The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview July 16, 2017 God Revealed Background and Lesson: Psalm 19:1-14 Motivation: Throughout my years in ministry, the most common question I receive from non-christians has been How do you know that God exists? In this beautiful psalm of praise, King David provides three definitive answers. Examination: I. Seen in Creation (1-6) The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. 3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a groom coming from the bridal chamber; it rejoices like an athlete running a course. 6 It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat. (1-6) 1 / 8

2 A. Proclaims the sky proclaims the work of His hands (2). One can imagine the shepherd boy David or the warrior David sleeping many nights under the starlit sky. As he looked at the moon, planets and stars, he was obviously overwhelmed with the creative work of God. On a parallel theme, more than one Christian author has theorized about the messages contained in God s handiwork. One of our LBS teachers, Rand Wall, has a power point presentation on the subject. HCSB: p. 898: 19:1 Although the heavens can refer to God s dwelling place, here it is clarified by sky, which is what can be seen from the perspective of those who live on the earth. The sky is the same Hebrew word as the expanse that separated water from water in Gn 1:6-8. Creation is sometimes personified as a witness to God s work among His people, particularly in the covenant relationship He has with them (Dt 4:26; 30:19; Is 1:2). In this context one specific part of creation is personified as declaring and proclaiming a message. The parallelism between the glory of God and the work of His hands indicates that the objects of creation are demonstrations (or evidence) of God s glory (50:6; 89:5-8; 97:6; Rm 1:19-20). B. Pours Out Day after day they pour out speech (2) HCSB: p. 898: 19:2-3 Pour out is literally gush or bubble up. This phrase is most often used for springs or fountains of water. The significance of the term here seems to be that speech never ceases. The concept is intensified by the doubling of the terms day and night. The message goes out all the time without ceasing. The paradox is that there is speech in verse 2, but there is no speech in verse 3. Although the same Hebrew term ( omer ) appears in both verses, it is used differently. In the first instance it is equivalent to the message in verse 1; in the second instance it means words. Therefore, it is a message with clearly defined content, but it is not communicated with the words of human language. 2 / 8

3 C. Promotes Their message has gone out to all the earth (4) HCSB: p. 898: 19:4-6 W hile verse 2 says that the message comes at all times, this verse adds that it also comes to all places. The word for world (Hb tevel ) is not the usual word for earth (as in the first line), but it denotes dry land that is capable of sustaining life (9:8; 24:1) in other words, the inhabited world. No one can escape the message either in time or in space, and everyone is accountable for the message (Rm 1:20). The focus turns from the more general heavens to the most obvious and spectacular object in them: the sun. It is also personified and compared to a groom and an athlete. These images are used together to convey the idea of youthful strength, a concept that is elsewhere associated with the sun, especially when it rises (Jdg 5:31). The fact that nothing is hidden from the sun reinforces the idea that the message of God s glory is as obvious as the most visible and powerful object in God s creation. II. Seen in His Word (7-11) The instruction of the is perfect, renewing one s life; the testimony of the L ord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. 8 The precepts of the are right, making the heart glad; the command of the is radiant, making the eyes light up. 9 The fear of the 3 / 8

4 is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the are reliable and altogether righteous. 10 They are more desirable than gold than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey, which comes from the honeycomb. 11 In addition, Your servant is warned by them; there is great reward in keeping them. (7-11) HCSB: p.898: 19:7-9 The shift of subject between verses 1-6 and verses 7-14 seems abrupt. However, the common element in both cases is God s revelation of Himself and His purposes to mankind. In the first part of the psalm, it is God s creation (general revelation), whereas in the second part, it is the works that God specifically communicated to His people (Special revelation). Perfect is a term that is often used in relation to sacrifices that are acceptable to God because they are unblemished and without defect (Lv 1:3, 10), but it can also refer to the perfect work of God (Dt 32:4). Renewing one s life means the restoration of strength or vitality (1 Kg 17:22; Lm 1:11). Making the eyes light up seems like an unusual idiom, but it makes a connection between light and truth, or more specifically knowledge and understanding of the truth (119:105, 130; Pr 6:23). The fear of the is the only subject in this list that involves human response to God s instruction rather than a synonym for it. The concept involves obedience to God with an attitude of humility and reverence. Its inclusion further demonstrates the relationship between fearing Yahweh and the knowledge and understanding of His truth (Pr 1:7; Pr 4:18). A. God s Word is Perfect Providing Renewal (7) B. God s Word is Trustworthy Providing Wisdom (7b) 4 / 8

5 C. God s Word is Right Providing Joy (8) D. God s Word is Radiant Providing Light (8b) E. God s Word is Reliable and Righteous which should result in Reverential Fear (9) F. God s Word is Valuable - HCSB: p.898: 19:10-11 Gold and honey were valuable commodities in the ancient world, but God s words are even more valuable (119:103, 127). The warning and rewar d are both positive benefits of knowing God s instruction because they keep God s servants from straying off the path of righteousness and provide them with blessings (119:35; Pr 4:18). G. God s Word Provides both Warning and Reward (11) III. Celebrated in His People (12-14) Who perceives his unintentional sins?cleanse me from my hidden faults. 13 M oreover, keep Your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule over me. Then I will be innocent and cleansed from blatant rebellion. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You,, my rock and my Redeemer. (12-14) A. Unintentional Who perceives his unintentional sins? (12a) Since sin involves rebellion against God, unintentional sins sounds like an oxymoron. However, with the 5 / 8

6 voluminous Levitical code of worship, the ancient Jew could, through ignorance or misunderstanding, break one or more rules unwittingly. HCSB: p.898: 19:12-13 Unintentional or hidden sins can represent those that occur with or without proper instruction. The question is rhetorical and assumes a negative answer. For this reason, continual cleansing is required for these sins. Willful sins are different in that they must be avoided or else they lead to being cut off from God and His people (Nm 15:30-31). B. Hidden Cleanse me from my hidden faults (12b) The KJV translates this as secret faults. Hidden or secret sins must be brought to light through confession (1 John 1: 8-10) C. Willful Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins (13) Whether this was penned before or after his sin with Bathsheba and complicit murder of Uriah the Hittite recorded in 2 Samuel 11, this plaintive plea is poignant. D. Acceptable May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You,, my rock and my Redeemer. (14) The only way that sin will not rule over us is for us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. (Romans 12:1) When we are crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), we die to our desires and live for His because He is our rock and Redeemer. HCSB: p. 898: 19:14 The final plea is that the psalmist s speech and thinking (meditation, from the Hb root hgh ) reflect what is acceptable to God. The language of sacrifice is used to show that life should be lived as a sacrifice to God (Rm 12:1). Application: 6 / 8

7 1. God s existence is proved by the intelligent design of His creation. 2. God s existence is affirmed by the unerring truth of His Word. 3. God s existence demands accountability from us. Leader Pack Item 8: Poster: God in the Psalms Biblical Illustrator, p. 90, Honey in the Ancient Near East Notes: **You may now access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: y.org ; also, the Highpoint Bible Study (Downtown) is available on MP3 at the HFBC site under the Highpoint link/downloads. Dates: 7/9-13 Houston 1:8; 7/15 Oasis Single Mom s Conf.; 7/16 Ben the Loop; 7/17 RUSHWEEK Rally; 7/21-27 RUSHWEEK 2017; 7/23 - SPF Birthday Bash; 8/2 RUSH Celebration; 8/20 Back to School Sunday; 8/23 Midlink/Milestones Preview Night; 8/27 SPF Birthday Bash; 8/30 11/15 Midlink on Wednesdays; 9/4 Labor Day Church offices closed; 7 / 8

8 9/8 - Marriage Matters. 8 / 8