Psalm 19 The Perfect Revelation of Yahweh
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race. 6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7 The law of Yahweh is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the statutes of Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of Yahweh 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 Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight,O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.
“This Psalm bears witness to Christ as Creator and as revealing Himself through the Word. The two great books, Creation and Revelation, bear witness to Him” (Gaebelein)— “even His everlasting power and Godhead.” (Romans 1:20). Nature alone does not speak of God’s eternal power and Godhead, but the Creation story does— or in a larger sense, the whole story of the Creation of the world and the Fall of man and the world-wide Flood and all of the stories found in the Jewish Scriptures. These stories reveal the Messiah. Jesus can be seen and understood through these stories. Surely He created the world (Gen 1:1; John 1:3; Col 1:16) and it could have been Him "walking in the garden in the cool of the day" (Gen 3:8) and Who promised to redeem them saying: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." (Gen 3:15) He is certainly the Angel (Malik or Messenger) of the Yahweh who appeared to them (1 Cor 10:4), as well as Yahweh of Hosts who fought their battles for them (Gen 2:1; 1 Sam 1:3; Isa 45:12) He appeared to Israel of old in the flesh. Nature cannot tell you of the mystery of the Godhead, but saints from each generation can. We must partake of these stories Sola Scriptura (Latin "by Scripture alone") meaning with the Bible as “our only infallible and inerrant authority for Christian faith” containing “all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness.”
We “adore and magnify the name of God, for the discovery of His wisdom, and power, and goodness, both by his great and glorious works of Creation and providence, and especially by his Word.” (Matthew Poole)
“‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.’ The continual success of the day and night is sufficient to declare God's power and goodness.” (John Trapp)
“’There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.” “’Their line” — properly their cord, as the cords of men— “has gone out through all the earth,’ — “’ and their words’— the lessons or truths which they convey— ‘the end of the world.’” (Albert Barnes)
“‘In them’— the lessons or cords drawing man, that is the Torah, Testimonies, Statues, and Commandments and Judgments of Yahweh, ’He has set a tabernacle for the sun’— or Son of righteousness— “‘which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,’— after long expectation, with a great, deal of pomp and gaiety;…’and rejoices like a strong man (or champion) to run a race’, readily running, and effectually affecting all things with his heat. ‘His going forth is from the end of the heaven’— i.e, From the east unto the west, in which course, notwithstanding, while he compasseth the circle of heaven and earth, he visiteth the south and the north, and is unweariable.— ‘And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof’— i.e. from the benefit of the sun’s heat, who is ut cor incorpore, as the heart in the body, saith Aben Ezra; all things feel the quickening heat of the sun; not only the roots of trees, plants, etc., but metals and minerals, in the bowels of the earth.” (John Trapp)
1- “‘The law (Torah, from the Hebrew root word ‘Yarah’, a verb which means ‘to flow’) of Yahweh from the Morah or God— ‘is perfect, converting the soul.’ This refers to the law of Moses specifically. The Hebrew word used here is “Towrah” or “Torah” , which refers specifically to the Penteteuch, or the five books of Moses: (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), including the Commandments.
2- “The testimony (êdûth) of Yahweh— is sure, making wise the simple.’ Paul preached the whole counsel of God— His doctrines, commands, examples, threatenings, and promises. “The whole [written] Word is the testimony which God hath deposed for the satisfaction of the world about the way of their salvation. Now because the Word of God branches itself into two parts, the law and the gospel, this notion may be applied to both. First, to the law, in regard whereof the ark was called ‘the ark of the testimony’ (Exodus 25:16), because the two tables were laid up in it. The gospel is also called the testimony, 'the testimony of God concerning his Son.’ ‘To the law, and to the testimony’ (Isaiah 8:20); where testimony seems to be distinguished from the law. The gospel is so called, because therein God hath testified how a man shall be pardoned, reconciled to God, and obtain a right to eternal life.” (Thomas Manton)
3- “‘The statutes (chukkot) of Yahweh— are right, rejoicing the heart’— ‘The statutes’ frequently mean the ordinances of God, by which Israel maintained communion with Him, and received all blessings from Him. These… were entirely suited to its object [that is Christ], and proved a source of joy to the believing worshipper.” (Thomas Scott)
4- “‘The commandment (mitzvah) of Yahweh— is pure, enlightening the eyes.’ ‘The commandment,’ or the moral law, is ‘holy, just, and good,’ and spiritual; enlightening the mind to perceive what men should be and do, and how far they are from that holiness which it demands. Thus they learn their true character, are shut up under sin and condemnation, and are brought to welcome the divine Saviour, as well as to walk in newness of life (Exodus 20:1. Romans 3:19-20).” (Thomas Scott)
5- “‘The fear of Yahweh, is clean,’ as it sets the soul against all sin, and leads to holy watchfulness and diligence; and being once truly implanted in the soul, it will endure forever.” (Thomas Scott)
6- “‘The judgments of Yahweh are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.’ The pleasure of sense soon surfeit, yet never satisfy; but those of religion are substantial and satisfying; there is no danger of excess.” (Matthew Henry)— “‘Moreover by them, Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.”