Read Psalm 19:1-6
Psalm 19 can be divided into three different sections or voices, the first of which is in verses 1-6. The voice that emerges as revealing God in this section is creation. The Psalm instructs us to look to creation as a way of getting to know God, the Creator. Verse 1 shows us the vastness of creation and how that reveals God’s glory. Just as we cannot fathom the limits or extent of the universe, we cannot fathom the glory of God. We are brought to the end of our ability to know and understand which shows us how far above us God is.
Next, the Psalm shows us the universality of the knowledge of God as revealed in creation in verses 2-4. There is no day that passes that doesn’t reveal who God is. He is revealing himself through creation all the time. Likewise, there is no place in which the knowledge of God is not revealed. It is universal both in that it is continuous and that it happens everywhere. Throughout all the earth the glory of God is revealed through creation.
The first section of the Psalm concludes by bringing the first two sections together and highlighting the joy that creation demonstrates. The sun, which “lives” in “the heavens, and the sky above” (vs. 1) goes from one end of the heavens to the other. The glory of God shines like the sun over all the earth and there is no speck of creation that does not receive the message of God’s goodness and glory. Not only that, but this is the very purpose that God created the sun, the moon, the stars, all of the galaxies for. As a result, the Psalmist describes the sun as having joy as it aligns with the wisdom that God has woven into the fabric of creation. We are most happy when we are satisfied with God’s glory.
As we will learn in the rest of the Psalm, we cannot stop here. Although God reveals himself perfectly through creation, because of the nature of sin that plagues humanity we suppress the knowledge that he gives us. Instead of worshipping God when we see creation we are prone to exchange the Creator for the creation and we worship creation. This is a distortion of the natural order that is only remedied in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He was the only person who lived fully for the glory of God and refused to exchange the love of God his father for the love of the world. By trusting Christ, we are given perfect atonement for this grievous sin, and we are also giving the transforming power of the Spirit that progressively restores our love and worship of God.
Questions
How do the heavens help us understand God’s glory?
Why is it important to look for wisdom and order in nature?
What do we learn about God when we know that he has revealed himself in every place and to every people?
How have you experienced a natural tendency to suppress what God reveals about himself in creation?
How does Jesus redeem our ability to know God in creation? How does/should this produce joy in your life?