A Journey of Renewal( The Witness of Creation)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
American President Abraham Lincoln said, “I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”
David proclaimed this message of God’s existence in what is one of the most treasured psalms and one of the world’s most beautiful poems.
Psalm 19 is rich in theology. It eloquently illustrates the astounding truth that God, the magnificent artist of the skies, wants people to know Him personally.
He has made Himself known to us through natural or general revelation and through special or specific revelation: nature and the Bible, His works and His Word.
This psalm makes a significant distinction between natural and special revelation.
In discussing the witness of the skies, David used the name God (El), which is a general name that means strong, powerful one. When he discussed the witness of the Scripture, He referred to God as the LORD—Yahweh or Jehovah—His personal name.
As stated, an important distinction emerges from these names:
nature reveals that there is a God, a powerful, intelligent, personal Being who created and ordered it all.
Scripture reveals who this God is: His personal name, His nature, and His incredible love and plan for humanity.
We do not know the exact time or occasion when David penned these inspired words, but they stir us to fall on our faces to worship the one who longs for us to know Him in a personal, intimate way.
This is, The Witness of God in the World, 19:1–14.
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C. S. Lewis wrote of Ps 19: “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world” (Reflections on the Psalms, p. 56)
Peter C. Craigie
15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.
Witness. One who tells what he has seen or personally experienced in a court of law
Let us hear from the first witness of this text, the witness of nature
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 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.
David was awestruck as he witnessed the wonders of the sky, recognizing a vital truth: the heavens speak.
They proclaim the message of God’s glory (v. 1). The definition of the word glory falls short of conveying all that is contained in its meaning. The Hebrew word (kabode) literally means weightiness or heaviness, but in a positive way. It can be defined as honor, splendor, or greatness. To give glory is to assign a person the weight of honor he or she is due.
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist.
Whenever some aspect of God—His character, His nature, His power, His holiness, His majesty—is illuminated, it is called glory. When the very essence of God is manifest, in part or in whole, it is glory.
Words themselves cannot convey the glory of God. All the adjectives we can collect—magnificent, marvelous, amazing, awesome, dazzling, blinding, illustrious, radiant, resplendent, splendid, wonderful—are woefully inadequate. God’s glory cannot be described; it must be witnessed.
And witnessed it is when we look up into the heavens. God’s glory is the theme of the sermon of the skies. They declare the existence and the essence of God, His presence and His Person. The heavens proclaim the fact that there is a God, a personal Being greater than the skies, who created and ordered them. Their vastness and beauty herald the truth that this God is almighty, a God of infinite wisdom and ability. This is natural or general revelation: God has revealed Himself to every human being through His creation.
First, it is an uninterrupted, continuous message (v. 2).
Every day, the sun, the clouds, and the azure background testify of God. Every night, the stars convey knowledge of the one who numbers and names them all
4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
This preacher is never silent; people cannot escape its voice. Twenty-four hours a day, the skies shout the glories of the God who dwells beyond them.
Second, it is a universal message…
one that reaches every human being (vv. 3–4a).
3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
It extends to every nation and every corner of the earth. Its language is universal, a tongue understood by all. This is possible because it is a “wordless speech,”1 a language that “transcends human communication without the use of speech, words, and sounds.”2
In translating verse three, newer versions express that the heavens speak inaudibly and without words. Note these translations:
3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
3 They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.
(b) In the second part of the hymn (vv 4–5), the poet draws out the paradox of “inaudible noise.” On the one hand, there is no speech, no noise, from a literal or acoustic perspective (v 4); on the other hand, there is a voice that penetrates to the furthest corners of the earth.
The poet conveys something of the subtlety of nature’s praise of God: it is there, yet its perception is contingent upon the observer.
To the sensitive, the heavenly praise of God’s glory may be an overwhelming experience, whereas to the insensitive, sky is simply sky and stars are only stars; they point to nothing beyond
The MacArthur Bible Commentary Outline
19:1–6 The testimony of the universe comes forth consistently and clearly, but sinful mankind persistently resists it. For this reason, general revelation cannot convert sinners, but it does make them highly accountable
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Psalms I: Chapters 1–41 (King James Version) Psalm 19: The Witness of God in the World, 19:1–14
In Ro. 10:18, Paul quoted Ps. 19:4 as proof that all people have heard the truth. Every individual has received the foundation of saving faith: the proof that there is a God to whom we are responsible. God has spoken to every one of us through His creation.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
… This is the testimony then of nature, and every man is responsible to heed that testimony. No honest man can look up into the heaven without the realization that there must be a God and without the realization that that God is a God of order, a God of righteousness. And what is righteousness?
It is simply orderliness, and this universe is run in an orderly way, and therefore the testimony of the heavens is enough to convict a man of the need of repentance, of getting right with the God of the universe.
We cannot get back on track on the journey to renewal if we keep ignoring God when God puts on a show! We should break out in song. Embrace the witness of Creation that declares the Glory of God!
How Great Thou ART
Oh Lord, my God
When I, in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
He is the God, Elohim, Who is the God of all creation!
1 בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
reshith, bara, elohim eth shamyin veth erets
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
If you want to get out of your funky idolatrous ways and get back on track on a Journey of Renewal, Look at Jesus at the author of Creation!
He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the end , He is the Wheel in the middle of the Wheel, The Witness of Creation testifies about Jesus!
This is my story this is my song praising my savior all the day long
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Plain Theology for Plain People (1) In the Works of Creation
When we look upon the heavens and the earth, fashioned by almighty power, and guided by the excellency of wisdom, we see with our eyes and handle with our hands the evidence of the existence and personality of a superior Being.
Man has met no being greater than himself, and he knows that the starry hosts, the mountains, the seas, and the living creatures around him, are not the workmanship of his skill and power: he knows they did not come from his hands. Then who did make these things?
What do you and I ponde r when we begin to consider God? Charles gin to consider God? Charles the bible declares Him to be , and our modern 21st century version where in our sinful imagination, we learn about God through tweets, posts, likes. Western Christianity has made God an insult to the nations as many proclaim the name of Jesus without no fear, reverence or awe.
