David is presenting his argument for belief in God’s existence. No person is able to hide from the proof of God’s being; the evidence of his presence is everywhere. The Psalm can be divided into three sections that reveal different aspects of the same theme: the evidences for God. The first section is the Testimony of Creation (verses 1-6). In this section, we are brought to intellectual understanding of God through the evidence in the heavens and in nature. The next section (verses 7-11) is the Testimony of God’s Word. In this section, we are brought to a spiritual understanding of God through his scriptures. And the third section (verses 12-14) is the Testimony of My Life. In this section we are brought to a living understanding of what it means to serve God daily.

We look to the heavens and we see God’s signature; we look round about us in nature and we see his design. Everywhere we look there is the evidence of divine intelligence, so man is without excuse. As Paul declares in Romans 1:20, "the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen...." The man who rejects God can only do so by ignoring all the proof which surrounds him every day.

These first 4 verses tell us how everything God has created in the universe declares his glory. In verse 1 the heavens and nature reveal it, in verse 2 everything by day declares it and everything at night shows his knowledge, in verse 3 it is told in every nation and every language, and verse 4a it goes out through all the earth even to the end of the world.

When we look to the heavens on a starry night, our minds are filled with wonder. Where did all those stars come from, and who placed them so that they maintain their position? David might have wondered how many stars there were. Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 33:22, "as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore." But could either of them begin to fathom what astronomers in only the last few centuries have begun to discover? Man continued building larger and more accurate telescopes with more precise ways to chart the stars. The further they looked, the more stars they discovered. Every direction in which telescopes have been pointed has revealed new evidences of the complexity of the universe and its divine author.

When we look at the expanse of the sky during the day, we see God’s handiwork. Barely visible from the ground, we see a flock of birds in a V-formation flying south. Who told them to go south? When the lead bird which forms the point of the V falls back, how does another bird know to take his place and how do they decide which one will do it? As our gaze leaves the flock of birds, we notice the clouds and wonder with amazement at the water cycle which guarantees man a constant supply of new water — the rain, and snow runoff, evaporation, clouds. This is a never-ending cycle programmed by the Creator from the beginning of time. As Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 1:4,7, "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again."

With all this evidence surrounding us every day, no wonder David declared in Psalm 53:1, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."

It is as if all nature is speaking the testimony of God and showing us knowledge of him.

Spurgeon comments on this verse, "As if one day took up the story where the other left it, and each night passed over the wondrous tale to the next. The original has in it the thought of pouring out, or welling over, with speech; as though days and nights were but as a fountain flowing evermore with Jehovah’s praise."

The universe around us is our teacher. The instruction is carried over from one day to the next; night after night the teaching continues. But what kind of students are we? Are we willing to learn from our teachers, or do we doze during the lesson time? Unfortunately much of mankind is too sleepy to pay attention to the most important instruction of all the ages.

There is no nation or language which cannot hear the voice of nature declaring the glory of God. It is the universal language — the unspoken language. It is the language of the educated and the ignorant. It is heard in the halls of the palace and the dark corners of a cardboard and tin shack. The line of evidence, the sound of the evidence, has gone out through all the earth. The words of God’s glory, as shown in his creation, reach to the ends of the world. How then can anyone deny God? As Anselm, the eleventh century Archbishop of Canterbury, says, "It is incredible, I say, that any man denies...the existence of God."

In these verses David presents stunning metaphors to describe the sun’s journey from before sunrise to sunset. Amid this picturesque language is the grander metaphor of the sun representing the unspoken word of God penetrating the entire earth.

At night time, it is as if God has set up a tent for the sun to abide in until he breaks out in the morning. Sometimes there are nights that are blacker than most when the moon is not seen and stars are hidden by the clouds. We feel helpless and alone. We see no evidence of God’s unspoken word. But it is there. It is abiding in its tent — the tabernacle of Israel in the Holy of Holies. During those dark times we must be patient and wait, for soon, very soon, the light of God’s love will come bursting out of the darkness. As the song says, "Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning."

Sunrise is like the bridegroom coming out of his chamber to meet his bride. He is radiant with the expectation of his new life, and all the wedding guests share in his excitement. So it is with the evidence in God’s creation radiating throughout the whole world to touch every person. No one can overlook the bridegroom’s excitement; no one can overlook the sun’s radiance; no one can overlook the glory of God displayed in his creation.

In 1867 Delitzsch commented on this verse, "The morning light has in it a freshness and cheerfulness, as it were a renewed youth. Therefore the morning sun is compared to a bridegroom, the desire of whose heart is satisfied, who stands as it were at the beginning of a new life, and in whose youthful countenance the joy of the wedding-day still shines. And as at its rising it is like a bridegroom, so in its rapid course...it is like a hero..., inasmuch as it marches on its way ever anew, light-giving and triumphant...."

After the bride and groom are married, and they walk down the aisle together, the bridegroom is like a champion ready to take on the challenges of a new life. He is confident like a strong man ready for the starter’s signal to run the race set before him. Others sense that confidence and calm assurance. We feel the same calm assurance when confronted with God’s evidence in nature. We see how God provides for the birds and the flowers as Jesus said in Matthew 6:26,28,30, "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast in the oven, shall he not much more clothe you?"

The sun travels from one end of the earth to the other for all to see. Nothing can hide from its heat. It is the same with the unspoken word of God. Nothing can hide from God’s signature in nature. It is everywhere. It is as obvious to all the world as the sun shining in the sky and its heat penetrating our body — so his revelation penetrates our soul.

Scroggie writes, "...the witness is Universal. It is through all the earth, and to the end of the world. These celestial missionaries have borne their message to every land. Sun, moon, and stars are God’s travelling preachers; they are apostles upon their journey, confirming those who regard the Lord; and judges on circuit, condemning those who worship idols. And finally the witness is Glorious. The sun is represented as a bridegroom full of joy; and as a runner full of strength. This impersonation of creation is very impressive, and helps us to realize how all God’s works praise Him."

David continues from the unspoken word of God to the spoken word recorded in his law. The evidence in creation brings us to God, but the evidence in the written word brings us to redemption. It is not enough to arrive at the intellectual conclusion that there is a God. We must learn what God requires of us. This is found in his word. It is there we receive the next step in our instruction. We know he is Lord of the universe; now we must learn how to make him Lord of our life.

David continues his idea of the word penetrating everywhere. In verses 1-4 he showed how the message of the glory of God travels to all parts of the earth. In verses 5-6 he told how God’s unspoken message radiated its heat on every man. Now in verses 7 to 9 he declares how God’s written word penetrates each life. The first thing we discover is that the law of the Lord is so strong it converts the soul. As Hebrews 4:12 tells us, "For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword...and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." It is the word of God that brings a man to salvation. Our life cannot be transformed without his word.

We also know the testimony of the Lord is sure. It is certain, faithful. Even the simple can understand the gospel message. The word gives wisdom to even the dull of learning. We have seen where a common laborer who has the light of God in his life will have more common sense than a professor with five degrees after his name. Matthew Henry comments, "Sometimes the power of God brings to pass great things in his church by very weak and unlikely instruments, and confounds the noble, wise, and mighty, by the base and weak and foolish things of the world...."

It seems to me this verse is alluding to the previous sun illustration in verses 4b to 6. In verse 5 the sun is shown as a bridegroom rejoicing and I wrote about how all the wedding guests rejoice with the bridegroom. At the warmth of the sun, the men of the earth rejoice. And here in verse 8: at the statutes of the Lord the heart of man rejoices.

In verse 6 we saw how the sun sheds its light over the earth as it travels from one end to the other, and here in verse 8 the commandment of the Lord enlightens our eyes. The Hebrew more clearly shows this connection. "Enlightening" means literally "cause to light," and comes from the root word which means "light" or "luminary." As Proverbs 6:23 states, "the law is light."

Verse 8 seems to be saying, that in the same way nature causes us to find God, his word leads us to him. It is then that our understanding is enlightened and our heart rejoices.

Spurgeon comments, "Mark the progress; he who was converted was next made wise [verse 7] and is now [verse 8] made happy; that truth which makes the heart right then gives joy to the right heart."

When we fear the Lord, or as Young suggests: "reverence due to him," we are cleansed because of obedience. This cleansing endures forever because the judgements of God are true and righteous.

This fear of God is often mentioned in scripture. We need to have a reverence and awe toward God. We must not take the things of God lightly, but we must be serious in our devotion to him. Proverbs 15:33 tells us, "The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor." And Deuteronomy 17:18-19 says, "And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, from that which is in the charge of the Levitical priests; and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them."

Our lips say this verse is true, but our actions speak otherwise. Our mind tells us to put God’s word above all things, but our heart searches for the gold and the honey. Do we truly desire to know God’s word? Do we spend the time in study and meditation necessary to make it part of the fabric of our soul? Or are we too busy with the pursuits of this life? We need to emulate the writer of the 119th psalm who wrote in verses 10-11, "With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee." When we do commit ourselves to the study of God’s word, we gain riches beyond anything this world can offer. Instead of temporal purchases we discover spiritual currency that not only gives us heavenly benefits, but also satisfies our inner soul and enriches us in our day to day contact with others. God’s word is not a theoretical philosophy, but a practical guide which helps us to achieve the best for ourselves, our family, our friends, our neighborhood, our nation. By living his word, we rejoice and discover it is indeed sweeter than the purest honey.

This verse reveals some of the refined gold and pure honey that is contained in God’s word. In them the servant is warned or admonished. In Galatians 3:24 Paul compares the law to a schoolmaster. It is our instructor, and sometimes God’s word chastises, but it always builds us up in our spiritual walk. As we read his word, we may feel admonished. David looks at this as a positive thing — to be warned in order to escape sin. But only those who are his servants will understand the warning. Many are those who read the Bible and even know some of his word, but they ignore the admonitions. Only those who are part of God’s family will heed the warnings.

As we are sensitive to the admonishments and keep his commandments, we find there is a great reward, not only for eternity, but also in this life. We discover the blessings of the Lord and experience the love, joy, and peace of the believer who is growing in the Spirit.

God’s word will help keep us from sin. Here David starts off with the milder errors and works his way up to great transgressions, praying that the Lord would keep him from all of them.

After we are saved, we begin to desire the word of God (verse 10). We want to know it, learn it, study it. As we delve into God’s word, it is then that we are warned of our sinful nature (verse 11). We want to be delivered from the "small" sins — sins of ignorance and secret faults (verse 12), and we want to be kept away from "big" sins — false pride and defiance to God’s word and great transgression (verse 13). We are only able to see our faults and failings as we shine the light of God’s word on ourselves and listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit admonishing us.

There are some things we do wrong out of ignorance. As we draw closer to the Lord, we discover secret faults — areas of our life uncovered by the illumination of God’s word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. David’s prayer is to be cleansed from all these unknowing errors.

Matthew Poole comments, "As a further proof of the excellency and necessity of God’s law, because men’s errors are so many and hard to be discovered and prevented, that they indispensably need such a friend and counsellor as the law is to give the true knowledge of themselves and of their sins."

Presumptuous sins are sins of pride where we presume to do things our own way instead of God’s way. It is only as we allow the Lord to have rule over our life that these presumptuous sins will not have dominion over us. As we allow sin to rule us, we are in danger of great transgression. David’s prayer is for the Lord to "keep back thy servant." The Hebrew here is instructive. It means to withhold or refrain. David knows he can’t do it himself. He needs the Lord’s help to refrain from sin.

David ends this psalm with a beautiful prayer. Just as the heavens declare God’s glory, and the sun radiates the message throughout the earth, and the word of God transforms lives, so David also wants to be a vessel that brings glory to God and be acceptable in his sight.

He prays for what proceeds from his mouth — will they be words of honor or embarrassment? As James tells us in James 3:8-9, "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God." Our prayer needs to be like David’s: Lord, order the words of my mouth that they may be acceptable to you.

The next thing he prays for is the thoughts of his heart. Sometimes it seems our mind is a battleground. Each one of us needs to ask, Are my thoughts pleasing to God? As Spurgeon said, "even...the Christian has to bemoan the transgressions of the heart." How do we bring our thoughts into subjection? We first must admit that we cannot do it by ourselves but need the Lord’s help. As we allow God to direct us, I believe there are a number of things we can do to change our thinking.

The first thing is to be upbeat in our thoughts — don’t dwell on the negative. As Paul instructs in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord alway," and in verse 8, "whatsoever things are true...honest...just...pure...lovely...of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." In other words, channel our thinking into light instead of darkness.

Second, delve into God’s word. There is something about saturating our thoughts with his word that causes us to think differently. Quoting Hebrews 4:12 again, "the word of God...is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The promised blessings in Psalms 1 comes to the man whose, "delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." God’s word is powerful. It is life-changing.

Third, every day endeavor to walk in the Spirit. Allow God to lead and direct your every step. As Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16, "...Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

David concludes the verse with the acknowledgement of where his strength is. It is not in himself. He will be unable to speak the words or think the thoughts which will please God on his own. But because the Lord is his strength and redeemer, he will be successful. And we can be also!

Link to Study Notes

Footnotes:

These Study Notes on Psalm 19 © 1997 by David Humpal. All rights reserved.
All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the Revised Standard Version © 1971, A. J. Holman Company

Spurgeon: The Treasury of David, vol. I, pg. 270, MacDonald Publishing Company

Anselm: Apologetic pg. 166, Saint Anselm: Basic Writings © 1962, The Open Court Publishing Company

Joy Comes in the Morning © 1974 William J. Gaither

Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 5, pg. 284, Hendrickson Publishers

Scroggie: A Guide to the Psalms pg. 124 Kregel Publications Scroggie may have inadvertently copied this idea from Spurgeon. See     Spurgeon’s quote in the study notes to verse 3.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary, vol. III, pg. 266, MacDonald Publishing Company

Spurgeon: The Treasury of David, vol. I, pg. 273, MacDonald Publishing Company

Young’s Concise Commentary on the Holy Bible pg. 389, Baker Book House

Proverbs 15:33 and Deuteronomy 17:18-19 from the Revised Standard Version © 1971, A. J. Holman Company

Matthew Poole’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, vol. 2, pg. 30, Hendrickson Publishers

Spurgeon: The Treasury of David, vol. III, pg. 143, MacDonald Publishing Company