Revealed Goodness - Psalm 19

Psalm 19 Revealed Goodness 20210516 God’s Word reveals his goodness that we need In my line of work, it’s often reported that something is in need of repair. And that’s about the extent of it. The truck isn’t working, the string trimmer is broken, the faucet has issues. These reports get me started in the right direction, but they’re incomplete and not totally useful in approaching a fix for the problem. I need more specifics. Scripture Passage: Psalm 19:1-14 Nature is God’s Nature (vv.1-6) 1. v.1 “The heavens declare the glory of God…” 1. Isaiah 6:3 “And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”” 2. Calvin called nature, “the theatre of the glory of God.” Nature reveals the majesty of God. 2. v.2 “Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” - Pours out, gushes forth, flows freely. 3. vv.4-6 the sun is drawn out specifically by David as revealing God’s majesty. The sun makes its course so that all the earth knows its presence and power. Transition: But the glory of God’s nature, magnificent as it is, is not as magnificent as the glory of God’s goodness, revealed specifically in the Bible. The Bible Reveals God’s Goodness (vv.7-11) 1. There is a big transition here at v.7. We move from general revelation of God to the specific or special revelation of God. Nature can show that there is a God, but nature cannot show the full nature and character of that God. And this full nature and character of God, being revealed to man, has specific results on man. 1. Transition from El (v.1) to Jehovah (vv. 7, 8, 9, 14), the personal and specific name of God. The God of covenant love with Israel, the I AM WHO I AM that revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush. The God, who on Sinai, passed before Moses and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” This God cannot be understood by nature alone. 2. Romans 1-3 and the insufficiency of the revelation of nature to save. 3. So in vv.7-9 we have six references to the Bible, to this specific revelation of God, which also includes six descriptions and six results. 2. v.7a “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;” - The Torah, the Scripture, the Bible, is complete. That’s what perfect means - complete and without defect or blemish. It has instruction for all of life. Deuteronomy 8:3 “…man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” It is full of goodness and it is what we need to be constantly filled with. The Bible touches on all points of life and gives instruction. As it is heeded, it brings revival. 1. I believe, that if you’re honest with yourself, you recognize your need for soul revival. If you’re in a season of spiritual richness and joy, I have no doubt that you’d attribute it to God reviving your soul. If you’re otherwise, if you’re struggling or dry or in a season of going through the motions, you recognize that your deepest need isn’t for more sleep, another television series to binge watch, or anything of the like. You need soul revival, and that good gift comes through the Bible. 3. v.7b “the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;” - What God says about a matter is trustworthy, and the person who adheres to it is wise. We might not understand completely, or we might not even agree with Scripture at times - our flesh wants to rebel and our understanding of a situation is limited. But holding onto and adhering to God’s Word is right, and results in good. 1. Not in the wisdom of this age (1 Cor. 1:18-31). 4. v.8a “the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;” - This would be instruction or orders. They are right, and your heart will rejoice. 1. Not always immediately, because sometimes obeying God’s Word is difficult. But as you walk with the Lord, and grow in relationship to the Lord, your heart becomes more aligned with his heart, and you begin to know by experience the rejoicing that David writes of here. 2. At this point I want to pause and point out that the effects of the Word that we’re reading about in this list of six don’t come about simply by knowing of the existence of the Bible, or being expert in Bible trivia. This is about living out, adhering to, being transformed by, the Word of God. 5. v.8b “the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;” - Pure, radiant, shining. 1. Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” 2. Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” 6. v.9a “the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;” - James Boice says of this verse, that it, “describes the Scriptures by the effect they produce in those who respond to the revelation.” 1. It is clean, that is, free from moral impurity. The person who heeds it will walk in moral purity. 2. Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” God’s Word isn’t subject to the changing tides of opinion or popularity, but are true and always true. 7. v.9b “the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.” - These are the verdicts, what God declares about right and wrong, his rulings on a matter. 1. Psalm 119:52 “When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord.” 8. vv.10-11 Desire, delight, warning, and reward. 1. Desire - more than riches and wealth. 2. Delight - more than the tastiest treat. 3. Warning - can you testify to the goodness of the warnings of God’s special revelation? This isn’t a condemnation, always telling you that you’re wrong, but keeping you from going off a cliff. 4. Reward - again, not just knowing the Bible, but living in accordance with what it says. 1. What does the presence of God’s Word look like in your daily life? Is the Bible your crisis hotline, or your daily counsel? Is it a trivia piece, or an everyday essential? Transition: As David considers this specific revelation of God it has specific results on him, and on us. The Bible Reveals Man’s Need for Grace (vv.12-14) 1. v.12 “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” - David recognizes the perfection of God’s revelation, and in it the perfection of God. He realizes, then, how far from this he is. He knows himself well enough to realize that there are sins he isn’t even aware of. 2. v.13 “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!” - David continues, pleading with the Lord to keep him from sinning willfully, presumptuously. These are sins that are known as sins and committed anyways, arrogantly. 1. Paul as the chief sinner (1 Tim 1:15). He knew the Word, but he didn’t know the Word. Philippians 3:5– 8a “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul grew up under rigorous instruction in the Torah, and worked really hard at it. But it wasn’t until that day on the Damascus road, when God interrupted him and revealed Jesus to him, that he came to know the True Word, and came to rightly understand himself. 2. John 1 tells us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Take in Scripture, desiring to grow in love toward Jesus, who is the Word made flesh. Conclusion David ends this Psalm with a petition, asking that he would be so transformed by God’s Word that the words he speaks and the ponderings of his heart would be acceptable to God, in accordance with his revealed Word. God’s Word reveals his goodness that we need. And that goodness comes in the person and work of Jesus Christ.