The God Who Speaks
Psalm 19
Rev. James Lima
*The sermon was not recorded this week. An approximate sermon manuscript is provided below.
We are bombarded by words. Over the last couple days, our family was down in Janesville for my sister-in-law’s baby shower, giving us at least 4 hours in the van. There comes a point where it is hard to think when you have an audiobook playing, two crying infants, and a toddler calling out for “mama” while himself listening to a Berenstain Bears book. There’s just too much coming in your ears at once! But it’s not just your ears, your eyes also can’t escape it—the semi-trucks covered in advertising, the bumper stickers with their jokes and slogans, the huge billboards, the road signs—you are bombarded, audially and visually, by words. Thus is life in our world—words, words everywhere, but are any of them providing a refreshing drink? Music, shows, social media, books, podcasts, ads, articles… how many of the words which come into our minds and hearts via our ears and eyes fill us with joy, revive us, rejoice our hearts, make us wise, and satisfy the tastebuds of the soul?
Psalm 19 tells us about the words we most need to hear. It reminds us that our God is a God who speaks. But do we listen and seek after the things he says or do our hearts and minds drown out his words with the sensory overload of the words of our world and our own words? In a single sentence, Psalm 19 teaches us that the words we most need are the words of God!
This psalm breaks up clearly into three main sections. In verses 1-6 we see that God speaks in his world, in verses 7-11 that God speaks in his Word, and verses 12-14 shows us our speech in response to God’s speech. So, our first point in verses 1-6, God speaks in God’s world, revealing God’s glory.
1. God Speaks in God’s World, Revealing God’s Glory
Verses 1-2, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out (or gushes) speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” Clouds, rainbows, lightning, sun, moon, stars, the northern lights… they’re all speaking. And not in the sentimental, “A full sky of stars really speaks to me.” They’re PREACHING—declaring, proclaiming, gushing, revealing. And the subject of their great sermon is the glory of the God who made them! They reflect upon us God’s wisdom, his power, his majesty, even his beauty!
It is no accident of nature that we find the world to be beautiful! We don’t HAVE to find sunsets to be beautiful. We don’t have to find food to be delicious or music satisfying to the ears, but by God’s design, we do! He is the artist who created a world full of practical function but also stunning form, revealing his supremely delightful glory!
It is a Christian activity to stargaze, to stop and smell the flowers, to slow down and appreciate in the vast array of the beauty of creation the wonders of our good God! Because ultimately, even as the created world is speaking, it is God who speaks in it. He is making himself known. It is REVELATION.
This revelation of God in creation is part of what is theologically called “general revelation” because it is revelation that God makes “generally”—always, to all people, everywhere.
God speaks always, “day to day” and “night to night” in verse 2. Every minute of every day God speaks in creation, even in the very rhythms that mark time in our days and season.
God speaks to all people. Verse 3, “There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” There are two ways to take this verse which are both possible. The first is that this verses is saying that creation speaks without making a sound; you don’t actually hear the words they say, you SEE them! This is certainly true, but I take it in this second sense that there are no languages (no people) who fail to receive God’s speech in creation. This is how the Scottish Psalter of 1650 takes it which we sang earlier, “There is no speech nor tongue to which their voice doth not extend.”
This pairs with verse 4 well, that God speaks everywhere; “through all the earth… to the end of the world.”
This is well illustrated starting at the end of verse 4 by the sun. The sun as it rises is compared to a groom bursting from his chamber after his wedding and to a strong man who with power and endurance runs his course with joy. I’ve rarely felt joy in running. I’m not Aaron Hatcher. But I have experienced moments (only a few mind you) where I felt the joy and satisfaction of running and feeling strong, fast, and energetic. The last time was probably in middle school.
But these images both give us this wonderful picture of the sun not just drearily doing its duty, but the sun rejoicing to fulfill its God-given function. Again, this highlights the goodness and delightfulness of God’s created design.
But the sun also highlights the global scope of God’s revelation. The sun traverses the entirety of the sky; its light falls on the whole earth (even if not at the same time). Nothing is hidden from its heat. Heat is a great translation in the ESV because this word both carries the idea of a burning heat as you can imagine being scorched in the desert but also the idea of a warming, life-giving heat like the warm spring day.
The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 1, God has made “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,” clearly known and perceived for EVERYONE in the things he has made, leaving all people from all times and all places without excuse and accountable before God.
The question isn’t whether we hear the words, but whether we will listen and believe the God who speaks! There is a reason Paul quotes from verse 4 in Romans 10 reminding us that the gospel also goes out to the end of the world. Christ, like the sun, shines upon the world and nothing is hidden from his burning heat or reviving warmth. But in hearing, will we believe and will we call upon his name? “For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
2. God Speaks in God’s Word
God doesn’t just speak in God’s world, God speaks in God’s WORD. This is our second point from verses 7-11.
Notice that verses 7-9 have a very repetitive structure with six consecutive phrases that mirror each other almost perfectly. The first four in particular are almost identical: “the (insert name for God’s Word here) of the Lord is (insert adjective here), followed by the effect or result of the Word. The only difference in the last two phrases in verse 9 is that the last line just gives another quality of the Word instead of an effect of it.
Look at the six words at the beginning of each phrase (law, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear, and rules). These six words are used throughout the Psalms to refer to God’s law and his Word, but only Psalm 19 and Psalm 119 use all six. The first word, “law” is the Hebrew “Torah.” This is more than things like the 10 commandments. This is the “instruction” or “inspired teaching” of the LORD. The second word “testimony” is the witness to God and his acts in the world and history. The last four are more what we think of with the law; “Precepts… commandment… fear… and rules” Together, these words broadly encompass what God has spoken to us in the Scriptures to reveal what we ought to believe and how to live.
The testimony of creation and general revelation is good, even great, but there are many particulars it can’t tell us. So David turns from “general revelation” to what we call “special revelation.” I want to highlight two particular things that God’s Word reveals here.
2a. Revealing God’s Name
First, God speaks in God’s Word, revealing God’s name. What is God called in verses 1-6 (well, really only verse 1)? God; the Hebrew word El (אֵל). This is the more generic word for God. But what is God called in the second section of the Psalm in verses 7-11? The LORD. All caps LORD is common in English translations for the Hebrew word Yahweh. This is not just a generic word for God; this is what many theologians call God’s “proper name.”
This is the name God introduced himself with to Moses at the burning bush when he declared “I am that I am” (a play on the Hebrew letters for Yahweh) and later at Sinai when he proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding steadfast love and faithfulness.” This is the name that God gives to no other; the name that distinguishes God from all others as the only self-existent one, the one who simply is!
This name is also referred to as God’s “covenant name.” When God binds himself to his people by covenant, making himself their God and them his particular people, this is the name he gives them! He isn’t the “god out there somewhere,” he is known; he is OUR God.
Consider for a moment that you are walking through an art museum. As you look at a wall of paintings you get drawn in to one particular painting that catches your eye. If you spend enough time observing the painting, you can learn a lot about the artist—you can learn that the artist exists (or existed), perhaps the era that the artist lived, who influenced the artist, and maybe even something of the personality or mood of the artist. However, unless you are a leading world expert in art identification, you don’t learn the NAME of the artist apart from reading the written words in the corner of the painting.
God’s revelation in creation is like the most beautiful piece of art and we learn much of God, but the knowledge is still limited. We learn of God’s existence, his power, his creativity, his glory, even that we owe him obedience and worship. But we only learn God’s name and how to know the LORD as OUR Lord by his Word, God’s special revelation to his prophets and apostles, but written for us in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
It is no coincidence that in the section on revelation in the world, God is called “God” but when we get to the written Word is God called by his personal, covenant name, the LORD!
If you’ve ever looked out at the beauty of the world and known without a doubt that there is a God, but you have wondered, “How can I really know this God?” here is your answer! We have more than the sun and stars to teach us; we have the Scriptures!
2b. Revealing God’s Design for Us
But we also see the second thing God’s Word reveals: God speaks in God’s Word, revealing God’s design for us. God’s Word tells us about God (primarily), but it also tells us about what he requires from us—his law, his commandments, his rules. He tells us what is good and bad, right and wrong and gives wise instructions for life.
But David doesn’t just want us to see that God’s Word gives us instructions, he wants us to see the goodness and desirability of what God speaks. He gives us all these descriptions; perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, enduring, true, and righteous! God’s Word is good, and right, and trustworthy!
It is also useful. In verse 11, David tells us that these words of God warn us. Warnings are a good thing! If you are traveling down a road with the bridge out at the end, a warning sign is a friend to you! God’s words warn us of the deadly consequences of sin and rebellion against God because God is good and we are wise to listen when he warns! He also says that “in keeping them there is great reward.” The way of life lived with God is good and good for you!
This is why in verse 10, we are given these wonderful pictures of the desirability and delightfulness of God’s words and instruction. “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold (not just any gold, but purified, refined gold!); sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” I know I’ve said it before, but you all should experience extracting honey from the comb at least once in your life! Growing up with a beekeeping father, I got to experience many times the rich, sweet smell of honey filling our garage as he extracted honey. And the very best treat was the tray of honey and wax drippings when he would cut the caps off the honeycomb with a hot knife. We would dip spoons in the tray and it was like the best, sweetest chewing gum you can imagine!
God’s words to us, even his commandments and rules, are beautiful, precious, valuable, and delightful! God isn’t just telling us a list of dos and don’ts, in his Word, he is showing us the beauty of life lived according to his design for us; the beauty of life as humans as God intends—who enjoy God deeply and reflect his glory by bearing his image in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness!
3. What to Say in Response to God
The last section then in verses 12-14 which closes the psalm is the most unique. It isn’t about God’s words spoken through the world or the Word but about David’s words spoken in response. David prays, and teaches us how to pray, in light of the perfection of God’s revelation in the world and his Word.
First, pray for forgiveness. David prays, “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” David looks at the perfection of God’s law and knows that he can’t even begin to know the depths of all the ways he has broken it. So, he prays that God would forgive him for the sins he doesn’t even know about!
Do you realize that you probably don’t even know about the vast majority of your sins! If that doesn’t remind us of our desperate need for the grace of God, I don’t know what does! But God’s grace is sufficient to forgive us for even the sins have no idea we’ve committed! So maybe a good practice when you confess your sins is to pray, “God, forgive me for the sins I don’t even know I’ve committed, and bring my sin to light so that I might confess it and turn from it.”
Second, pray for protection from sin. David prays for protection from what he calls “presumptuous sins.” These are the sins we know about and still do. Every once in a while, Walter gets this look in his eye and you know he’s about to do something he shouldn’t. And as much as I say, “Walter, don’t throw that toy,” any guesses what our toddler does? He throws the toy. But David knows the destructive potential of these sins when we brazenly act in defiance of God. They enslave us and they harden us. It is one thing to fight sin, another mock God’s grace by saying, “I know this is sin, but I just want to do what I want to do. God will forgive me anyway.” Pray that God would protect you from defiant sin!
Next, pray for renewal of your heart and words. Verse 14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” In response to God’s words, David wants his words to be acceptable to God. And he also prays for a corresponding inward renewal; that even the meditation of his heart would be acceptable to God.
But finally, David would remind you, rest in God your Rock and Redeemer. It is so fitting that the closing of this Psalm about God’s revelation directs the prayer to God as our rock and Redeemer; our source of safety and salvation. God’s revelation tells us so clearly that we are in need of redeeming, but also shows us how we are redeemed!
The beauty of the gospel, revealed in God’s Word, is that the very creator whose glory shines in creation, is the Savior who took on flesh to dwell with us as the fullest revelation to us of our personal, covenant God. And he came to live in perfect conformity to God’s law in our place, living according to God’s perfect, beautiful design for mankind. And he came to die as our Redeemer, bearing the punishment for our sin, so that we might pray David’s closing prayer with confidence. Our Rock and our Redeemer, forgive us, protect us, sanctify us, renew our whole selves so that by your grace we might be who you made us to be as we enjoy you and glorify you now and to eternity!
