? Well you guessed it. You are! We live in a
gigantic sermon called creation.
Verse 1: The heavens declare the Glory of God.
The skies proclaim the work of His hands.
The heavens speak. Those stars we saw
are pouring forth a proclamation. This proclamation is unceasing and it
is universal. Look at verses 2 and 3
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
The sermon of creation speaks to all
people in all places at all times. It is an inescapable sermon – what a
scary thought! You can’t walk out on this sermon, wherever you are in the
creation, you will be preached to. Before you came to church this
morning, the sermon was bombarding you, when I finish this sermon and you
walk out of church, the creation will carry on preaching. Unceasingly.
Universally.
Psalm 19 confronts us with the
wonderful truth that God reveals Himself.
[SLIDE – Psalm 19 – Revelation]
In verses 1-6 we’ll see God’s
revelation in creation, then we’ll see God’s revelation in the Scriptures
in verses 7-11.
[SLIDE – v1-6 in Creation; v7-11 in Scripture]
Well if God speaks (both in Creation
and in Scripture) what exactly does He say? An initial answer is given in
verse 1. The first and most basic thing David says about creation’s
sermon is that it concerns the Glory of God. The Glory of God.
The Creation is a good preacher, and
therefore it is a God-centred preacher. As the heavens inundate you with
knowledge, this knowledge does not concern you – it concerns God.
That is where the astrology page of
your newspaper or magazine goes wrong. The Christian and the astrologer
both believe that the heavens communicate with us, in elaborate and
impressive detail. The big difference is that the secular astrologer
looks at the heavens, the vast constellations and wonder of God’s
handiwork and says: ‘Do you see all that? That’s all about you, and
whether you’ll be lucky in love or lucky in your career. The heavens
declare your life and history.” This is where the Bible disagrees whole-heartedly.
The Bible looks at the Heavens and says: Do you see all that? That is
about GOD. Not you, GOD! The heavens declare His life and history – not
yours.
Verse 1 makes it clear - creation is NOT concerned with promoting humans.
The wonder of the heavens should make us feel small before the greatness
of something so much bigger. The heavens do not proclaim the glory of
man.
But nor do they proclaim the glory of
themselves. The creation does not sing its own praises. The Milky Way is
not saying “Look how great I am!” The Horsehead Nebula is not saying
“Check me out!” Instead they are saying “Consider the Glory of God who
made us as just a part of His handiwork.”
But perhaps you want to know “how does
the creation preach? Do the heavens just sit there looking pretty and
we’re supposed to piece it together? What exactly is the way the heavens
preach?
Well v4 gives us one little instance:
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.
Here is a concrete example – a little
sermonette in the midst of the much bigger sermon. David highlights here
the sun, and in particular the movement of the sun across the sky. When
the Holy Spirit opens his mind to it, David sees that it’s very like a
Bridegroom and a Champion.
What does that mean? Well flick on a
few pages to Psalm 45 and we’ll see what those terms refer to and why
David thinks about them when he sees the sun.
Psalm 45
For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of
the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A wedding song.
Note that here we have a wedding song,
hopefully we’ll meet the Bridegroom!
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for
the King;
If anyone was here last week you’re
already getting very excited. We saw last week that Psalm 2 introduces
the whole of the book of Psalms to the Person of the King. He is the Christ,
the Son of God.
On to verse 2:
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,
since God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one;
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness;
let your right hand display awesome deeds.
So here we have the most excellent of
all men who is also the Victor – the champion. But in verse 6, He is
given another title:
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of
justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
So this King is God but also, verse 7,
He honours another Person called God.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your
God, has set you above your companions by anointing you (Christing you)
with the oil of joy.
So this Person is God and He is
anointed by God. And verse 9 – He is the Bridegroom.
9 Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right
hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
Here we have the Bridegroom who is
also a Champion, a Victor. He is also the King, He is the most excellent
of all men, He is also God (v6) and He is blessed by God (v7). He is God
from God, He is the Christ, He is Jesus our LORD.
So (back in Psalm 19) when David says
the sun is like a bridegroom and a champion; he’s referring to Christ –
the light and life of the world, the conqueror of darkness. The sun tells
us about the Person and work of Jesus.
When the Apostle Paul quotes from
Psalm 19:4 in the book of Romans he calls this very verse “the word of
Christ.” Creation proclaims the word of Christ. The creation does not
have vague words to say about some kind of creator. As our opening hymn
declared: Jesus is LORD, creation’s voice proclaims it.
And when you think of it, it’s only
right that creation proclaims Christ. He made the heavens and the earth
by the will of His Father, in the power of the Spirit. All things were
made by Christ and for Christ and He upholds every star and planet by His
own powerful word. Of course the heavens will declare Him.
And what is Christ doing in this
sermonette? Well David draws our attention to the sun’s circuit in the
heavens. It moves from east to west across the sky. In the Bible – east
is the place of estrangement from God – humanity was driven east of Eden
– the Temple faces east, the presence of the LORD in the Holy of Holies
is in the west, therefore the high priest must travel from the east
through the altar of sacrifice, through the curtain of separation until
finally being in the west, in the presence of God. Every day, the
bridegroom/champion/light of the world reminds us of Christ’s journey
from estrangement into the presence of God.
So many people conceive of the sermon
of creation in minimal terms. They say that the creation simply has
pointers to some kind of Intelligent Designer. Yet the Bible’s assessment
of what the creation is saying is maximally great. In Romans 1, Paul says
that ‘what may be known’ about God is made plain to every single person
through the creation. In Colossians 1, Paul says that the creation
proclaims exactly the same gospel that he proclaims and it does it to
every creature under heaven.
If we had ears to hear it, we would
hear the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed to us in every detail of our
existence. The tragedy is that we don’t hear this sermon because we
suppress its truth. Our sin blinds us and distorts all our thinking.
We are like a student who sits through
a set of superb lectures but instead of listening to the lecturer, we
listen to our walkman and drown him out. We follow our own agenda and
pursue our own interests. When the final exam comes, we will be without
excuse.
Yet the LORD does not leave us to our
ignorance. From verse 7, David tells us of the revelation of God in
Scripture. That’s what all those phrases refer to in verses 7-9: the law
of the LORD, the statutes, the precepts, the commands etc – they are just
other names for the Bible.
Even though we have ignored and
twisted the revelation of creation. We are offered another vehicle for
God to speak – and this one has the power to wake us up from our
delusions.
Verse 7: The law of the LORD is
perfect, reviving the soul.
That could just as well be translated
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.” David is saying
the Bible revives the souls, converts it, brings it to spiritual life.
The Bible resurrects our dead souls.
Though the creation has been trying to
tell us to trust Christ from the womb, we have not listened. Yet as the Bible
is read and explained – that has the power to do what the sermon of
creation could not. The sermon of creation does not bring a person to
faith. We sleep through creation’s sermon and imagine it is saying
something entirely different. Yet the Bible wakes us up to reality. The
law of the LORD actually converts a person, resurrects us from our
spiritual death and brings us the truth.
While the sermon of creation left us in our ignorance trying to piece
together its wisdom, (v7) the statutes of the LORD can make us wise.
While the immensity of creation had
made us fearful and downcast, (v8) the precepts of the LORD give joy to
the heart.
While the creation preaches to deaf
ears and blind eyes, (v8) the commands of the LORD can turn a person from
spiritual darkness and give light to the eyes.
David has a very high view of
Scripture. Do you notice the repetition of the words “of the LORD”
throughout verses 7-9. David stresses that the LORD God is the source, He
is the authority, He is the substance of the Scriptures. We have wondered
at the fact that God speaks to us. The wonderful truth is that He speaks
in His Word the Bible. The Scriptures bring us into contact with the LORD
Himself. The Bible is His communication. It is God’s way of meeting God.
David also lists 7 incredibly strong
adjectives in describing the Bible. The Bible is, v7:
Perfect (flawless) – like sacrificial
lamb without spot or blemish or defect
Trustworthy (faithful) – like a strong
father carrying his child to safety
Verse 8:
Right (straight/upright) – like a
straight edge against which you measure other things
Radiant (pure) – like the sun itself.
It shines into our hearts, giving us true light
Verse 9:
Pure – (clean) – as in ceremonially
clean or as in pure gold (see Ps 51:10 – create in me a clean heart.)
Sure (truth, firmness) – as in a firm
foundation – it is bedrock truth.
And finally altogether righteous -
there is not an unrighteous verse in the whole Bible.
That is the Bible’s claim for its own
character.
David’s appreciation for the Bible
could not be any greater. In verse 10 he says “think of the most precious
thing in the world – the Bible is more precious. Think of the sweetest
thing in the world – the Bible is more sweet.” The Bible is out of this
world! It is off the scale. Nothing is more valuable, nothing is more
delightful. Because in it – God speaks. And listening to the Maker of the
Heavens and the Earth is incredibly precious.
Do we believe this? Here’s a test:
what do you do to revive your own soul? It’s the end of a long day,
you’re feeling a bit dry, a bit empty – what do you turn to, to pick you
up? Do you comfort eat? Comfort shop? Read a magazine? Exercise? Play an
instrument? Watch TV? What is your tried and trusted pick-me-up? Is it
the Bible?
David says the Bible revives our soul.
He says it’s sweeter than any sweet and it gives joy to the heart. Do you
ever put that to the test? Do you ever let the Bible revive your soul?
Let me show you how that works.
Earlier this week I was feeling a bit low and decided to put Ps 19:7 to
the test. So I read Psalm 18, scouring the verses for anything that might
revive my soul. Then I got to verse 30, across on the left hand column:
30 As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD is
flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on
the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your shield of victory, and Your right hand sustains me;
You stoop down to make me great.
And as soon as I read “You stoop down
to make me great” I got this image of the LORD who flung the stars into
space, who made the Horse Head nebula as His handiwork, stooping down to
little old me. And then I thought how does the LORD stoop down to make me
great? And then I thought of the cross, where Jesus stooped as low as He
could go, to lift me as far as I could go. And my soul said: “That’s it!
That’s revived me!” And it’s better than any blood-sugar kick, it’s
better than any endorphine rush, it’s better than any ego-boost – this is
a revival of the soul.
So that’s the challenge to Christians
here – when your soul needs revival, will you turn to the Bible? Every
morning we do many things to revive our bodies, we wash and eat, maybe we
exercise. Will we take the time to revive our souls? Every evening we do
something to pick us up? Again, will we take the time to revive our
souls? The Bible promises that it is for the revival and nourishing of
our souls – will we believe it? Will we use it?
That’s a word to Christians here. If
you’re here this morning and you wouldn’t call yourself a Christian,
thank you very much for joining us this morning. Let me ask you a
question: what do you make of phrases like “the law of the LORD is
perfect” or “the ordinances of the LORD are altogether righteous”? Maybe
that grates with you right now. Maybe you’re thinking there are many
things you would consider righteous in the Bible but other things you
wouldn’t. Can I say to you – that is exactly what you’d expect if the
Bible is truly the revelation of God.
Look at verse 11:
11 By them [the Scriptures] is your servant warned; in keeping
them there is great reward.
The Bible’s job is not to confirm what
we always thought about a subject. It is not an ally to be called upon to
support the course of my life. It confronts the course of my life and it
demands and rewards a different path with different priorities and a
different allegiance.
So many people try to dabble in
Christian faith by picking and choosing from the Bible what they like and
what they don’t. But if that is your approach to God, there is no way you
will ever find the Living God. Think about it: if you refuse to embrace a
God who says things that you wouldn’t say then you are refusing to
encounter a God outside yourself. If you only seek after a god who is
convenient for you then you’ll only ever come up with a god of your own
making. The only way you can be sure that you’re encountering the Living
God is if He’s saying things that you would not say! Only if the Bible
says things that get your back up and confront your own views will you
ever know it’s the word of God.
We urge you to put the Bible to the
test here at St James. Here’s how you test it: read it and ask the LORD
of the Scriptures to teach you. And see if it does what it promises: does
it revive the soul, does it give joy to the heart and light to the eyes.
Does the LORD speak to you of Christ, the Champion, Victor, the
Bridegroom, the Light of the World? You will see as you open the
Scriptures that just as the Sun stands at the centre of the universe, so
Christ stands at the centre of the Bible’s universe – giving light and
life to everything else. Will you encounter this world of the Scriptures
and see that this world, His world, makes sense of your own world.
Well, we’ve run out of time, but
there’s more than enough to reflect on. God speaks. In every way He
possibly can – in every aspect of His handiwork He communicates Himself
to us. And though we ignore Him, He gives us His Word. He lays His heart
open to us and He beckons us to draw near to His Voice. Will we listen?
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