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The Book of God: a two-volume set

Psalms 19
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19:14)

Newsweek Mag. has just come out this past week with a nation-wide poll on Religion in America. It says that
91% of Americans believe in God and 81% identifying themselves as Christians. Nearly half (48%) reject the
theory of evolution with 34% of college grads saying that they accept the biblical account of creation as fact. A
full 73% of evangelicals say they believe God created man in his present form within the last 10,000 years.

Interesting data. I’m tickled to see the stats of college grads. Having sat in several college science classes, I’m
happy that figure isn’t much lower. But, before we get too optimistic about the direction of our nation, we
should look at some other statistics like divorce (approx. 50% of marriages end in divorce. conservative
Christians are MORE likely to divorce than any other faith group) Data shows that in most categories, morality
in America is on a downward spiral and Christians are right in the middle of it.

Virtually all of us believe in God… a huge percentage say they are Christians… a sizeable number believe in
God as our Creator. All of that should make a difference. Unfortunately, in many cases, that belief system
doesn’t show.

Psalms 19 is a natural follow up to last week’s study of Psalms 8. It begins with the magnificence of God’s
Creation but it takes an unexpected turn half way through. It confused me for awhile. How did contemplating
creation cause the Psalmist to turn his thoughts to God’s written word?

God reveals Himself in a book. That book is two volumes and they are very different from each other, yet
perfectly compliment each other to fully reveal God to us. You’d assume I’m talking about the Bible and the two
volumes are naturally the Old & New Testaments.

But, that’s not exactly what David is talking about. He tells us about God revealing Himself to us in two very
different ways. He tells of God revealing His power and greatness through creation… but that’s not the whole
story, that’s not all there is to say about God. He also reveals Himself in His Word. Here, He makes known His
moral character and His will for man. We need both pictures to understand who God is. We need both books in
order to be in a place where we can truly know our Creator and our Lord.

Revelation: the disclosure of something that was unknown. There are two types of revelation: natural and
special. Natural revelation is that which is revealed about God through what we can see in creation (Rom.
1:20). Through creation we may learn that there is a God, that He is in control, that He has an order, and that
He is concerned for our welfare. However, through natural revelation, we are not able to discover the plan of
salvation. That comes from special revelation. Special revelation is that which is given to us through
Prophets, the Bible, and even visions and dreams (Num. 12:6-8). The ultimate in revelation is the incarnation
of Jesus because He came to reveal the Father to us (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22; Heb. 1:1-3) and to
communicate to us the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4) by which comes salvation.

So that’s where our study will take us today: looking at God’s revelation of Himself in Creation and in His Word.
Then David ends the Psalm with personal reflection and application. That’s appropriate because whenever we
ponder who God is, it always takes us to the question of who am I. If I really contemplate The One who has
created all things, I can’t help but recognize my helplessness and reliance on Him. If I really comprehend His
moral purity and His moral demands on my life, I can’t help but notice how much I fall short.

Volume I: God Revealed in Creation (1-6)


Remember early in the book of Romans how Paul said that God has made Himself known in Creation and
some of His attributes (His eternal power and divine nature) were clearly visible to anyone who was willing to
see? That’s also what David is telling us here. He says that Creation is like a book with every page displaying
it’s Creator. It’s all written down for anyone who wants to pick up the book and read. And it’s not a college
textbook. It’s written on a third grade level so that everyone can understand it. “There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.” (vs. 3)

Declared by the Heavens (1-4a)


The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hand. Literally, it’s: “The heavens
narrate the glory of God and the firmament (the stretched-out-ness of space) shouts out his handiwork!”
Creation has a story to tell. No wonder that on one moon shot, the astronauts quoted these verses.. And
how arrogant of the Russian cosmonaut who even after witnessing the breathtaking view of space stretched
out before him made the statement that he “couldn’t see any God up here.”

Despite what Yuri Gragerian didn’t see up there, the day pours out information and the night exudes
revelation about God if we are willing to listen. A poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning says it well:

Earth's crammed with heaven,


And every common bush aflame with God;
But only those who see take off their shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Are you picking blackberries? Are you too busy with the mundane things of life to hear the shouting of
Creation? We witness a incomparable miracle every day. Every morning we wake up to the sights and
sounds of God’s creation. Yet, is there anything that we tend to take more for granted?

On the front porch of his little country store in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln and Berry, his partner, stood. Business was all
gone, and Berry asked, 'How much longer can we keep this going?" Lincoln answered, 'It looks as if our business has just
about winked out." Then he continued, 'You know, I wouldn't mind so much if I could just do what I want to do. I want to
study law. I wouldn't mind so much if we could sell everything we've got and pay all our bills and have just enough left over
to buy one book, Blackstone's Commentary on English Law, but I guess I can't."

A strange-looking wagon was coming up the road. The driver angled it up close to the store porch, then looked at Lincoln
and said, 'I'm trying to move my family out west, and I'm out of money. I've got a good barrel here that I could sell for fifty
cents." Abraham Lincoln's eyes went along the wagon and came to the wife looking at him pleadingly, face thin and
emaciated. Lincoln ran his hand into his pocket and took out, according to him, 'the last fifty cents I had" and said, 'I reckon I
could use a good barrel." All day long the barrel sat on the porch of that store. Berry kept chiding Lincoln about it. Late in
the evening Lincoln walked out and looked down into the barrel. He saw something in the bottom of it, papers that he hadn't
noticed before. His long arms went down into the barrel and, as he fumbled around, he hit something solid. He pulled out a
book and stood petrified: it was Blackstone's Commentary on English Law.

Lincoln later wrote, 'I stood there holding the book and looking up toward the heavens. There came a deep impression on me
that God had something for me to do and He was showing me now that I had to get ready for it. Why this miracle
otherwise?"
God's wonderful works which happen daily are lightly esteemed, not because they are of no import but because they happen
so constantly and without interruption. Man is used to the miracle that God rules the world and upholds all creation, and
because things daily run their appointed course, it seems insignificant, and no man thinks it worth his while to meditate upon
it and to regard it as God's wonderful work, and yet it is a greater wonder than that Christ fed five thousand men with five
loaves and made wine from water.

God designed nature purposefully. He planned for it to clearly display Himself even though He is invisible.
He designed it to teach us of his power and his majesty in a way that we can never learn otherwise.

Demonstrated by the Sun (4b-6)


David uses the sun as a perfect illustration of the powerful testimony of creation. Think about it… the sun is
the one obvious and inescapable element of creation. We all see it day after day. Nobody can escape
noticing it. Even if you’re blind, you feel the sun’s warmth. You can’t help but marvel at that great ball of fire
and ask “where did it come from?”

The sun is the greatest symbol of God’s character. We can’t live without it’s presence. It gives us the
strength and light that we need to survive just as God gives His strength and light into our lives. Yet, men,
all through the ages, have replaced the creator with the created and worshipped the sun. Sin is the problem.
It clouds our vision so that we have a hard time reading the words in God’s book of creation.

Volume II: God Revealed in His Word (7-11)


If we only had the first volume of creation, there would be much about God that we’d never know. Creation
answers the “What?” It’s says “This is What God has made.” but it doesn’t do much to answer the “Why” Why
did God create us and where are we headed and why are we even involved in the process?

So the book of God doesn’t stop with the first volume. God authored Volume two to answer the questions that
arise from reading the first. Volume two is God’s written Word.

The Virtue of God’s Word (7-9)


It’s perfect. Nothing that we need to know is left out. It’s comprehensive, covering every area of life. There
is no area in your life, no question that troubles you, no problem that overwhelms you that the Word of God
cannot speak to.
It’s trustworthy. You can rely on it. You can count on it to be truthful and accurate guidance for your life.
You don’t have to be a scholar to understand it and use it. Applying God’s Word gives wisdom… in fact
that’s the definition of wisdom.
It’s right. Don’t you just love it when you’re in an argument and KNOW you’re right? Doesn’t that make your
heart rejoice? When it’s all said and done, you’ll find that it will all end up just as the Bible had said.
It’s pure. The Bible doesn’t gloss over life. There are many stories of rape, incest, perversion. Some would
say that it’s unfit for children to read. But although it shows the truth about people, it never glorifies evil. It
always sheds light on sin for the purpose of exposing it.

The Value of God’s Word (10-11)


David says that God’s Word is more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey. You can see why, can’t
you? It’s God’s revelation of Himself. It’s how we know Him and through which we can be united with Him.
How valuable is that? The Bible isn’t just an old collection of ancient writings. It’s not some dusty book that
sits on our bookshelf. It’s the Word of Life!
Yet, we don’t always treat it as such. If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we’re not always
as excited about God’s Word as David is.

A young boy picked up his mommy’s Bible that seemed to only been used for collecting memorabilia. It was
full of flower pressings, wedding invitations, and mothers day cards. When he opened it, a dried, dusty leaf
fell out. He said “Look Mommy, that must me Adam’s suit!”

The preacher was visiting one day and Mom had been saving a tough question for just this moment. She
said to her little daughter “Honey, go get Mommy’s Bible.” The little girl said “What’s that?” …You know, that
book Mommy loves to read all the time. So she came back with the Sear’s catalog.

We really don’t value the Bible as we should. There’s a reason for that. It’s explained in the next few verses.

The Epilogue: My Response (12-14)


We have God’s book of creation and His revelation of Himself in His Word. They allow us to learn much and
know much about our creator and savior. But, God’s purpose is never just knowledge for knowledge sake.
Wisdom isn’t just having knowledge. It’s applying the truth that you know. So, the two volumes are not the end
of the conversation. What are you going to do with them? How will they impact your life?

The main reason that we don’t spend enough time in the Word is really the main reason that we have the
Word. It’s sin. It separates us from God, and therefore keeps us from His Word. The problem isn’t in the book,
it’s within ourselves. David’s point is that the revelation of God has a purifying effect on us, if we let it.

Uncovering Hidden Faults (vs. 12)


The prophet Jeremiah said: The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who
can understand it? (Jer 17:9) We’ve got this problem. We can’t trust ourselves. Even when we think that
we’re doing ok, we hide evil thoughts and attitude even from ourselves. Scripture talks about a time in
ancient Israel when "...every man did what was right in his own eyes." They weren’t doing what seemed
wrong to them, they thought it was right. Yet, we’re told of one of the most godless times in Israel’s history.
We’re no different. Without the guidance of Scripture, we do the wrong thing thinking it’s right. We need a
spotlight shining on our lives to illuminate the dark crevices where these hidden sins hide.

Avoiding Willful Sins (vs. 13)


We all have a bent toward sin and selfishness. Not all sins are hidden. There are times when we’re just full
of ourselves and we do things our way just because we want to. I’m not talking mistakes, errors in judgment,
or misunderstandings. Sometimes we just want what we want when we want it… willful, presumptuous sin.

There’s only one cure for this kind of sin. It’s our dependency on our Lord. It’s His activity in our lives that
draws us closer to Him. So David is praying, "Lord, keep me back from this kind of activity. Let me realize
that without you I can do nothing. Help me to depend upon you to work through me. Then I will be
blameless and innocent of great transgression."

David has told us about the unspoken words of revelation from God’s creation, the written words of God’s
ordinances, and now he turns focus to his own words. He prays that his words and his thoughts always be
pleasing to his Lord. Sin isn’t something we deal with once and for all. David was a believer, The Lord had
already covered his sin. Yet, He still has this problem. WE still have the problem of sin that we need to deal
with on a daily basis. Don’t think because you’re saved that sin is no longer an issue.

David was aware of the issue and fervently prayed that God would constantly reveal his hidden sins and keep
him from a willful attitude. And so should we all pray… this is the bottom line to Psalms 19. This should be the
result of seeing God in creation and knowing Him through His Word: All that we think and all that we say
should be pleasing and honoring to our Lord.

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