The Lord’s Message:  Seeing God in His Work and His Word

The Lord’s Message:  Seeing God in His Work and His Word
Date:  June 22, 2025
Where:  Kronsberg Park
Scripture Reference:  Psalm 19:1-14

            This morning, we are beginning a sermon series on the Book of Psalm, entitled the Summer of Psalms.  As you might know, there are 150 Psalms found in the book of Psalms.  Therefore, we will not be looking at all 150 Psalms, but a select group.  You might also recall that the Psalms were written by David and that most of the Psalms were set to music.  They are considered the first hymns and are still sung today in many synagogues. 

            Today, we begin with Psalm 19.  There are two themes in this psalm that stand out.  These are the same two themes were pointed out about God by the outstanding Greek philosopher, Immanuel Kant. He once said that there were two things that amazed him, “the starry sky and the moral law within.”  How many of you have ever gone out and just laid down on the grass and looked up into the night sky, looking up at the millions of stars, galaxies, planets, and other celestial bodies?  The wonder and beauty that God has created is all in perfect order.  After looking at all of this, seeing God at work in His law, the basic principles of morality that are taught in His Word, the Bible.  What can we learn about God through creation and His Word?

            Let us pray.

            When we start learning about God through what God has created and His Word, then someone will most likely bring to mind how do we know that God exists?  The writers that were inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit never tried to prove the existence of God.  As a matter of fact, they stated the opposite that whoever does not know the existence of God is “a fool,” Psalm 14:1.  Therefore, a person is a fool if they do not believe in the existence of God.  No one can refute that God did not create this world, Psalm 19:1-4a. 

If we cannot refute that God made this world, then we are left in wonder of all that God has created.  The English poet, Joseph Addison, wrote a poem entitled, “The Spacious Firmament on high.”

The Spacious Firmament on high,

With all the blue Ethereal Sky,

And spangled Heav’ns, a Shining Frame,

Their great Original proclaim:

Th’ unwearied Sun, from day to day,

Does his Creator’s Pow’r display,

And publishes to every Land

The Work of an Almighty Hand.

Soon as the Evening Shades prevail,

The Moon takes up the wondrous Tale,

And nightly to the list’ning Earth

Repeats the Story of her Birth:

Whilst all the Stars that round her burn,

And all the Planets, in their turn,

Confirm the Tidings as they rowl,

And spread the Truth from Pole to Pole.

What though, in solemn Silence, all

Move round the dark terrestrial Ball?

What tho’ nor real Voice nor Sound

Amid their radiant Orbs be found?

In Reason’s Ear they all rejoice,

And utter forth a glorious Voice,

For ever singing, as they shine,

The Hand that made us is Divine.

               Creation was created by a creator that perfectly made each and every part of creation from the objects in the starry sky to the smallest of animals and plants.  There is not a section on earth that is not living.  From the deepest of the sea, to the highest of mountains, the darkest caves and even in the fiery volcanoes, life is found.  All created by God. 

               In Psalm 19:4b-6, God has even made the sun, and ordered its place in creation.  The psalmist describes the sun as a bridegroom fresh after his wedding night, going out to make his mark on the world.  Without God creating the sun, there would be no life on earth.  The sun warms the earth and provides light for plants and animals to survive.

               Creation reveals God’s handiwork.  The psalmist now moves to explain how God works in His Word.  In Psalm 19:7, we have a reference to the “law of the Lord.”  When we hear this a lot of us think the Bible.  To the Hebrew writer, it is the Torah.  Moses, through the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, wrote the first five books of the Bible; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The psalmist says by following God’s moral law, our soul is revived. When we are obedient to the Word of God, we feel that joy deep in our soul.  The opposite is true.  When we know we have sinned, we feel this deep pit in our soul.   This may be different from others in the world, who have turned away from God and hardened their hearts to Him.  Anyone that wants to follow God has to be different than the rest of the world.  The reason is that God is holy, so we need to be holy, Leviticus 11:44-45.    

               The psalmist points out all the different ways that God works through His ethical demands.   Those are in verses 7b-9: statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances.  The psalmist describes these ethical demands as trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, and sure.  God’s revelations and laws answer all our questions, governing how we should live, and meets all our needs. 

               The psalmist describes God’s Word in verses 10 -11 as more precious than gold.  Rev. T.T. Crabtree describes God’s Word as “more to be desired than material gain, it is sweeter than any delicacy, it is to be completely trusted as a guide for our conscience, and it is a rewarder of those who follow it.

               When we look up at the starry night sky, we have this feeling that we are really very small and inconsequential compared to the rest of creation.  God tells us differently.  We were the last thing that God created.  God made us differently than the rest of creation because God made us in His image, Genesis 1:26-27. 

               The psalmist in verses 12-13, declares that none of us are perfect, all of us are susceptible to falling into sin.  The psalmist asked for God to keep him from falling into sin.  When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to keep us from falling into temptation. 

               For us living on this side of grace, we have Jesus.  When we sin, we can ask Jesus to forgive us.  For the believers in Jesus, we are transformed by His grace.  We can live in His strength and live a more abundant life than the psalmist ever could imagine.

               In John 1:1-4, Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.  He is our Savior.  He was with God when God created the world.  The written Word of God, the Bible, points us to Him.  The Bible tells us in Hebrews 1:1-2, that in the past God spoke through the prophets, but now God speaks through Him.  Let us follow Jesus. 

               Psalm 19:14.   Let us continue to read the Bible, follow the Bible and be the Bible for others.  Amen.