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Illustration for Psalm 19: God's Glory in Creation and the Law

Psalm 19

God's Glory in Creation and the Law

WisdomPraise

The whole sky is like a giant message from God — the sun, moon, and stars all shout that God is amazing! But God's Word (the Bible) is even more wonderful than the sky. It's sweeter than honey and more valuable than gold.

  1. 1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
  2. 2Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
  3. 3They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
  4. 4Yet their voice 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. 5which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
  6. 6It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
  7. 7The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
  8. 8The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
  9. 9The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.
  10. 10They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
  11. 11By them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
  12. 12But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
  13. 13Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
  14. 14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

What it means

God speaks to us in two amazing ways — through the beauty of His creation and through His written Word. Both tell us about who He is. What we think about and say matters to God, so we ask Him to help us think and speak well.

A little prayer

Lord, let the words I say and the things I think about be pleasing to You. Your creation shows me how great You are, and Your Word shows me how to live. Thank You for both. Amen.

Memory verse

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14 (BSB)

The prayer at the end of the psalm, and a good one to say before speaking when you are angry.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. The psalm says the sky talks without using any words. What has the sky ever 'said' to you?
  2. Halfway through it switches from the sun to God's Word. Why put those two things side by side?
  3. It calls God's words sweeter than honey. What is the sweetest thing you have tasted?
  4. The last verse asks God to make even his thoughts pleasing. Is that harder than watching what you say?

Try this

Sky watch, page watch

Spend five minutes outside just looking up, saying nothing. Come in and spend five minutes reading the psalm slowly. Talk about which one told you more, and why the psalm says both are speaking.

From the blog

Faith Cometh by Hearing →

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)