Responding To God’s Revelation

Good Morning Everyone!

Today we will be studying psalm 19, and our message is entitled, ‘Responding to God’s Revelation.’

The word “revelation” implies the fact that God must make Himself known to us. In other words, we cannot know God on our own. So, revelation must come from God’s initiative. Theologian Wayne Grudem says this about revelation: “If we are to know God at all, it is necessary that he reveal himself to us.”

In Psalm 19, David writes about how God reveals Himself, and he concludes the psalm with his response to God’s revelation. So, this morning, we are going to look at two ways how God reveals Himself, and what should be our response to His revelation. First…

1. God Reveals Himself in Creation (General Revelation) (Vs. 1-6)

In v. 1 David begins the psalm by saying, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The heavens and skies are crucial elements of God’s Creation (Gen. 1:1, 8). The two verbs here ‘declare’ and ‘proclaim’ emphasize the continuity of these respective revelations. And the phrase, ‘the work of His hands’ illustrates God’s great power. So, the heavens and skies are continually enumerating every single detail of God’s power and His glory.

When we look up to the sky, it’s like we’re looking at a detailed painting by an amazing artist. (Here are some of the pictures taken by sister Jacque Dy. She is one of the people I know who is intentional about worshipping God by looking at the beauty of God’s creation). David is basically telling us that the world around us and above us is the media by which God speaks. God’s media declares very clearly that God made this world and He is glorious. It is also like God putting His art works on a permanent display. And God displayed these things for us to better understand Who He is. So, the universe is not by accident, it is God’s handiwork. Since God has created these things for us to observe, let us worship Him and give Him the glory that He deserves.

Looking at the skies, we can learn so much about God’s greatness, His power and His control. The sun, moon, stars and the whole universe are a permanent reminder of God’s glory. So, general revelation is without words, and it is universal in its scope. It transcends human communication without the use of speech, words, and sounds. Yet, the message is constantly communicated to the whole world.

General revelation continues to point people to God, and it is available to everyone. So, no one in the world is ignorant of God. Simply by opening our eyes and ears, we can witness the divinely created and sustained media which brings the message that God is powerful and glorious. Indeed, God’s creation reaches all people, at all times. So, general revelation should lead people to seek God.

Application

Brothers and sisters, God has revealed Himself generally to all people through His creation. In other words, we can know so many things about God as we witness His amazing creation. We know that He is Creator because we see His handiwork. Creation declares His existence and glory. So, let us train ourselves to appropriately respond to God's creation. When we see some aspect of His creation that impresses us, let us learn to worship God. We may say: ”Lord, you are great. Thank you for allowing me to catch a glimpse of Your glory!”

The other way how God reveals Himself is through His words…

2. God Reveals Himself in Scripture (Special Revelation) (vs. 7-11)

In vs. 7-11 we see God’s revelation through His word. Please, take note of the transition from ‘God’ to ‘LORD’ which is the covenant name. In other word, He is ‘YHWH’ the God of covenant, the One Who instructs people and is faithful to them. So, the word of the LORD does not only reveal God’s will, but also transforms the lives of people.

Let us look at verses 7-9, notice the pattern here. There’s a synonym for God’s Word, followed by an attribute of God’s Word, which is followed by a benefit to following God’s Word.

1. The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul (v. 7a):

The law of the LORD is complete and perfect. It can’t be added to. The Bible is like an unending well that refreshes and realigns us with God's purposes. We can go to doctor for the needs of our body; we can go to college for the needs of our mind; but we can only go to Scripture for the needs of our soul. Because the perfect word of God revives us by cleansing us from our sin, and by assuring us the forgiveness.