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Stepping into the Psalms
Part IV: Revealing God
Psalm 19
March 17, 2013
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
~* Spent night at FH; H2H announcement.
~* Marriage RX
~* Mid-Week service help
~* Communication Card
PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 19:1-4a
THE GLORY OF GOD IN CREATION
When I worked at STARBUCKS, I was frequently in DRIVE THROUGH, which was kind of fun and had a great view of Mt.
Baker.
Sometimes, while I was waiting for a car to pull up, I could take just a couple of seconds and enjoy seeing it lit up pink by the sunrise.
~* In that moment, I would whisper a word of praise.
LOCAL WORSHIP
Growing up in the NORTHWEST, I think I understand something of the MAJESTY of God that some from the plains just can’t.
Yet, I think they understands his expansiveness more than I can.
~* Jen Singer~/ “MONTANA SKY.”
Likewise, some who lived grew up in NYC may be able to understand something about the DIVERSITY of God.
In that same why, the BIBLICAL AUTHORS, who grew up in an age BEFORE ELECTRICITY, when almost everyone living in the country, knew something about the glory of God that we don’t.
Q How often have you been able to get out, away from LIGHT POLLUTION and just look up at the stars?
Imagine seeing that EVERY NIGHT, that it is the norm to see trillions of stars.
~* I want our FIRST RESPONSE to Psalm 19 to be worship, not study, to step into it and EXPERIENCE GOD.
BRING TO MIND a time you were struck by the heavens as we read this again.
Psalm 19:1-6 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
SILENT WITNESSES
Notice the IRONY here – nature pours forth speech, there is no language where their voice is not heard.
~* Nature SHOUTS SILENTLY – easy to ignore for those for those who wish to, but overwhelming for those who listen.
Sometimes whispering is the LOUDEST WAY to speak – to those who want to hear.
Q Do you WANT to hear God?
Q Are you trying to DROWN his OUT with your busyness?
But in the end, he CANNOT be IGNORED.
I can lay out all of the REASONS I BELIEVE in God, Jesus, and the Bible, but at the most ELEMENTARY LEVEL is the fact that I cannot look at all of this and believe that it simply happened.
Romans 1:20-23 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
The SURROUNDING NATIONS had hymns like this where nature is personified, but there was a key difference: They worshiped NATURE AS GODS, but in Psalm 19 NATURE is WORSHIPS God.
~* Modern HUMANISM basically does the same thing – PERSONIFIES chance and EVOLUTION and worships it.
In contrast, we say, “Look how amazing nature is – how much GREATER must the CREATOR be.
There is even LESS EXCUSE for the modern pagan – they know full well their personification to be a MYTH, yet still REFUSE to GLORIFY God.
~* And so nature becomes a SILENT WITNESS, a revelation of God.
NOT ENOUGH
But it is NOT ENOUGH.
The heavens declare the glory of the Lord, but they tell you almost nothing about WHAT HE is LIKE.
~* We see great LOVE in this world, but also great CRUELTY – is God like the MOTHER and CHILD or PREDATOR and PREY?
As loudly as it seems to shout, creation tells us nothing about WHO WE ARE.
~* Are we just an ADVANCE ANIMAL?
Does our death matter anymore than the death of a fish?
~* Does this God regard us as any different than a MONKEY?
And even as the SUN RUNS its COURSE and gives light and life, it tells us nothing about what GOD expects of us.
~* If this God does want to know us, what PLEASES him and what ANGERS him?
Nature provides “GENERAL REVELATION.”
It tells us God is great and powerful, but little else.
For us to know more, he has to tell us, he has to give “SPECIAL REVELATION.”
~* And this is specifically what we believe he has done on SEVERAL very important OCCASIONS.
GOD-REVEALING LAW
At first, the next section seems out of place:
Psalm 19:7-11 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Q How do you go from nature to the law?
If this were talking about the BIBLE, this would make more sense.
But he is talking about the LAW: Don’t commit adultery, don’t eat bacon, get circumcised, take Saturdays off.
~* In fact, many (most?)
PREACHERS avoid this by SUBTLY SHIFTING from the law to the Bible.
But it is specifically God’s law, the MOSAIC COVENANT as David knew it, that David is praising.
Not just praising – this practically a LOVE SONG to the law.
Q What is going on?
Is DAVID SELF-RIGHTEOUS?
Is he one of the legalist Galatians attacks?
Q Or does he KNOW something WE DON’T?
As we have been studying Galatians, Paul is dealing with the MISUSE of the law, attempting to use it to earn God’s favor and merit God’s grace.
That is the abuse of the law.
~* Here we find the PROPER USE of the law and why David was so happy about it – it ANSWERS the very QUESTIONS NATURE CANNOT.
As PROTESTANTS, we are far too quick to IGNORE what was the most important part of the Bible to the authors of the Bible.
Let’s learn more about that.
1.
The law reveals what God is like
When he says that:
Psalm 19:8-9 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
David isn’t just talking about how right and pure and righteous the law is, he is also talking about the LAWGIVER.
To understand God’s character as we read, we have to REMOVE our 21ST CENTURY, western world GLASSES and put on 12TH CENTURY BC, Ancient Near East GLASSES.
~* BTW: The reason we have the MORALS we do is because of these laws – “JUDEO-CHRISTIAN ETHICS.”
Knowing about ANE CULTURE and that most of the ANCIENT GODS were capricious and cared very little about humans and justice, we can skim through the OT laws and we see that God is DIFFERENT:
~* The SLAVERY laws were much more humane.
~* CITIES of REFUGE for manslaughter.
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