Psalm 019 - The Works and Word of God
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 reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
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 deprived of its warmth.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
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 decrees of the LORD are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
God doesn’t want to be a stranger to us. He wants us to know him and reveals himself through his creation and through his word. When we look at the universe in all its splendor, we can only stand in awe of its creator, marveling at how awesome he is. When we look at the laws of God contained in Scripture and see how wonderful they are, we can only glorify the lawgiver.
The law is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, firm, and precious — just as David describes it. However, through the law, we realize our own sinfulness and how short we fall of the glory of God. David understands this. He also understands that despite our best intentions, we can have sins hidden even from ourselves. He begs forgiveness for these sins while asking God for the grace to avoid willful sinning.
However, not everyone has the wisdom of David. How many of us believe we are leading righteous lives, unconscious of the sins of the heart? This is why, “as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). “Who then can be saved?” It is a question the apostles asked Jesus one day, albeit in a different context (Matthew 19:25).
Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). And so God saved us, through his Son Jesus, an act of pure grace. As Paul wrote: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9). And to ensure our ongoing sanctification, he gave us his Holy Spirit.
Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the hidden sins of our heart and also his assistance to overcome willful sinning. Then we can sing with David: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord (Psalm 19:14).
God be with you.
