Psalm 19 Some believe this was written by a choir leader or musician during the time of David’s reign, others think David wrote it.
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 reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, 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 deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing(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. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are 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 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful 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.
SECTIONS:
I Message from the heavens (the glory of God in Creation)
II Message from the word of God (the virtue and value of God’s word)
III Desire for a pure heart or inward cleansing (the grace of God in sanctification)
IV Prayer of surrender and purity
or
I the Voice of creation
II The voice of the Word
III The voice of man
THEME: The heavens declare God’s existence and glory and following God’s commands bring rewards to those who follow it.
QUESTIONS:
What do the heavens say?
Why are nations without excuse when they deny the existence of God?
What are some things on this earth they show you the majesty of God when you look at them?
What are different terms the psalmist uses to describe God’s commands?
What are the benefits of following God’s commands?
To what does the psalmist compare the value of God’s word?
What does the psalmist ask of God?
ADDITIONAL VERSES
1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
Absolutebiblestudy.com
God made the stars to declare HIS Word, not worldly knowledge. The stars and planets do not forecast who you are going to marry, or how much money you will make, or any of the other claims made by astrologers. That’s all devilish and practically permeates our country and the world today. You keep following your horoscope and the adversary will surely destroy everything you have – slowly but surely. You’ve been warned.
bible-studys.org
The simple”: The humble and teachable, who are little in their own eyes. Or rather, the weak and foolish who are apt to many mistakes and are most easily seduced. Even these, if they will listen to God’s instructions in his word shall become wise. While those who think themselves as wise shall, by leaning on their own understanding , become and prove themselves to be fools (Rom. 1:22).
The law of God is perfect, but it is so perfect that no mortal man can keep it in every aspect. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Why then was the law given? Galatians 3:21-24 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Children of God, Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.
lifeway.com
God’s directions, His precepts are always right. They never mislead, they never take you down a dead end, and they are never out of date. They are always right. It is impossible to grow increasingly conformed to the image of Christ without His direction. As the old hymn says:
“He leadeth me, oh blessed thought, O words with heavenly comfort fraught. What e’r I do, where e’r I be, still tis God’s hand that leadeth me.”And God’s directions bring joy to the heart, not only because they save you from the heartbreak which invariably comes when we deviate from God’s word, but because they keep you on the paths of righteousness, God’s precepts keep you in right relationship with God.
God’s word may seem restrictive, but God never intended it to harm us, but rather to help us. He did not give us His word to be a burden to us but to be a blessing to us. Stop and think about it. If everyone in this world lived in accordance with the precepts of God’s word this world would be a wonderful place. There would be no violence, no greed, no war, no murder, no hate, no selfishness and no rebellion. It is precisely because people have chosen to disregard God’s word that the world is in such a mess. God’s word gives us guidance and leads us into joy.
The law converts the soul, because by studying the law, we all know that we are guilty of sin and deserve to die. We must repent of our sin and cry out for a Savior. We would not realize we needed a Savior, if we were not made aware that we are sinners
I have always taught that we would not need civil law, if people would live up to the law of God. Jesus said, they have eyes and they do not see. He was speaking of the spiritual eyes we must look with. Those who love the lord, rejoice in their hearts at His teachings. Through the Holy Spirit of God as our teacher, we can see things in God’s laws and commandments that the natural eye cannot discern. Have you ever read a Scripture 50 times, and the fiftieth time say, O, now I see? The study of God’s laws and commandments is a must, if we are to do the will of God.
God judges the heart of man more than He does the deeds of man. I believe that when the books are opened on judgement day, God will look into the things recorded in our heart and judge us by that. The thing that Jesus asked Peter after Jesus rose from the grave was, Peter, lovest thou me? He asked Peter this 3 times. More than anything else that God wants from us, is our great love for Him.
God’s word casts the darkness aside and enables us to see clearly. Through it He shows us where to step, how to walk, what to avoid and which way to go. It enlightens, illuminates or gives light to the eyes of our understanding. How else can we see, if not for the light of His word? “The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
In the ancient near east the pagans worshiped gods which were malicious, tricky and capricious. They were always at odds with one another and in their pantheon, they could never be sure which god was really ruling and what he or she might demand from them. They could never be sure if the story their priests were telling them was true or not, their gods changed.
Contrast this to what David says about God’s word. It is true. It is altogether righteous, that is, it shows us what righteousness looks like. In His word God describes righteousness. It gives us a true guide as to how God would have us live.
In a world filled with such uncertainty, with so many competing opinions of right and wrong, God’s word serves as an indispensable tool for the believer. In it we have a sure and certain word from God Himself. It is perfect, it is sure, it is right and it is pure, it is clean and it is righteous. What a description of the word of God.
Verse 12 speaks of hidden faults, or those which we have a hard time discerning. All of us, because of our spiritual insensitivity, suffer from time to time with this malady. We do things, say things and approach things with the wrong attitude, not because we intentionally set out to do the wrong thing, but because we are spiritually insensitive. As we delve into God’s word and allow it to dwell richly in us, God begins, through His word, to show us those things in our lives which we could in no other way see. These are hidden faults.
But secondly, in verse 13 it says that God’s word reveals to us, or keeps us back, from presumptuous sins, sins which we willfully commit but presume we can get away with or presume that because we have judged them to be insignificant, that they will somehow be insignificant in God’s eyes.
These two areas, hidden faults, those sins of which we are unaware, and presumptuous sins, are two areas which set us back in our spiritual pilgrimage. They keep us from being all that God wants us to be. These two areas of sin, the unintentional and the presumptuous, cover every area of sin in our lives. Those which we do unconsciously and those which we commit willfully.
Only by regularly and intentionally reading God’s word can we hope to gain the victory in these areas. One of the things we often forget is that God gave us His word, not primarily to fill our heads but to fill our hearts. His word is designed to make us holy, not merely smart.
Hebrews 4:12 promises us that, “the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
How desperately we need that! A tool to tell us the truth about our feelings, our thoughts and our intentions. It is easy for us to be fooled, and most often it is we who fool ourselves. God’s word enables us to avoid being fooled because when we read it, God opens the eyes of our understanding and enables us to see the truth about ourselves. It is discerning.
The last part of verse 13 through verse 14 speak to the devotion of God’s child. Here we find the attitude we should possess. As we read God’s word, as we allow it to speak to our hearts, to direct us, to discern and show us our sins, our hearts desire should be that we are kept from sin and that we are pleasing in God’s sight.
David’s desire is to be blameless, to stand before God in purity. The goal here is not sinless perfection but rather to avoid doing that which is displeasing to God. Psalm 103 tells us that God knows our frame. He knows that we are but dust and He has compassion on us and pities us as a father pities his children. God knows we cannot be perfect, that’s why He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. But even though we cannot be perfect, we must still have a strong desire, a devotion that is evidenced as we seek to live lives that are pleasing and acceptable in God’s eyes.
This is at the heart of how David wraps us this Psalm. He says, “I don’t want sin to rule over me. I want to avoid that great transgression which will cause my life to be ruined. I want the very words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart to be acceptable in your sight.”
seromoncentral.com What sins do you tolerate in your life? David Rigg 5/28/20
“The commands of the Lord, give light to the eyes, By them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
Let me begin by asking you a question. Are there some sinful things in your life that nobody knows about? Are there things God calls sinful that you are doing? Our society today has become very tolerant of sin. Things we see happening today would have been shocking to most people back in the 40s, 50, and 60s. How did all these changes happen? Well, let me tell you about a tribe of Indians. This tribe of Indians lived beside a river. They noticed that a large flock of ducks always stayed on this river. The chief of the tribe ordered the braves in the tribe to go kill some ducks so they would have something to eat. The braves who were skillful with the bow and arrow headed for the river intent on bringing back ducks to eat. They crawled up to the riverbank and got ready to shoot some arrows at the ducks. Unfortunately, one of the ducks saw the Indians, gave a large quack alarm and all the ducks flew away.
Dejected, the Indian braves walked back to camp empty-handed. The next morning, the Indian braves returned to the river. They saw the flock of ducks was back. Again, they got ready to shoot arrows at the ducks, but this time they first hollowed out pumpkins and let them float in among the ducks. But once again, the ducks became aware of the Indians and flew away unharmed. The Indians continued to put hollowed out pumpkins into the water and the ducks very slowly got used to those pumpkins floating among them. But when they saw the Indians coming, they flew off. This went on for months. More of that story later.
Point #1. There are sinful things that should scare us. Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
What is your attitude toward such things as homosexuality and adultery? Many people today have become tolerant of those sins. So God clearly says there are many other sins that He does NOT tolerate. Now, we’re not talking about sins that doing any of them just one time automatically sends a person to hell. Galatians chapter 5 is about the difference between a saved person walking in the Spirit and someone who is instead living a carnal lifestyle. People who habitually commit those sins will end up in hell.
But we know that born again Christians sometimes are guilty of committing such sins as being hateful, starting disputes, being jealous of others, losing their tempers, acting selfishly ambitions, envying what others might have, getting drunk, and going to wild parties. Sometimes we hear about a Christian who commits adultery. Though committing those sins might not result in losing your salvation, you can be sure there will be consequences.
Point #2. What we tolerate is often more harmful than what we do. Our Bible passage for today from Psalm 19 clearly warns us from slipping into sinful things. It says we should never let them dominate our lives. Unfortunately, we sometimes allow the movies and the media convince us that those things aren’t so bad. If we tolerate sin, we will soon begin to believe that it isn’t necessary to repent.
Listen to 1 John 1: 6-10 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 Timothy 6:11-13 ” But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” So don’t let the devil is creep up on you trying to get you to tolerate sinful things.
Point #3. The devil will come after you intent on destroying you.
“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.”
Those words “presumptuous sins” are very important. Many people today have presumed that sin isn’t a big deal. They assume they can do what they like and live like they want and God will just ignore it or excuse it. In effect, the devil acts just like those Indians going after the ducks with the hollowed out pumpkins. You’ll see what I man later.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. If you are a born again Christian, the devil can’t take away your salvation, but he certain can lead you into things that will destroy your reputation and sometimes even your life.
Well, let’s get the conclusion of the Indians-ducks story. When the Indians saw that the pumpkins no longer bothered the ducks, they hollowed out pumpkins again but this time they put them over their heads, and walked into the river. Meandering down stream into the midst of the tolerant ducks who had become used to the pumpkins, they simply pulled the ducks down one at a time.
Sin usually doesn’t start out with bad intentions or evil motives. It oftens begins with a good heart and good intentions. For example: A cup of coffee with a man or woman you aren’t married to or a business trip that becomes what it was never meant to be. Suddenly, you find yourself caught up in a web of emotions. Your tolerance level changes slowly but surely until you cross the line with increasing frequency. Eventually you find yourself in the place where adultery no longer concerns you. If you don’t allow God to cleanse your heart, sinful habits will be repeated until you get to the place where you consider them normal. We need to take notice of the pumpkins. Don’t get to the place where crossing that line becomes normal. Let God cleanse you and correct you before it’s too late and you pay a terrible price. Learn the lesson of the Indians pumpkins and the ducks!
Insight.org (Chuck Swindell)
What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? It means your life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. When He says, “Go to the right,” you go to the right. When He says, “Stop that in your life,” you stop it. When He says, “This is wrong and I want you to change,” you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God. That’s bottom-line, biblical Christianity.
When you are a man or woman after God’s heart, you are deeply sensitive to spiritual things. Second Chronicles 16:9 explains it this way: “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (emphasis added).What is God looking for? He is looking for men and women whose hearts are His—completely. This means there are no locked closets. Nothing’s been swept under the rugs. That means that when you do wrong, you admit it and come to terms with it. You long to please Him in your actions. You care deeply about the motivations behind your actions. God is not looking for magnificent specimens of humanity. He’s looking for deeply spiritual, genuinely humble, honest-to-the-core servants who have integrity.
Another study
Throughout scripture we see a truth that is the bedrock of our relationship with God: a humble heart. It’s a heart that finds joy in yielding and surrendering its will and desires to God’s will and desires. Sadly, this doesn’t appeal to many Christians. It sounds too much like submission, which has been so misused and twisted that the love of God has been choked right out of it.
When God looked for King Saul’s replacement, 1 Samuel 13:14 says that He had one criterion: “a man after his own heart.” God searced for a man whose heart would willingly follow His heart, who would hear His instructions and make a willful decision to obey them. God found in David a heart that was teachable – a heart that would follow Him. The contrast is so vivid to me. God searched for a man who was not like King Saul, who, verse 13 says, had not “kept that which the Lord commanded.”
Though God had chose Saul to reign as king, somewhere along the way, Saul began to let the people influence how he reigned rather than God. In 1 Samuel 13 we see that Saul, instead of waiting for the priest Samuel to arrive and offer the sacrifice, Saul gets impatient and decides to offer it himself. This disobedience culminates with his death.
As God’s sons and daughters, we have His heart in us. However just because God has given us a new nature that doesn’t mean we will always want to follow righteousness. But we can choose to obey our Father simply because of who we are and who He is. We’re talking about humility, yielding and surrender. But it will always boils down to what the Bible says is always right not the world! And there’s the rub. Many Christians disagree with the Bible on behavior that it calls sin. Instead, they want the Bible to be fluid, to change, to adapt to the mores of society. It’s….not….gonna….happen!
For David, all the precepts of the Lord – every mandate, every commandment – became his standard for right and wrong. This must be our hearts desire today. We must esteem, place above all else, what the Bible tells us to do. 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
SONG All Creatures of our God and King, Lord you are more Precious than Silver, The Heavens declare your majesty. Oh Lord You’re Beautiful