We come to Psalm 19, a favorite for many, and it’s too rich to write just one blog on! So let’s do the first half today:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19.1 – 6, NKJV)

The heavens declare the glory of God. I don’t know what David had in mind, but perhaps it was spectacular sunsets and sunrises. The original draft of this post contained some sunrise and sunset pictures I had posted before, but it’s hard to beat this one I just saw on FaceBook after the unusual deep south snow. The post includes appropriate appreciate to God for his handiwork.

There’s no requirement humans react to natural phenomena with awe and delight, but we do. My dog, for example, doesn’t seem to appreciate a sunset or a sunrise, but I do. Enough to stop what I’m doing to take pictures.

And do they communicate? One rendition of verses 2 – 4 expounds on “declare” this way:

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19.2 – 4, NIV)

They pour forth speech…but they have no speech, they use no words…yet their voice goes out into all the earth. A strange mix of descriptors.

The fact is, creation and “the heavens” in particular do proclaim God’s glory, but not in language specific enough for people to understand God. Hence we need the second half of Psalm 19. Stay tuned. In the meantime, click the picture:

Stand up and bless the LORD your God Forever and ever! Blessed be Your glorious name, Which is exalted above all blessing and praise! You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You. (Nehemiah 9.5, 6, NKJV)