Psalm 19:1 ¶ «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.» The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
In this passage we can see how David confesses something that is
prevalent in the Psalms.
Psalm 8:3 ¶ When I consider
thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast
ordained;
Psalm 33:6 By the word of
the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his
mouth.
Psalm 115:16 The heaven,
even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children
of men.
Psalm 148:3 Praise ye him,
sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye
waters that be above the heavens.
And in the prophets;
Isaiah 40:22 It is he that
sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as
grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them
out as a tent to dwell in:
Jeremiah 10:12 He hath made
the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath
stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
Notice the figurative speech about the day uttering speech and the
night showing knowledge. Day and night speak for themselves, speaking volumes
about God if we are listening, available in every language of mankind. David
sees something that modern people, even Christians, are often blind to in that
how even the phases of day and night give evidence of God. They cannot be
ignored and they exist all over the earth. They are ever present and
undeniable.
Here, the sun is likened to a bridegroom and an athlete running a
race. We get the notion of joy and strength with the overwhelming heat of the
sun, pervasive and powerful.
Prophetically, what David has said here appears to point us toward
Jesus Christ as the Son, S-O-N, and the sun, S-U-N in type. Notice this
prophecy in Malachi with the Sun capitalized.
Malachi 4:1 ¶ For, behold,
the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all
that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up,
saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun
of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and
grow up as calves of the stall.
The Lord’s appearance is likened to the sun, as well.
Revelation 1:16 And he had
in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged
sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And He will take the place of the sun in providing illumination.
Isaiah 60:19 The sun shall
be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light
unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God
thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go
down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine
everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Revelation 21:23 And the
city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory
of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Revelation 22:5 And there
shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for
the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
From a personal perspective we have been brainwashed with this
philosophy of atheistic and materialistic determinism. The modernistic view
keeps us blind to the actions of God all around us, in us, and by us. Once we
open our spiritual eyes, the eyes of our mind, we can see God’s involvement in
the smallest detail of life. Reality, as we know it if we are not half asleep,
literally shouts “God is doing it.” Look at the sky, look at the earth, look
into your own hands, and see God at work.
Psalm 19:7 ¶ The law of the
LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is
sure, making wise the simple. 8 The
statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and
righteous altogether. 10 More to be
desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than
honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by
them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great
reward. 12 Who can understand his
errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be
innocent from the great transgression. 14
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable
in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
David has declared the sovereignty of God and how obvious He is in
His creation. Now David moves to the words of God, the Law given to Moses.
Here, David makes some important declarations about God’s law, his statutes,
and his judgments. Notice this verse to show how these are all interconnected.
Nehemiah 9:13 Thou camest
down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them
right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
David says the law is perfect, converting the soul of man and
imparting wisdom. He also says in verse 8 that God’s law is right and makes the
heart rejoice with the clause after the colon defining that more clearly in
that God’s law is pure and opens up the internal eyes of man, letting him or
her see truth and giving them understanding. So, we have conversion and if that
is truly accomplished we have enlightenment through God’s law.
In verse 9 David declares that the fear of the Lord is
clean. Clean is contrasted with unclean, that which is approved by God with
that which is not.
Leviticus 10:10 And that ye
may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
The fear of the Lord is an important phrase in the
Bible. There are dozens of places where it is referred to and it is defined.
Here are two examples in Proverbs.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of
the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the
froward mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of
the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is
understanding.
David says by the law of God His servant is warned and that is a
great reward in following them. Notice what is said later in Psalms about God’s
words.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have
I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
David then says how can you understand your errors and asks for cleansing
from his secret faults.
He expresses a sentiment found elsewhere about how ignorant man
really is and how incapable he is of not only knowing his evil but even doing
anything about it without God’s intervention.
Jeremiah 10:23 O LORD, I
know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to
direct his steps.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
As Paul says in Romans 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the
evil which I would not, that I do.
And elsewhere in Psalms;
Psalm 17:5 Hold up my
goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Psalm 37:23 The steps of a
good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psalm 119:116 ¶ Uphold me
according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be
safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
And in Proverbs;
Proverbs 16:1 ¶ The
preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the
LORD.
Proverbs 20:24 ¶ Man’s
goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?
David speaks of his secret faults in verse 12. This,
according to most commentators, refers to David’s sins committed out of
ignorance. We can and do commit sins because we do not have sufficient
knowledge of a matter. For instance, we may think we are doing right but what
we are doing is against the principles laid down by God in the Bible. These
could be things like trying to dominate others or expressing contempt
unconsciously. I am reminded in my own life when I became aware of unintended
and unconscious words that hurt someone. They were words I did not need to use
but that the culture I grew up in accepted as okay. When I became aware of
words that expressed contempt, even light-hearted contempt, for someone because
of their sex, race, or ethnic background I realized that I had been
unnecessarily cruel and justified it when called on it by saying, “well they
should just have thicker skin.”
Remember, in our human law, you have no excuse for committing a
crime simply because you weren’t aware it was a crime. Ignorance of the law is
no excuse. David is referring to things hidden from him that are wrong, that he
asks for protection from.
Some few commentators insist, though, that this is a reference to
sins David tries to hide from God. For instance, his affair with Bathsheba.
What is a presumptuous sin that David prays for in verse 13 that
it does not have dominion over him? When David assumes that God will accept
something David does without any scriptural justification David is presuming on
God. Nadab and Abihu, in Leviticus 10:1-2, presumed that offering incense that
was not approved by God was okay and they died for it. Uzzah assumed God
wouldn’t mind if he kept the Ark from falling in 2Samuel 6:6-7. Israel assumed
that God would give them victory because the Ark was with them in 1Samuel
4:3-11. We might assume that God would extend our lives another year to make
money. See James 4:13-17.
Although all sin is rebellion against God presumption makes it
worse for us here in our flesh.
Numbers 15:30 ¶ But the
soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a
stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from
among his people. 31 Because he hath
despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall
utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.
In
verse 14 David pleads his words and his thoughts be acceptable to God. We know
that we need God’s word to direct our words and even our thoughts to be
acceptable to Him.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the
LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy
works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
2Corinthians 10:5 Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ;
Prophetically speaking, whereas God’s majesty and glory are
revealed, as the first part Psalm 19 says, in physical reality, the universe it
is even more pronounced, as it is stated in this passage, and clear from divine
revelation, God’s Law, and His commandments.
In this passage, Jehovah, rendered as LORD, all caps, is repeated
seven times, a number of perfection and completion in the Bible. God’s word,
His Law, lifts up and completes or perfects His man or woman.
2Timothy 3:16 All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly
furnished unto all good works.
God’s word is a prophetic warning to Israel in Ezekiel 3:17,
repeated in 33:7.
Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I
have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at
my mouth, and give them warning from me.
God’s word should be a warning to all nations.
Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall
be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Personally, there are several things of note in this passage. Rejoice,
as a word, carries within it the idea of joy and that is one of the fruits or
proof that one has the Spirit of God inside of them.
Galatians 5:22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law.
We should cling to God’s word for support. I don’t mean some
fanciful or wishful thinking interpretation as in ‘God would never let anything
bad happen to one of his people’ or some interpretation based on a political
agenda. I am referring to the plain truth of Scripture, the most profound and
clear sense that God lays on our hearts.
God’s word can convert us, give us wisdom, and open up our eyes to
the truth about who we really are.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word (that
is lowercase w) of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
One way for us to look at verse 14 is to plead with God to make
our prayers and our thoughts acceptable to Him, to do that with us, for us, and
through us by the Holy Spirit inside of us.
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