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1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech, or language;
where their voice is not heard a.
4 Their voice[b] 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.
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 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.
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The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever.
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 honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from wilful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
(NIV)
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Psalm 19 naturally falls into three parts:
• God’s revelation in creation (verses 1-6),
• God’s revelation in the law (verses 7-11),
• and the response of the man of faith (verses 12-14).
The point of the first six verses is that the heavenly bodies are objective proof that a powerful, creative God exists. The heavens are God’s preachers in the sky who proclaim 24 hours a day the truth that exists (verses 1-2); furthermore, they speak a universal language (verses 3-4). On the other hand, God’s special revelation is His law. It is described by five synonyms:
“law, testimony, statutes, commandment, judgments (verses 7-9).
His law is precious and desirable (verse 10). The man of faith can respond only with a prayer that he be kept from both hidden sins (verse 12), and wilful sins (verse 13); that what he says may be acceptable to the Lord; and that even what he thinks may be pleasing to God (verse 14).
Verses 19:1-14: Because of its two distinct parts and two different names for God, some have tried to argue that Psalm 19 was really two compositions, one ancient and one more recent. However, the shorter form of the name “God” (compare the long form in Gen. 1:1) speaks of his power, especially power exhibited as Creator, while “Lord” fits the personal focus. Consequently, David depicted the Lord God as author of both His world and Word in a unified hymn. God has revealed Himself to mankind through these two avenues. The human race stands accountable to Him because of His non-verbal and verbal communications. In the light of these intentions, Psalm 19 powerfully summarizes two prominent vehicles of God’s self-disclosure.
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