In Psalm 19, starting in verse 7 and running to the end of the chapter, I want to call your attention to three specific emphases. One, the sufficiency of Scripture. Two, the value of Scripture. And three, the right response. That’s what we’re going to look at.
Now just backing up a little bit, you say, “What about the opening six verses?” The opening six verses of Psalm 19 are also about God’s revelation, but not His written revelation. The opening six verses are about God revealing Himself in creation. “The heavens are telling of the glory of God. Their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech and night to night reveals knowledge. There’s no speech nor are there words, their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth and their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, it rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens and its circuit to the other end of them and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
What is that talking about? That is talking about the fact that God has revealed Himself in creation. The heavens tell of the glory of God. Who would not conclude that God is all glorious who looks into the heavens? The expanse of the universe declares the work of His hands. Every day, every night is a declaration of the mighty power of God. He is revealed in His creation. And it runs all through the conscious life that exists on this earth that God is a great Creator and has told us a lot about Himself in His creation, about His power and His design and His order, His intelligence, etc. He uses an illustration of the sun. The sun literally rising from one end of the heavens and its circuit to the other end of them, nothing being hidden from its heat.
What he’s talking about is something inside that’s now known to be true, that the sun has a massive orbit from one end of the infinite universe to the other and it drags our entire solar system with it. These kinds of discoveries that we make clearly indicate the greatness and the power of our God. God has then exalted Himself in nature. He has revealed Himself in nature. As Romans 1 says, we can know His eternal power and Godhead. That is that He is the sovereign God and that He is powerful.
But more importantly and savingly, God has revealed Himself in Scripture. There is His unwritten revelation and His written revelation. And when you come to verse 7, the transition is made from God revealing Himself in nature to God revealing Himself in Scripture...in Scripture. The structure of these verses from verse 7 through 9, notice it there, is a series of parallel statements, verses 7, 8 and 9. Here there are six titles for Scripture...the Law of the Lord, the testimony of the Lord in verse 7. In verse 8, the precepts of the Lord and the commandment of the Lord. In verse 9, the fear of the Lord and the judgments of the Lord. Six titles for Scripture. Scripture is Law, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear and judgments. There are also six characteristics of Scripture. Notice, it is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean and true. And there are six benefits of Scripture. It restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever and a final one, produces comprehensive righteousness. That’s what it means when it says righteous all together. It converts, it makes wise, it brings joy, it enlightens, it purifies, it is relevant in every time, it endures forever and it produces comprehensive righteousness.
This is magnificent. Here you have God in His inimitable way speaking the vast glories of Scripture in brief sentences. In a few words He captures the magnitude of the full sufficiency of Scripture.
Please notice one other component here. Six times is repeated this phrase “of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord.” Lest there be some confusion about who is the author. It is redundant. Six times the covenant name of Yahweh, the covenant name of the Creator/God is used. Here then is God’s own testimony to God’s own revelation in Scripture, God’s witness to the sufficiency and the adequacy of His Word which restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever and produces comprehensive righteousness. This is sweeping even in just a few statements.
Let’s take them one at a time. First of all, the Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. It is called the Law, torah, favorite biblical word for Scripture. It identifies the Scripture as divine law, divine teaching, divine instruction. The term means teaching. That is to say it is God giving instruction to His creature. Divine instruction, relative to man’s life and conduct. It is a complete explanation of God’s will for man’s life. When you buy an appliance or you buy an automobile, or anything that is at all technical, you get a manual along with it, you get an operator’s manual so that the manufacturer can direct you and instruct you in the proper use of what it is that you now possess. The Bible is the manufacturer’s manual for the proper operation of humanity. It is God’s instruction for how man is to live. It is God’s law for man’s life. That is one way to view Scripture.
It is that. It is not only that, there are six descriptions of Scripture, but this is true of Scripture. Scripture is like a many faceted diamond, we’re going to look at six of those facets as we examine this Psalm. It is God’s manual for man’s life. If man is to be everything that God wants him to be, if man is to reach the fulfillment of God’s intended creation for him, if man is to enjoy the fullness of God’s blessing, he must then abide by the instructions given by the manufacturer. And this is the only manual...the law of the Lord. As such, notice please, this characteristic, it is perfect, it is perfect. James calls it the perfect law. So he uses this same idea. It is perfect.
I remember the first time I studied Psalm 19, many, many years ago, I wanted to really know what perfect meant. So I went back and I got all the Hebrew lexicons off my shelf and I remember spending several hours chasing this word “perfect” all over the place, trying to wring out of it everything that I could so I would have a grasp of it. And after many hours of study, I came to the conclusion that what it means is perfect. A bit disappointing after all the effort, but that’s exactly what it means...perfect.
But, let me take you one step further. Not perfect as opposed to imperfect, but perfect as opposed to incomplete. Not perfect as opposed to imperfect, though it is that, but the primary thrust of this Hebrew word is not about perfect as opposed to imperfect, but it’s about perfect as opposed to incomplete. The best Old Testament scholarship gives this meaning, this Hebrew word means all sided...s-i-d-e-d, all sided so as to cover completely all aspects of life. It is comprehensive. It is sufficient. It leaves nothing out. Yes, that is a feature of being flawless, but it says much more.
To say something has no flaws doesn’t say that it’s complete. Yes the Scripture has no flaws but the issue here is that it lacks nothing. Here is the manual for man’s operation written by the manufacturer which leaves nothing needed out. And as the all-sided, fully sufficient, comprehensive, complete law of the Lord, it has the power, here’s the last phrase, verse 7, “to restore the soul.” This is the effect, the impact, or converting the soul...some of your texts may say. The Hebrew term can be translated restoring, reviving, refreshing, or converting. What the world really means is a total transformation...total transformation.
So, we’re starting to build a really interesting case here. We’ve got the Scripture which is God’s instruction for man’s life. Nothing is left out. It is comprehensive. So comprehensive that it can totally transform...what?...the soul.
Now this introduces us to a Hebrew word nephesh...nephesh. What does it mean? Probably in your Bible, if you have a New American Standard or New King James or one of those more contemporary translations, probably if you were to look at a Hebrew Bible and compare it with your English version, you might find that the translators have translated nepheshabout twenty different ways in the Old Testament...person, self, heart, mind, soul. They translate it all kinds of ways but it always means one thing, the inner person...the inner person...the inner person.
So what do we learn in this first statement? The law of the Lord, Scripture, is sufficient to totally transform the whole inner person. Powerful statement...powerful, powerful statement. It’s able to save. It’s able to regenerate. It’s able to convert. It’s able to transform. And that gets repeated all through Scripture. The sacred Scripture, 2 Timothy 3:15, the Scripture, the sacred writings, able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation. It is able to convert you. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, Hebrews 4:12 and 13, and it can cut you wide open and unbare your sin. And then it can regenerate and redeem and restore you. The Scripture then is utterly sufficient for the conversion, transformation, restoration, spiritual birth of the soul. Peter puts it this way, 1 Peter 1:23, “Being born again not of corruptible seed but by incorruptible by the Word of God.” We are regenerated, born again, given life by the Word of God which lives and abides forever. And this is the Word by which the gospel is preached to you. That’s why Paul says in Romans 1, “Not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, it is the power of God unto salvation.” It gives life. It’s powerful. It gives life.
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God laughs at your apologetics.
I believe in every single Word of God, with zero exceptions, and I think that is how we are supposed to take it.
Thy Word is Truth.. John 17:17
Every Word of God is pure ...Proverbs 30:5
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16
I cant recall questioning anything I have ever read, I read 1 Chapter every night (rare event I miss)
Only thing that bothers me is when people IMHO abuse one Scripture...that being from Romans 13
The governments which exist have been put in place by God.
Like I said I believe in Every Word of God absolutely, but if anybody CLAIMS to be a Christian but votes Democrat, dont blame God because they helped elect a anti Christian Abortionist.
We have Abortion and homosexual marriage in this country because people asked for it. We have removed God/Christ from the classroom/public square because people asked for it when they voted Democrat
So dont blame The Lord when people choose evil over good...Yes I believe in the Scripture above, just that I think people throw it around too often...I hate when I hear a Christian say...well it was God`s will that the Democrat one, and then quote Romans 13, I have heard Pastors say that.
God is in Control in the Heavens and can intervene even in a election if he so chose, he can do whatever he likes, He is God.
But I know God did not want abortion and gay marriage, people chose evil over good...Do not blame God
Where is that in the Bible?
God is concise in what He says.
Which is a good thing. Unless someone would want a longer Bible to read.....
Thanks for posting this.
First came Christ and the Church. Then came the Bible.