THE REALITY OF GOD: Psalm 19
by Joseph VanSickle
This 19th chapter of Psalms is both poetry and theology.
• It is God’s creation and His Word.
• And, for me, the purpose of this Psalm is the reality of God.
I). Look at verse 1 thru the first part of verse 6 again: (read)
A). Literally, verse 1 is saying that, “the heavens are recounting the glory of God…”
• Every once in a while I get to go to my parents place over in West Virginia.
• It’s out in the middle of nowhere and at night there is very little light.
• One of the things I love to do, on a clear night, is to go out and look at the stars; they just seem to go on forever!
B). That’s what King David is talking about here: “the heavens are recounting (or declaring) the glory of God.”
• The stars ~ the planets ~ the constellations ~ are all declaring the power by which they were created, and the God who keeps them in their place!
• The purpose of creation is to declare God’s glory!
• It’s more than just about the beauty of nature.
• Psalm 8:1 says, “You have set Your glory above the heavens!”
C). Look at verse 2 (read)
• John Wesley wrote that, “Every day and night repeats these demonstrations of God's glory.”
• Every day and night teaches the next day and night about how great God is.
• It “speaks” or “informs” those who will listen.
D). And I really like verses 3-4 (read)
• Some of the best teaching in the world is done without words!
• And words can’t really describe the glory of God, can it?
• Yet at the same time, with all the different languages in the world, this is the one language that everyone understands ~ the beauty and glory of God’s creation.
II). Next, David turns his attention to something that everyone again can understand (vv. 4b-6)
A). Why would David chose the sun as an example?
• Everyone knew the power of the sun ~ the brightness, the heat, the scorching and disaster it could bring upon the land.
• But I believe that there was a better reason than that: There were actually some people (some religions) that worshiped the sun!
B). David is saying ~ you worship the sun because you believe that it is something that can be counted on ~ to rise up each day and make its way across the sky…
• But, David says, the Lord God is the one who created that sun ~ who placed it there in the sky ~ and who set its course across the sky.
• And so the sun that you may worship as a god declares the glory of the One true God!
III). Now David turns away from the poetic, to theology (read vv. 7-11)
A). He moves from a general revelation of God in nature, to a special revelation of God in His Word.
• He goes from the wonder of the glory of God, to the moral nature of God’s holiness.
B). And then David gives us a list of God’s holiness: (review vv. 7-9).
• David ends this section, in verse 11, by saying, “Now that I have been told ~ warned ~ about this; there is a “great reward in keeping them.” (v. 11)
• In others words he is saying, “Now that I know this, I have no reason (or excuse) not to worship and follow God!”
IV). So what is the response? PRAYER! (read vv. 12-14)
A). That’s the only right response that there is!
• Just like us, David realizes that he can’t serve God without God’s help!
• And he knows that God doesn’t just desire to live in nature, but He desires to live in our hearts!
• So he begins by praying, “Clear me from any unknown sin, so that, as I repent of my known sins, I can be completely blameless and innocent of great wrongdoing!”
• Do you ever wonder why he says, “great wrongdoing?” Because ANY wrong doing against God is a great wrongdoing!
B). Finally David prays that all that he does will be pleasing to God (v. 14)
• Many times pastors use this as a prayer just before they begin their sermon ~ and it is a great prayer ~ because it is a great request!
• Let my mouth (the outward) and my heart (the inward) be pleasing to You God.
• You are my rock and my redeemer!
