The Word That Won’t Be Silenced, Part 2 (Psalm 19)
Good morning! Please turn in your Bibles to Psalm 19 as we continue to study this amazing Psalm. CS Lewis said this about Psalm 19. He said,
'I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.'"
Actually, I think CS Lewis sells it a little short. This isn’t just one of the greatest lyrics in the world, I think it is the greatest poem that’s ever been composed in any language. We could truly spend weeks on just Psalm 19 and still just be scratching the surface of it. So let’s jump right in with part 2 of our study of Psalm 19.
Just to review, here’s how we defined the difference between the two parts of Psalm 19. We said that
Verses 1-6: The World God Created (General Revelation)
Verse 7-10: The Word God Communicated (Special Revelation)
What’s in a Name? (Exodus 3:13-14)
• V. 1: God = El: This was the generic name for god. It is used for the one true God, as it is here, but its also used throughout the Old Testament to refer to gods of other religions. Think about the Canaanite god “Baal” for example. David uses it in the first half of Psalm 19 to remind us that through creation, we can know that there is a God. But the knowledge we get about God through general revelation is not enough for us to have a relationship with God. We need something else.
• V. 7, 8, 9: Lord = Yahweh: This is the covenant name of God. It’s the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. We read in Exodus 3 [slide]
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
Exodus 3:13-16
We usually pronounce it as Yahweh, but the Jews don’t pronounce it at all for fear of breaking the Third commandment (you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain). So whenever a rabbi is reading Scripture, whenever they come across the name of God in the test, they will replace it with “Ha Shem” which means “The name.” In nearly every English Bible translation, the translators give us a clue whenever the covenant name of God is used. They translate it “Lord,” but they do it in small caps: LORD.
So here is the question, and it is so important to understand this, because it’s the key to understanding the difference between the first part of Psalm 19 and the second part of Psalm 19: How did Moses know God’s name? Because God told him. That is the difference between general revelation, which is the understanding of the existence of God we can get through observation, and special revelation, which can only come about through a personal relationship with God.
What follows in Psalm 19 are eight breathtaking verses of Hebrew poetry. Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word, and Let these words wash over you…
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,[c]
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules[d] of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Pray…
Listen to verses 7-9 again. Notice the pattern. There’s a synonym for God’s Word, followed by an attribute of God’s Word, followerd by a benefit to following God’s Word. [slide]
We don’t have to get too wrapped up in the nuances of differences between the synonyms. There are some, and I’ll touch on them briefly, but just think of them as poetic terms more than technical terms. David is operating primarily as a poet here, not as a theologian. And on your listening guide, I’ll summarize all of these attributes with an easy-to-remember acronym after we look at the verses.
[Slide] The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
Law: This is the Hebrew torah. It usually refers specifically to the first five books of Moses. The attribute is perfection. This means it is complete. It can’t be added to. According to 2 Peter 1:3, God has given us everything required for life and godliness. It also means there aren’t any errors in God’s Word. While it doesn’t give all knowledge, all the knowledge it gives is perfect.
What is the benefit? In the ESV, the phrase is “reviving” the soul, but I think the KJV gets closer to the Hebrew meaning when it translates this “converting” the soul. God’s Word revives by assuring forgiveness and cleansing from sin. Under benefits, you can write “It makes us revived.
Testimony: In the Hebrew, this word is most often used to refer specifically to the physical tablets of the Ten Commandments, but again don’t get too wrapped up in the technical nuances. This is poetry, not a dissertation. But look at the attribute: God’s Word is sure. It is reliable. It’s certain. You can trust it. Psalm 119:89 says “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.”
Now look at the benefit: God’s word “makes wise the simple.” The second benefit of God’s word is that “it makes us wiser.”
I read some absolutely fascinating statistics this week about Israel, God’s chosen people. [slide]
In his book Two Nations Under God, Tom Doyle notes that of the 750 Nobel Prizes awarded between 1901 and 2006, Jews accounted for 158 of them? That’s right. A country of only 12 million people, less than the population of New York, represents 22% of all Nobel laureates.
• Who invented the cell phone? Israel.
• Who developed voicemail? Israel.
• What country has the highest number of scientists and technicians per capita? Israel.
My point is that there is objective evidence to support this idea that God’s Word makes wise the simple. The Jews have been the custodians of God’s Word for over four thousand years. God’s Word makes us wise. You want to do better in school? Be a better student of God’s Word. You want to develop your emotional intelligence? Get into God’s Word. You need help making wise choices? Get into God’s word. James 1 tells us, “If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.
[Slide]
Precepts: This word is often used in connection with God’s covenant. Think about the promises God has made to us in his word. Things like “I will never leave you or forsake you in Hebrews 13:5.” Or “The Lord your god is with you whereever you go” in Joshua 1:9. These are precepts. And David says they are “right.” They are morally right—that means they are objective. They are practically right—that means they make common sense. They are universally right—that means they are absolute. And what is the benefit? God’s word makes us happier. “Happier” is kind of a lame word. Happiness can change with the circumstances. What God’s word really does for us is that it rejoices the heart. The one who knows God’s word, studies it, meditates on it day and night as Psalm 1 says will find true joy. Psalm 16:11—You make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. Eternal pleasures are at your right hand.
Commandment: The Hebrew word is mitzvah. You’ve heard of a Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish ceremony where a boy becomes a man. Bar Mitzvah means son of the commandments. And David calls these commands pure. Because God is Himself pure and holy, His Word is also pure. A pure God can’t communicate in any other way. Think about a pure mountain stream, or a lake that is so clear you can see all the way to the bottom. That’s what God’s Word is like. We can understand it. There is clarity to it. And because it is pure, in enlightens the eyes. The biggest mistake of the so called Age of Enlightenment was that it believed we could be enlightened through pure reason and leave God’s word behind. We can’t. Being sons and daughters of God’s commandments is the only thing that can bring light to the eyes.
[slide]
Now, in verse 9, David breaks up the pattern a little bit. The fear of the Lord isn’t really a synonym for God’s word. But it describes the awe and majesty of God Himself. When we read and study and apply God’s word, we will have an appropriate appreaciation of His majesty and glory.
Rules: Finally, David wraps up this section by describing the rules of the Lord (Hebrew mishpat). This word refers to the judgments of God. It’s a legal term, often used in connection with the verdict of a judge in a court of law. So when God speaks on a matter, that truly is the final word. Maybe you’ve seen the t-shirt or heard the saying, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” Well, not really. The truth is, “God said it, that settles it, whether I believe it or not.” God’s Word is altogether righteous! There is nothing false or unrighteous about God’s Word.
Here’s something to keep in mind about this. When David wrote these words, he had only a fraction of what we now understand to be the complete word of God! He would have had the first five books of Moses, Joshua, Judges, a few of the Psalms, and maybe Job and Ruth. He didn’t have 1 and 2 Samuel. Or the books of the Kings or Chronicles. He didn’t have any of the prophets. Can you imagine what David would have written about Isaiah, or Jermiah? David didn’t have the gospels. Or the New Testament. So church, think about how much more of God’s word we have than what David had! We can say with confidence that God’s Word is far more glorious than King David ever knew!
[slide]
One of the best books I’ve read about God’s Word is this little book by Kevin DeYoung called Taking God at His Word. It’s very short, very readable, and it provides an easy way to remember the main points of our doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. It’s the acronym SCAN:
Attributes of God’s Word:
[transition] God’s Word is Sufficient. That means it contains all we need in order to understand God and have a relationship with Him. It is complete in and of itself. As God’s people, we must reject any belief system that tries to add to God’s Word. That doesn’t just mean the obvious additions, such as The Book of Mormon or The Watchtower from Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are more subtle ways we try to supplement the Bible as God’s complete, sufficient word. Any time you hear a preacher or a Bible teacher talk about a “new revelation from God,” that should sound off alarm bells to you. There aren’t any new revelations. For several years now, the bestselling Chrisitan book has been “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. In it, the author writes as though Jesus is speaking directly to the reader. And for awhile, there was a whole subgenre of Christian books from people who claimed to have gone to heaven and come back. And I think we have to be really, really careful about books like this, because they give the message that what Jesus has already said to us in his Word is not enough—that we need a more personal word. Or what God chose to tell us about heaven in His word isn’t enough—we need some five year old kid to come back from the dead to tell us that heaven is for real. Church, let’s not buy into the deception that we need to add to God’s Word. It is sufficient.
[transition] God’s Word is Clear. This means that every believer can understand God’s Word for himself or herself. Now, we can all benefit from someone else’s study or insight. But don’t buy into the lie that God’s word is beyond your capacity to understand it. Deuteronomy 30 says
[slide]
11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
[slide]
Third, God’s Word is Authoritative. Psalm 19 tells us that it is perfect, and true, and sure, and altogether righteous. You can trust it. And I think this is so important in this day and age. Every day we hear about “fake news.” You can take any current issue, and if you watch one news channel, you get one set of facts on it, and if you watch another news channel, you get another set. And so how do you know what is true about detention centers at the border, or climate change, or the Mueller report? We don’t. Every news source is biased, nobody is objective. Trust and authority are rare. But God’s word is authoritative. Proverbs 30:5 says
5 Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
I don’t know about you, but I need a shield right now. I need a refuge. I need to know that there is a place I can go when I shut off Fox News or CNN and know that every single thing I hear from God’s word is trustworthy and accurate and reliable and sound.
[transition]
Finally, God’s Word is necessary. By this, we mean that the only way back to a relationship with God is to trust Jesus as He is revealed in God’s Word. This is the biggest difference between general revelation in the first part of Psalm 19 and special revelation in the second part. We cannot know God apart from how he has revealed himself in His word. And the revealed word of God is Jesus Christ. John 1 says the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Go back to verse 7—the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.
Our response to God’s Word
Desire Its treasures. Verse 10 says that all these rules and commandments and precepts and statutes and laws are “more to be desired than gold.” It says they are sweeter than honey. Did you know that honey is the only food that cannot go bad? If it is properly sealed, honey has an indefinitel shelf life. Bacteria can’t grow in it. According to National Geographic magazine, when a group of archaeologists discovered sealed pots of honey in a 3,000 year-old Egyptian tomb, the honey was still edible. And the treasures of God’s word are like that. They will never get outdated. They will never spoil. God’s Word is one of only two things in all creation that will survive for all eternity (the other is God’s people)
Follow its warnings. Verse 11 says that God’s word warns us. It also reveals our hidden faults. And of we pay attention to it. It can keep us from presumptuous, or willful sin. Through God’s Word, we can know how to live a life that pleases God. He hasn’t hidden his will from us.
Meet its Author. Don’t miss how David concludes this incredible Psalm. Verse 14 says “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord MY rock and MY Redeemer. Did you catch it? David didn’t say the rock. He said MY rock. He didn’t say “the” redeemer; he said “my” redeemer. In order to receive all these benefits of God’s word, you have to trust God to be your rock and your redeemer. Have you done that?
Invitation, close.
