Introduction to Psalm 19

WELCOME

PRAYER

SONG – The heavens declare

SILENCE

An In-depth Look at Psalm 19

February 9th, 2025

Psalm 19 is another powerful piece of writing but focused on the heavens, the firmament and the law, wisdom, and power of YAHAVAH. As you will see, the first verse was also put to music by Mallory who had her oldest child Lazer, now 13, sing with her. I want to go back to our verse by verseTGNN’s Bible teaching series—book-by-book, through the lens of fulfillment and spiritual liberty. instead of broad coverage today because there are some beautiful observances that can be had by reading through it, then talking about it.

So, let’s do a read-through first.

19:1 <<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

7 The law of YAHAVAH is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of YAHAVAH is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of YAHAVAH are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of YAHAVAH is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of YAHAVAH is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of YAHAVAH are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Exploring the Composition of Psalm 19

Okay, drop back to the introduction or verse 1 and see what we can discover. The title of this Psalm says that it is a Psalm of David but there is really no external nor internal information that proves this so it is really just tradition. Lore says that David wrote it when on the run and it was his observance of the heavens that inspired him. Sounds nice but we cannot say. Now it seems that the Psalm was composed of two parts.

The first is impersonal, material and teaches us to know God by natural reason, and the textbook from which all souls can read from to learn these lessons is from what we might call, God’s book of creation. Have you ever considered the idea that God has given humankind material witnesses to confirm His hand, His existence, and His power and might? Have you ever thought that space and all of the stars, suns, and billions of galaxies really don’t appear to do much more than serve as witnesses of him to us on earth.

Natural and Material Witnesses

I mean I’m sure they have more purpose somehow in some unknown intergalactic way but in the end, they rest around and above us and just . . . shine. Then from that position someone sitting on a rock gazing at the skies can look down at their surroundings and see countess grains of sand, plants, animals, rivers, seas, and they can rest back and choose to believe there is a creator – or not.

I cannot fathom a thinking individual refusing to allow these material expressions to lead them to believing in Him… But they do. When someone points out that rejecting such evidence is truly a sign of pride and that they cannot understand how they could reject it all, I remind them that some of YAHAVAH’S heavenly creations directly rebelled against Him in His presence, a clear indication that God allows free will – which is what people are exercising when they are surrounded by evidences of His hand.

This chapter is radical because the first seven verses speak to this natural witness God has given – so again

19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth

The Heavens Declare

3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Universal Proclamation

Verse 2 is interesting because it gives the heavens speech, saying that along with the firmament (which is the arche in the sky) that they “day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night show knowledge. His creation evidences speech and knowledge – the very things by which humankind uses to relate to Him and Him to us. From these words we might even suggest that the heavens are diligent preachers and teachers as they, without any intermission, are a constant declaration to all with eyes to see. So powerful are these preachers that the Psalmist declares that “There is no speech-where their voice is not heard," meaning they speak in perfect tongues as all of humanity sees, hears and responds irrespective of their native language. They are also universal preachers – why? Because the Psalmist says, "Their sound is gone through all the earth," and their words, “to the end of the earth.”

Then the Psalmist gets really wild and speaks about the sun, saying, “In them (the heavens and the firmament) hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The Sun's Role

Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, verse 6 of Psalm 19 is a huge verse for a special form of thinking in people – especially believers – who are known as flat-earthers. Why? Because to them it is describing the sun moving around the heavens in a circuit, and it extends out to the farthest flat edges and heats the whole planet.

But first, let’s try to understand verses 4-5. Speaking of the heavens and the firmament, the Psalmist says, speaking of them together: Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber (and then notice how now the description of the two are condensed into first a sun, then a single bridegroom, then describing them now as a singular him “who rejoices as a strong man to run a race.”

All of this imagery will come together someday in some work I am doing on Spinoza and His view of God. In any case, I don’t know how a biblical literalist reads these passages (I would love for someone to explain) but I would say something here that is absolutely not biblical but perhaps God imbued the heavens and firmament with the power to “preach, teach or inform” in some fashion we cannot understand – not like literally but in terms of its order and structure and this is the basis for astronomy and astrology which is not what His children are to consult.

So, on the one hand, the heavens do declare the glory of God and the firmament does reveal His handiwork but we are not to try and figure out how and then to tap into their power as a means of worship.

Evidence in Creation

In any case, among all these creatures the SUN, for which the writer says God in heaven has set a throne, makes the fairest and clearest evidence of the heavens declaration in the three following ways: –

In its (or his, as the Psalmist refers to it) “splendor, light, and heat” it comes forth or rises as gloriously as a bridegroom coming from under his canopy. This splendorific beauty part hearkens to the Nation holding a canopy up over a bridegroom when he would exit his fathers house which has a direct reference to the ultimate expression of this when Christ would exit His fathers house above to take his Holy and pure Bride.

His Light (the Sun) is another reference to Light that came into the world and the

The Light and Heat of the Sun

Light that the Living Son gives to those in darkness, ignorance, and disease. And then the heat of the sun in the sky is the last expression, as it brings radiation, which is visible light (or what we perceive as light) and infrared radiation through which we experience as heat and both are considered part of the electromagnetic spectrum and are collectively referred to as "solar radiation" when discussing energy from the sun.

The writer points out that there is nothing hid from the heat thereof and of course we can take all of these attributes of the physical sun of our heaven and earth and assign all of this to Christ, the light of the earth and as such, the infrared heat of God’s fire that consumes the dross of our labors leaving only what is of value. All of this and so much more is included in this imagery but before we go on to verse 6 I want to point out that when reading this Psalm and its descriptions, it is very easy to see that it speaks of our heaven and our firmament – and not the entire cosmos.

Observable Heavens and Firmament

I think we can deduce this from the following: The heavens about us – the earth – are only known and have only been observable beyond the gaze of the human eye since the development of the telescope in 1608. Before that, our heavens and our firmament were only known by the naked eye. The firmament is especially related to our cosmology and not all of space.

The Sun’s electromagnetic radiation (loosely called light) travels indefinitely, but it will get so weak that it is unobservable. When it is far enough away, light from the Sun becomes indistinguishable from light from nearby stars. Beyond that, no conceivable telescope can collect even one photon a minute and by this, all heat has been lost. But the writer here says that nothing can be hid from the heat thereof.

Why say this? Because I am convinced that the Genesis 1 account of the Creation in the Beginning speaks only and exclusively to the beginning of God looking out over dark matter and chaos and bringing it all to light for Man. In other words, the in the beginning line refers to the beginning of our material galaxy, our sun, our earth, this planet and the human kind here and nothing beyond.

Verse 6 and Its Implications

6 His (meaning the sun) His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. So much to say about verse 6 but staying on task with what I have been saying, for this Psalm to be true our sun must somehow serve to light and heat the entire universe if that is what heaven is referring to – obviously it's not! Unless! Unless! You are a flat earther.

I had the heavenly light of the sun and moon described to me by someone who embraces that theory as two flashlights that orbit around over the mass expanse of the earth. (Illustrate) Here’s the thing – verse 6 is one of the key verses that was used to point out how the Bible should be seen as true and not modern science because, again it says, speaking directly of the sun, 6 His (meaning the sun) His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Listen, the Bible is not a science book. It was written by men inspired to write what they saw from what they understood. From the perspective of a human writer sitting on earth and watching the day go by, it appears that the sun is moving across the sky. It appears that the sun moves around on a circuit. To describe it this way was certainly acceptable, and God doesn’t seem to take the time to make any corrections. Again, He works with the world according to the day in which we live, and He never seems to inform ancient civilizations on how to make cell phones or IPADS. Watching the sun “move across the sky” from dawn to dusk and to “rise again” in the east would certainly evidence to the writer that it was the sun moving instead of the earth orbiting and I see no issue with it being acceptable in the

God Revealed Through Creation and Scripture

Face of a heliocentric model today.

Additionally, this passage is a great one for biblical literalists because I don’t see our getting around what it says as the Hebrew word translated circuit literally means, revolution. Does the sun have revolutions? I don’t personally think so even though the Psalmist appears to describe it as moving.

Okay, so that was the first 6 verses, and they were obviously depicting one manner in which God reveals Himself to human inhabitants on this earth – by and through His heavenly creations above us.

Now watch! After describing this general preaching God gives to all the world through verses 1-6, verses 7-11 bring forth another “more down to earth” way in which God reveals Himself. And what means does the Psalmist bring forth? In and through His scripture, or what the Psalmist calls the Law. Notice the shift from the grand macro witness and declaration God has given to us and how the Psalmist moves to yet another gift, saying

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Now the Psalmist introduces the doctrine delivered by God first to Moses, then to Prophets, then to Apostles, then to each individual when He writes it on our hearts and minds. The Law of YAHAVAH is perfect. Just like the orbiting planets around the Sun declare Him, so do we declare our worship of Him as we orbit around His Law in whatever form it arrives.

The Law and Its Fulfillment

Speaking of this allegiance, we started the Psalms with chapter 1, verse 1-2, where we read: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

All of Psalm 119, every verse, in fact, mentions this Law, which Christ came and fulfilled on behalf of His own, allowing God to now write His Law on our hearts and minds by the Spirit. Some have concluded that God’s Law can be understood as “the preceptive part of Revelation.” Other early primitive fathers categorized His Law in three ways, including

1. The law of nature, which teaches the knowledge of God, as to his eternal power and Deity, by the visible creation, which we just read about in the first six verses.

Then they point out he law given to Moses and the prophets, which teaches more perfectly the knowledge of God, his nature, his will, and our duty.

Finally, it is believed that the law of grace given by Christ Jesus, which reveals the doctrine of the atonement in full, of God’s law demanding purity or purification, and of the resurrection of the body and now of Grace with the first expression being “written in our heavens and earth, the second being written on tables of stone, and in His many rites and rituals, and the third written on the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit which serves to convince all souls of His existence and to make us responsible before Him.

Christ's Fulfillment of the Law

In consideration of how Christ – who is the anthropomorphic embodiment of, the Sun above, its Light, its heat and then how He fulfilled the laws written in stone, we read the following about the transference from Moses to Him in places like,

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Or

Joh 12:34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?

Or

Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

And

Roman 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace..

And Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God..

And Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Or as Paul said

The Law and Faith in Christ

In 1st Corinthians 9:21:

To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

And Galatians 2:16 where Paul wrote:

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

And Galatians 2:21:

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 3:13:

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

The Role of the Law in Christ

And how Galatians 3:17 expressedly states that the former Law was literally made visible in Christ, saying:

And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

And how Paul clearly says in Galatians 3:24:

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

And how he boldly tells those still reliant on obedience to the Law in the next chapter:

Galatians 5:4:

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

The Law of Christ

And what does the Law of Christ bring in part to those who live by it? Listen –

Galatians 6:2:

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

And finally, how Paul declares in Philippians 3:9:

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

All expressions of God – through the cosmos, the Law written in stone or the law of Christ written on our hearts and minds, serve to redirect us, instruct us, guide us and help us know there is a God, that He wants us to be as He is, and that the highest expression of this is to love. Under the stars, this love appears to arrive from sensing His awe. Under laws in stone, this love appears to arrive from fear. And under the Spirit of His Son, this love is amplified by gracious gratitude.

All forms of His law serve to “keep us in line, orderly, orbiting in the way His systems work and I suggest that within them we find different expressions of resonation to Him with the ultimate being from the expression of His Son written on our hearts.

Here in Psalm 19, we read:

7 The law of YAHAVAH is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of YAHAVAH is sure, making wise the simple.

The Value of God's Declarations

I see that has having application in all the revelations of Him – the cosmos and through engravings on paper – but both of those expressions are, in fact, limited and have drawbacks while the third, the Law of Christ written on our hearts and minds only drawback is it makes human being accountable, responsible and constantly choosing whether to be selfless, sacrificial and insufferable in our allegiances to Him . . . or not.

The Psalm continues on the point specific to the Law of Moses, saying:

8 The statutes of YAHAVAH are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of YAHAVAH is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of YAHAVAH is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of YAHAVAH are true and righteous altogether.

All features and results are found in his heavenly declaration, His declaration in stone and writing, and His declared inscriptions on our hearts and minds. How can we quantify their value to us as human beings (verse 10):

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Considering all that we have said today, could anything be more true? But it is a rare person indeed who understands this – and I include this audience as some of these rarities, proven by your dedications to Him, your pursuits for Him alone.

I see the comparison to super refined gold and honey as significant as in their most refined presentations they look very much alike.

Inward and Outward Value

…with one serving us in our outer lives and the other feeding us inwardly. That is how valuable His laws are to us, in whatever form we choose to observe them. Describing their value to us, the Psalmist adds at verse 11,

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Do you believe it? Does the aboriginal believe it looking to the heavens? How many of them do? Did the Nation of Israel believe it? How many of them did? Does the human race believe it, people who attend church? How many?

The Third Witness

Now we come to the third thing this Psalmist brings forth which is a third witness God has given every soul – his or her own conscience! Even all the way back in the day this was composed, as the writer now concludes this Psalm with,

12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

By our own world view and opinions, our fleshly perspectives, no man can understand his errors in a vacuum. It is by His loving presence in the heavens above, the laws in writing and the Spirit of His Son what all of us are made aware of our errors. By the sun above we see our shadows. By the law written in stone we are all made guilty, and by the Spirit of His indwelling Son we are gently, lovingly reminded internally who we are and what we should turn from.

The Psalmist adds,

13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

The Struggle with Sin

That line, let them not have dominion over me could be read as, “Let me never be brought into a habit of sinning,” or “let me not be brought into bondage by sin.“ This is the scriptural point of view to see sin through – do we practice, live-by and serve sin? We will sin, that is for sure, in our attitudes, heart-conditions at times, minds and hearts and hands and mouth. We are human. That is the human way, but in the face of all of these witnesses God has given, are we seeking to operate by sin or to operate by Him.

And here is the thing – of which I am completely convinced of today after decades of wonderment over the question of why some look to the heavens and are moved, why some read the Old Testament and are moved, why some who are touched by the Spirit of Christ within them are moved to act – what is the common factor in every scenario?

Humility.

Just as there are those who look up, at the law and at Christ and submit, there are those who do the same and refuse. They do not want to be humbled by anything and will not allow themselves to be humbled by anything. They look to the heavens and worship the creation instead of the creator; they look at the Law and see the Old Testament God as a failure, uncaring, indifferent, and/or they look at Christ, at the gnawing impressions on their hearts and minds and consider it a product of their upbringing, as an evolutionary response to things, or as needing a crutch, and in their pride, they are not moved.

The Danger of Pride

The real danger of sin in people today is not the reaction it brings from God – He paid for it. The real danger is pride, and in what comes straight out if its clutches – sin or practicing sin, is seen in how the writer of Hebrews says to the Bride in the third chapter,

Hebrews 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.

Herein lies the continual threat to human beings, made in His image who have all been given each of these evidences by our loving God – Our pride will lead us to acts of rebellion against Him and His ways from the very simple act of looking to nature and thinking, “there is no creator,” to the sin of then “being, thinking and doing what thou

Hubris and Humility

"To proudly criticizing the God of the Old Testament, which leads to rejecting all He has done in the past for us, to proudly refusing to submit to His Son, the Spirit of His Son, and the act of humbly receiving His Son as the go-to in this world and in the face of our will. The writer of Hebrews describes the outcome from all of this hubris and pride as being, 'hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.'

As a means to give us our freewill but to reveal Himself, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork, His law is good and perfect and right, and our very inward warning from the Spirit of Christ, God has revealed Himself abundantly, and the only thing that stands in our way is a refusal to humble ourselves before Him.

The Psalmist concludes with the following,

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Reflections on Psalm and Music

In honor of this passage, which is used in the following song, Rivers of Babylon, I would like to play a rendition of a musical number originally sung by a musical group called, the Meloneons and took this last passage from Psalm 19 and also Psalm 136, and was then covered by a band straight out of Long Beach called, Sublime. This cover was recorded live at a visit to a popular radio station. Take a listen.

PLAY RIVERS OF BABYLON HERE. PLEASE

As an ironic pause, the lead singer of Sublime, Bradley Nowell, who we just heard sing,

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight

After kicking heroin, tried same one last time and died that very night.

Psalm 20

I want to wrap today up by just reading Psalm 20 without commentary to keep us on pace.

Psalm 20:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. YAHAVAH hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; 2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; 3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. 4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. 5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: YAHAVAH fulfil all thy petitions. 6 Now know I that YAHAVAH saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of YAHAVAH our God. 8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. 9 Save, YAHAVAH: let the king hear us when we call.

Comments Questions PRAYER

Analysis of the Nineteenth Psalm

II. But as the declaration, even from the most glorious of creatures, is not sufficient to make men wise and happy, he has been pleased to declare himself by his WRITTEN WORD, called here the LAW generally; and is commended to us by the following reasons:-

1. From the author: It is the "law of Jehovah."

2. From its sufficiency: It is "perfect."

3. From its utility: "It converts the soul:-gives wisdom to the simple."

4. From its infallibility: "The testimony of the Lord is sure."

5. From its perspicuity: "The statutes of the Lord are right."

6. From the effects it works on the soul: "They rejoice the heart." They quiet the troubled conscience; "being justified by faith, we have peace with God."

7. From its purity: "The commandment of the Lord is pure." It is opposed to all bad opinions and evil practices.

8. From its effects in the understanding: "It enlightens the eyes." It dispels all darkness and ignorance, all doubts and fears, diffidence, carnal security, false worship, &c., and gives us to see our own deformities.

9. From its uncorruptness: "The fear of the Lord is clean." Other religions are polluted with human inventions, strange ceremonies, uncommanded sacrifices, false gods, &c.

10. From its perpetuity: "It endureth for ever." It is an endless law, and an everlasting Gospel.

11. From its truth and equity: "It is altogether true and righteous."

From all which David concludes, that it is both precious and delightful.