Psalm 19 Continued…
The first part of this Psalm (verses 1-6) deals with what we call General Revelation. God has revealed Himself through the wonders of creation as He speaks the Word to all men everywhere. But Israel, as the Covenant People of God is privileged to possess a Special Word that has been delivered to her alone. It is the Torah, the Law of Moses, as much of it as was available and complete by David’s day. So now David adds a whole new poem to the one he has just sung; a poem of praise for God’s Special Revelation. The first poem is in praise of the Word of Creation, especially as applied to the heavenly bodies, but God doesn’t spend much time in His word talking about the stars. The second poem is in praise of the Word of Redemption, and the scene shifts from God’s world to God’s Word.
The witness of the stars tells us something about God, but if we are ever to know God Himself—what God is like with respect to His nature, his person, and His personality—then God must reveal Himself in spoken Word. The stars say, God is almighty, He is eternal, He is omniscient, and He is a God of infinite order and immeasurable power. The Scriptures tell us God is a Person, who loves and feels, who knows and cares and rules. So David turns from what God has wrought to what God has written.
The two poems that comprise Psalm 19 are perfectly paralleled. The Word that comes to Israel through the Law means nothing, its voice is not even heard, until faith opens it up to our human understanding. The sun has a path to travel daily; the Law, however, is my path, says the poet, one that has been given me by God.
See how Paul, quoting this psalm, puts the two together at Romans 10:17-18: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: ‘Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.’”
In verses 7-9, there are six names for God’s Word, followed appropriately by six characteristics and six achievements.
The “Law of the Lord is perfect”—of course, because it is the Word of God. “His teaching” might be a better translation than Law: also “direction” or “instruction” (Psalm 1:2). The Law cannot save us because it is perfect and we are not. We cannot measure up to it, but there is nothing wrong with the Law.
Paul, who set forth the grace of God, said this about the Law: “So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.” (Romans 7:12-14).
There is nothing wrong with the Law, but it is an administration of death to us because there is something radically wrong with us. The Law was given to show us that we are sinners before God. “The Law of the Lord is perfect.”
The Law revives the soul, the whole of one’s person, or better yet, “gives life” to it. Enlightening the eyes is another way of saying “reviving the soul.” Just give the lost wanderer even a little food and drink and the light will come back to his eyes. “Reviving,” therefore, has in it the idea of bringing back.
Just as the sun returns in the heavens, so God’s Word returns the sinner to God. He is brought back—converted! Wisdom replaces foolish thoughts. The great function of God’s Word in conversion is to enlighten a mind darkened by the world’s philosophies and religions. It opposes all man-made theory with an authoritative, “Thus saith the lord!” It cuts right through to the marrow of the soul. The unconverted man rambles down all kinds of religious, philosophical, and ideological blind alleys. He has his own notions about sin, self, and salvation. God’s Word has the power to challenge all that. He convicts and brings men back to the point of departure from divine truth. Then He converts the soul, and makes wise the simple.
The “statutes of the Lord” is a reference to the divine guidance or instruction within the Covenant, which can be trusted to make one wise. In His grace, the all-wise God speaks at the level of the ordinary person, and He gives wise guidance to the young and inexperienced.
God’s Word is “trustworthy,” dependable, reliable, and deserving of our trust and confidence. Today we would say they are a “sure thing.” Don’t bank on God changing to the “new” morality. God is not reading some of the new views of psychology, and He is not listening to the decisions that some judges are handing down. God is going to punish sin—He says that is what He is going to do. The testimony of the lord is sure. Judgment is coming. The commandments reveal that.
Just as the sun is the dominant feature in God’s natural revelation (vs. 4c-6), so the “Law” was the dominant element in God’s specific revelation in the Old Testament.
PRAY
Father, thank You for Your Word which is life and health to my soul. I trust that You are working behind the scenes for my good. I will hide Your Word in my heart, knowing that it will be well with me because You are good and faithful.