God Speaks Through Nature (Psalms 19:1-6).
‘The heavens declare the glory of God,'
And the firmament reveals his handiwork.
Day to day utters speech,
And night to night shows knowledge.'
The psalmist tells us that as we behold the glory of the heavens, the sun, the moon and the stars, and the wonder of the expanse above, with its splendid panoply of glistening blue, they declare to us God's glory. Their beauty, splendour and vastness reveal something of what He is. Their very construction reveals his creativity and skill.
From surveying the heavens, says the Psalmist, we can understand something of God's greatness, of His orderly power and control, and of the fact that He is the source of all earthly beauty and splendour. And finally we understand the idea that He is far above all.
Here we learn that every day has something new to say to us about God, every starlit night gives us greater knowledge of Him. The daylight, centred on the sun, reveals to us His created beauty, His intricate design, His sense of order, the darkness reveals a sense of mystery and yet through the moon and the stars we enjoy the certainty that all is in its place and that God has not forgotten us.
That is why Paul could say, ‘The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and Godhead.' (Romans 1:20).
So central to the Psalmist's revelation is that creation speaks to us constantly, bringing discernment and knowledge about the divine as God applies their lesson to our inward spirit, and that both day and night constantly proclaim Him and make Him known to the responsive heart.
‘Day to day utters (literally ‘pours out') speech.' Each day the message of the glory of God flows out abundantly to those who will hear, from every part of creation.
‘And night to night shows knowledge.' And when the day is over contemplation of the night sky grants to us an awe and reverence as we behold its splendour and teaches us His mighty power, for the moon is steady in it purpose and regulates the months, and each star remains in its place and moves in measurable ways.
‘There is no speech nor language,
Their voice is not heard.'
They do not speak in human tongue, for then they would only have a limited message for some. They are not heard through a human voice. Rather do they speak a universal language, a permanent word that never ceases. Their quiet splendour and silent eloquence ensure that we are never tired of listening to them, and cannot avoid them.
‘Their line is gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
Thus does their message reach out to the whole earth, to the end of the world. ‘Their line' here refers to the measuring line (Jeremiah 31:39; Zechariah 1:16), going out and measuring the sphere in which God is active through them, and ‘their words' express their universal influence as they reveal His glory.
The use of the measuring line was always a symbol of God about to act (Ezekiel 40:3; Zechariah 1:16; Zechariah 2:1-2).
‘In them has he set a tent for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices as a strong man to run his course.'
His going forth is from the end of the heavens,
And his circuit unto the ends of it,
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
And central to all this influence and activity is the sun that He has created. No god this, but an instrument of His pleasure, provided with its tent, its chamber, (that is, the place from which it can come forth), like a man emerging from his tent in the morning and a bridegroom appearing in all his splendour and triumph from the bridal chamber (Isaiah 61:10). This is how it appeared to man as he saw it rise and set. Like a man rises at sunrise and leaves his tent so does the sun rise for its day's labour. Its ‘tent' refers simply to wherever it comes from, described in picturesque language and in human terms.
And then like a strong man it fulfils its potential, it runs its course, from one end of heaven to the other, and nothing avoids its heat. It warms all that is, with none preventing it. It is God's gracious provision for man's welfare.
The whole vivid picture considers things as man sees them every day. Here is the whole panoply of creation, and here the sun rising and appearing in its splendour, making its way across the heavens, warming up the earth, reaching to every corner, and then, having performed its duty, setting in the west. For nothing is more prominent in the work of creation than the sun, set by God to play its part as ‘the greater light' (Genesis 1:16). And nothing more effective in doing His will for the benefit of man.
So sun, moon and stars and the whole of heaven are a permanent reminder of the glory of God, and of His wondrous handiwork and gracious provision. It is a living work of art, a glorious spectacle of beauty and effectiveness and purpose. And it makes warm the whole earth and fills it with light.
But there is also something else that arises every morning and goes out through all the world and constantly brings to man light and heat and beauty and splendour, and that is ‘the word of YHWH' as revealed in and taught from the Scriptures. They too declare the glory of God and reveal His handiwork (Psalms 19:1), they too speak and give knowledge (Psalms 19:2), they too warm the earth (Psalms 19:6), they too provide for the deepest needs of man.