God Has Spopken

REVELATION AND REVERENCE: GOD HAS SPOKEN (PSALM 19)

More than 3,000 people responded to a magazine’s multiple-choice question survey: “Have You Heard the Voice?”

The most popular answers to the questions are below:

1. Have you ever heard God's voice? Yes, definitely: 68%

2. How Would You Describe God's Voice? A thought or idea that I wouldn’t have had on my own: 40%

3. What does God's voice sound like? Quiet: 42%

4. When do you hear God's voice? A few times throughout my life: 69%

5. Where Do You Hear God's Voice? Praying: 40%

6. What does God talk about? Family: 58%

7. How do you react to God's voice? Do what God says: 63%

https://guideposts.org/angels-and-miracles/miracles/gods-grace/survey-reveals-how-god-speaks-to-us/

C.S. Lewis considered Psalm 19 the “greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”

In theology, we distinguish general revelation from special revelation. General revelation refers to God’s universal, non-verbal disclosure of His existence, power, and glory through nature, history, and the human conscience, accessible to all people. Special revelation refers to God’s direct, supernatural, and specific communication of His character and plan of salvation, found in Scripture and Jesus Christ. (Gotquestions.org)

How does God reveal Himself to us through the laws of nature and the laws of Moses (Torah)? What is the purpose of God’s revelation? Why was and is God speaking and not silent in the past and present?

Herald His Work

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 display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, 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 hidden from its heat.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they crawled into their tent and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, Holmes awoke and nudged his friend. “Watson, look up and tell me what you see.” Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you, Watson?” asked Holmes. Watson pondered a moment and then replied, “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is within the Leo constellation. Chronologically I observe it’s night time 3 a.m. on June 14th. Meteorologically, the air appears dry, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day. “Why did you ask? What does it tell you?”

Holmes says, “Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent!”

One should aim not so much to master the Word but to be mastered by the Word.” Howard Hendricks

The opening verses are a linguistic and literary goldmine of repetitions, contrasts and comparisons. The first two verses have repetitions and contrasts: day and night (v 2) repeated twice, heavens and skies (v 1) and day and night (v 2) are contrasted.

Comparisons

V 1 The heavens declare the glory of God // the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

V 2 Day after day they pour forth speech// night after night they display knowledge.

V 3 There is no speech // language (where their voice is not heard)

V 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth // their words to the ends of the world (In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,)

V 5 a bridegroom “coming forth” from his pavilion // like a champion rejoicing to “run” his course.

V 6 It rises at one “end” of the heavens and makes its circuit to the “other” (“ends” feminine); nothing is hidden from its heat.

V 1 “Heavens” Cosmos Power (“glory of God”) Spoken “declare.. proclaim” Praiseworthy

V 2 “Day…night” Consistency Profusion (KJV “utter”) abundance Known “knowledge” Predictable

V 3 “speech… language” Communication Perception (“heard”) Heard “heard” Poignant

V 4 “all the earth” Continuation Prominence (“sun”) Gone “ends” Public

V 5 “rejoicing” Cheer Persistence (“run”) Felt “rejoicing” Passionate

V 6 “circuit” Course Path (“circuit”) Shown “hidden” Pervasive

What’s the point? Paul said in Romans: Rom 1:19-20

“Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”