The Theology Of King David

Title: The Theology of King David Scripture: Psalm 19

Type: Expository series Life of David Where: GNBC 9-8-24

Intro: What do you get when you combine a little brother, a shepherd boy, a poet and musician, a hero, a giant killer, a soldier, a mercenary, a husband, a king, a killer, an adulterer, a lousy father, and vindictive old man? A THEOLOGIAN! (I bet you thought I was going to say King David!) Whenever we speak about God we are engaged in theology. The term theology means a word (logos) about God (theos), so when anyone speaks about God, whether that person dropped out of HS or has a Ph.D in philosophy, he or she is engaged in theology. Our ideas about God inform our lives more deeply than most people can trace, be they negligent assumptions or careful reflections. As we begin our series on the life of David, “a man after God’s own heart” (I Sam. 13:14 & Acts 13:22) we are going to examine the theology of David. King David would say that the sovereign God of the universe has spoken, and He has called it as He sees it, and it really doesn’t matter what opposing sides are screaming. We are to set aside our opinions and submit to His decision.

Prop: Examining Ps. 19 we’ll better understand and appreciate the theology of King David.

BG: 1. Psalm of King David. Not a trained “theologian” but was inspired writer of Scripture and “a man after God’s own heart”. Can’t prove but I believe these are the mature thoughts of a middle-aged man who has walked with God.

2. “Revelation” speaking of is not the final book of the Bible, but rather, “revelation” is the supernatural communication of truth to the mind.

3. In Psalm 19 we see that God has two divisions of revelation: General/Natural, Special/Specific

Prop: Exam. w/me Ps. 19 as we better understand and appreciate God’s revelation to mankind.

I. Knowing God Through His World. (Natural/General Revelation) vv. 1-7.

A. By Definition Natural/General Revelation is Visible to All People.

1. What is General Revelation?

a. God’s general Revelation is God’s communication of Himself to all persons at all times and in all places. (M. Erickson, p.153). Three of the most important passages to consider are Romans 1&2; and here in Psalm 19.

King David, begins this, one of the most beautiful of all Psalms with: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Possibly the king is sitting on the roof of his palace on a cool winter’s night and he is amazed at the beauty of the star-filled heavens. Maybe he saw a glorious sunrise or beautiful sunset. Maybe it was a reflection upon his youth when as a shepherd guarding his father’s flock, he would gaze with wonder upon the God of Israel.

b. David is making two clear statements in this passage: 1. Vv.1,2,&4 – There is overwhelming evidence for God’s existence as seen in His creation. “glory” is the Hebrew word for “weight or worth”. There is abundant evidence to see the worth of God in His creation. 2. There is no need for a special education to grasp the significance of this evidence. General revelation speaks with a silent witness that everyone is able to hear. David knew the God of creation as well as the God of Divine Revelation.

2. General Revelation has a lens w/ 3 main focal points by which we may perceive a general knowledge of God.

a. Illust: I have begun to enter the realm of bifocals. Use bifocals when lost your up close focal point w/ age. Some people need trifocals. Distance, medium, and up close focal points. Well, when consider General Revelation think of it as a pair of tri-focal lens! That lens w/ 3 focal points known as General revelation focuses on: 1. Nature – the amazing and impressive nature of creation. The heavens and stars. The seas. Etc. 2. History – God is at work throughout history. God’s sovereign hand guides the march of history. See the hand of God in great events of history. (British Revivals in 1700’s. Dunkirk evacuation WWII, etc.). 3. The moral conscience of human beings. Humans make moral judgments of right and wrong. Illust: We see an out of control soccer coach screaming at his team of 5 years old kids and think it is not right. Why? Not written in Bible. “Thou shall not scream while coaching 5 yrs. old.” Man has the image of God placed w/in him/her at creation. Although fallen and marred, we get this sense of “oughtness” from that image. We of all the creatures are religious. Where does that idea come from? The indwelling image of God.

b. Illust: Unless someone is a literal sociopath, we have a conscience and for some unknown reason we are bothered by it when we do bad things. I had a dog, Reilly. Great hunter. Loved to kill any and all vermin. Never once did he feel guilty. Now Reilly was about 85lbs. Loved to hunt 13 stripe ground squirrels which on the avg. weigh 6.2 oz. little unfair size advantage. No one chastised Reilly. Yet what if some 350lbs buff Iowa lineman was picking on a disabled elementary school child? Rightly angered. Why? Conscience should bother him.