seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Psalm 19[a]For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice(b) goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice(b) goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
a. Psalm 19:1 In Hebrew texts 19:1-14 is numbered 19:2-15.
b. Psalm 19:4 Septuagint, Jerome and Syriac; Hebrew measuring line
While I was reading this.... I was thinking of David.... laying in a hammock, hands behind his head.... looking up at the sky.... and contemplating God and His Universe. It's so peaceful.....
This is from the easy English site.... it's not as flowery or preachy as the others....
We do not know when David wrote Psalm 19. Perhaps it was one morning when he had been out all night with his sheep. He saw the sunrise over Moab. What David saw spoke to him about God. David remembered the stars that he saw at night. God made the stars. In the morning David saw the sun. God made the sun. All that David saw told him about God. He heard no words, there was no language. But David knew that everything was telling him about God.
Then David remembered something else. He remembered the word of God. We call it the Bible. That told him about God as well. David did not have the whole Bible. He only had the start of the Old Testament. But it told him about God. And it made David very happy. But it also made David think. It made him say to himself, "Am I a good or bad man?" He prayed that God would forgive him. David was, perhaps, sitting on the top of a great rock. That spoke to him about God as well! God was like a rock to David. So David called God "My Rock". He also called God his Redeemer. A Redeemer is someone that pays the price to make a slave free.
In the spring.... Southern Maryland is a gorgeous place. One Sunday morning... I took my Sunday School class on a field trip.... we walked out to the tiny patch of grass off the parking lot.... where some little spring flowers had bloomed.... and I wouldn't let them pick the flowers.... just look at them and remember them.... because God made them.... just for us. I don't know if any of my little Sunday School students will remember that lesson now.... they're all grown with children of their own by now.... they're all busy people... some [a couple] are busy in the church... the others... are wondering around out there in the world. I wonder if they ever see God in the sun or the moon. I wonder if they even see a flower now and then.... and if they do see a flower.... do they take a fraction of a second and register it in the good thoughts file in their brains. "God made this... pretty"I've done a little traveling.... met a few people.... and one phrase keeps popping up out of the mouths of strangers.... "God does good work"
