Psalm 19 is, according to many biblical scholars, two psalms edited together. While the two are divergent in their subject matter, with verses 1-6 speaking of God’s nature and 7-14 God’s moral law, both proclaim the awe-inspiring qualities of God. Whereas the first part of this psalm evokes rich imagery, this second part of the psalm is more contemplative. It begs the reader to calm the spirit and make honest work of the reflection of Gods law.
God’s glory enchants us, and consequently it inspires us to be attentive to God’s law. This entanglement of the heavenly and the mundane speaks volumes about how transcendent God is in our reality. Because God is perfect, we follow God’s perfect law. Because God’s law is perfect, we recognize how grand God truly is. Both the heavens and the law point to God’s glory.
The writer uses a repetitive structure by first reciting one of the synonymous names for the law (for example, statutes, precepts, commandments), then its beneficial result. After that, a prayer-like passage reinforces the goodness of God and protection for the follower, a means of grace. The final line, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight,” is common among preachers as they begin a sermon. Words and proclamations are grand and inspiring in scope. Yet they start in the quiet, mundane disciplines of regular study and prayer.
Lord, I look to you for guidance. Help me to find you in small, mundane tasks and in grand adventures of faith. May all that I do speak to how transcendent you are. Amen.
As we continue in the season of Lent, we remember another important chapter in salvation history. Just as God established covenants with Noah and Abraham and their descendants, so did God renew the relationship with the Israelites by giving them the law. Obedience to the law was not the means of earning God’s love, but a response of love by the people to the love God had already shown them. The psalmist understands that God’s law creates a cause for rejoicing, for it is more valuable than gold. Both Paul and John address situations in which some had distorted the worship of God. Either they considered themselves too good for the gospel (1 Corinthians), or they had violated the covenant by altering proper worship for the sake of profit (John).
Read Exodus 20:1-17. How do you keep God as the central focus of your life? What draws you away from that focus?
Read Psalm 19. In what ways do you experience God’s laws as “sweeter . . . than honey”? When do you find yourself trying to resist God’s laws?
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. What does it mean to you that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom”?
Read John 2:13-22. How do you respond to Jesus’ anger and actions in this reading? Do his actions fit with the way you generally picture Jesus?
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