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The God
of Israel is the kind of God who wants to reveal
Himself to us; He longs for us to know Him. He
reveals Himself to us primarily in two ways: through
His world and through His Word. In Psalm 19, King
David tells how to read them both, so that we
will come to know God the way we should. First,
David deals with the knowledge of God that comes
to us through nature.
THE
WORLD OF GOD
Information
about God comes to us continually: The heavens
are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse
is declaring the work of His hands. Every
night since the fourth night, the sun, moon, planets
and stars have continually declared to man that
there is a God with vast intelligence, wisdom,
and power who designed them all. There is more
than sufficient information revealed by the starry
heavens so that every human being should know
that a majestic, glorious and wise Creator God
exists. In King David's time, and still today,
fewer than 10,000 stars are visible to the naked
eye. But all the knowledge that has been gained
about the universe since that time, especially
in the past 500 years, only deepens our understanding
of the tremendous wisdom and power of God. Now
we have a much better idea just how vast the universe
is, and know how many more stars there really
are. 3,000 years ago King David could scarcely
have conceived of the vast distance that separates
us from even the closest star outside of our solar
system (Alpha Centauri, which is a mere four light
years away). It takes light, traveling 186,300
miles per second, over four years to travel to
Alpha Centauri. If you tried to drive there, it
would take you about 30 million years! And yet
compared with the vast expanses of space, Alpha
Centauri is extraordinarily close. The farthest
light in the sky that is visible to the naked
eye on earth is the Andromeda galaxy. This cluster
of stars orbits in space 1.5 million light years
away, and it would take 11 trillion years for
you to drive there! But even these distant groups
of stars are not the outer rim of the universe.
Scientists estimate that powerful quasars, which
are the most distant objects that we have been
able to detect, are 15 to 20 billion light years
away. The universe is so huge that it is impossible
for the human mind to comprehend it. It’s now
estimated that there are a hundred billion galaxies
like our Milky Way, each one with 100 billion
to 200 billion stars in it, amounting to trillions
upon trillions of stars. Think of the greatness
and the power of the One who made these billions
of galaxies with their billions of stars that
whirl in their silent courses through the deepness
of space. How tremendous is the power that
made them all, and keeps it operating as one harmonious
unit! The tremendous advances of science and technology
have revealed even more about the heavens, and
show God’s power to be greater than we ever before
imagined. If David was impressed by the heavens
in his day, and sensed this reverential wonder
at the grandeur of God's handiwork, how much more,
with the greater knowledge we have, should we!
The
knowledge that we discover about God that comes
to us through creation is not only continual,
but is also abundant: Day to day pours
forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
Every new day and night, if only we have our
eyes open to see it, information about God is
gushing forth, as the mighty sun rises, sets,
and rises again; as the stars and moon shine,
revealing that there is an almighty Creator. How
does this knowledge come to us? There is no
speech, nor are there words; their voice is not
heard. The message which is conveyed to man
by the sight of the heavens doesn’t come to us
with an audible sound, nevertheless the message
can still be clearly heard. When we see the marvels
of the sun, moon, planets, stars, and day that
follows night, the rain that gives life to the
earth, the flowers and the fruit trees, the birds
that fly, the horse that gallops, the still stones,
the winds, the clouds, fire, a ship sailing on
the waters, the beauty of a woman, the smile of
a child; when we hear the wind howl, or watch
a storm rage as the thunder and lightning crash
around us, something of the voice of God is able
to speak to us. When we step out under the sky
at night, when the moon is high, the stars twinkling
with glory, we can sense the mystery of the infinite
- reaching, calling out to our spirits. We can
understand something about the reality, power
and wisdom of God through the world He created.
The
revelation of God in nature is not only continual
and abundant, but it is also universal: Their
line has gone out through all the earth, and their
utterances to the end of the world. The measuring
line was used to determine the boundaries of a
piece of property. This tells us that the entire
world belongs to God, and all of its inhabitants
have received His message. There is not one
human being who lives anywhere on God’s Earth
who has not been exposed to this witness of God
in nature, to its remarkable testimony that behind
the visible universe is an invisible Designer
of infinite power. Anyone who only opens his
eyes to see will see that God's "invisible
attributes, His eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly seen, being understood through
what has been made." Everyone everywhere
is expected to understand this, and those who
will not see and understand are "without excuse"
(see Romans 1:20). All people everywhere are without
excuse whenever they deny the one true God with
agnosticism, atheism, pantheistic evolutionary
philosophy, or when they simply ignore God, or
worship anything other than the Creator.
The sun,
which provides the energy for most of Earth's
processes, is one of the greatest of God's designs.
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. To the observer
on earth, the sun is like a bridegroom, full of
virility and happiness, and like a warrior eager
for the battle."There is nothing hidden from its
heat" refers to the sun's effect on the Earth.
We now know that the heat energy transmitted to
the Earth by the sun empowers most activity on
earth, either directly through solar, wind or
water power, or indirectly by means of photosynthesis
and plant life. Even "fossil fuels" are derived
from buried plants and organisms. Without the
sun, life on Earth as we know it would be impossible.
As people throughout the world experience the
power of the sun and its beneficial effects
on the Earth, they should understand the greater
power of the One who made it. Unfortunately,
instead of seeing that the sun is one of the greatest
symbols of God’s power, and that just as the sun
is needed to give light and strength to all living
things on earth, so God is needed to give spiritual
light and strength to mankind, men and women have
missed the message and worshiped the sun rather
than the Creator of the sun.
The
world of God constantly, abundantly and universally
communicates that there is a great, powerful and
intelligent Creator, but it can't tell us everything
that we need to know about Him. The sun may
sustain our lives, but it can never save our souls.
The stars are beautiful, but they are aloof, unmoved
by our plight. The God of nature must be majestic
and powerful, but is He good? There is so much
cruelty in nature. Creatures prey on one another,
and only the fittest survive. Is this what God
is like? There are other pressing questions that
thinking people ask such as, "Why am I here? What
is the meaning of it all? Where are we headed,
and what is my part in the universe?” The World
of God can’t answer those questions. It simply
does not encompass that knowledge. That’s why
those who work exclusively in the realm of nature
can never give a satisfactory purpose for life.
If these other important questions are ever to
be answered, they must come from outside the World
of God. There is another Book, Volume Two, the
Word of God, which does answer those other questions.
THE
WORD OF GOD
The
Teaching (Torah) of the Lord is perfect, restoring
the soul. Just as the creation supports our
physical life, the Word of God is God's
provision for our spiritual life. The Torah, which
in its fullness includes the Five Books of Moses,
the Prophets, the Writings, and the New Covenant
Scriptures, is perfect - it is complete. It does
everything that we need it to do. It gives guidance
for every situation. There is no problem that
you will ever face that it does not illuminate.
Not only is it complete, but if observed, it restores
the soul. That’s why Ya’akov (James) encourages
us to receive with humility the
implanted word, which is able to save your souls
(James 1:21), and Rabbi Paul tells us that it
is able to give us the wisdom that leads to salvation
through faith which is in Messiah Yeshua (2 Timothy
3:15). It contains all the necessary information
so that a right relationship with our Creator
can be restored. The Word of God (which begins
with Genesis and ends with Revelation), if followed,
renews, refreshes and fortifies the human spirit.
Are you feeling tired, weary, worn out? I suggest
that you spend time with the Torah of the Lord,
and you will find that it will bring renewal,
refreshment and restoration to your soul.
The Word
of God not only restores the soul, but the
testimony (Ay-dah) of the Lord is sure, making
wise the simple. “Testimony” is that aspect
of the Word of God that testifies to what God’s
will is. God's testimonies are dependable to inform
us about what He requires; they are faithful to
reflect God's desires for each one of us. If listened
to, the Lord’s testimonies will give wisdom even
to the simple - those who might not be brightest
or best educated. The Word of God will give them
all the information they need to enable them to
proceed correctly in the direction they should
go.
The
precepts (Pi-koo-dim) of the Lord are right, rejoicing
the heart. Precepts are instructions which
are our duty to obey. All of God's precepts are
“right.” They are straightforward in their meaning.
They are not overly complicated, too difficult,
or harmful to us in any way. When obeyed, God's
precepts bring us an inward happiness, which flows
from a clean conscience and the knowledge that
we are doing the things that God has instructed
us to do.
The
commandment (Mitz-vah) of the Lord is pure, enlightening
the eyes. The commands that come from the
King of kings are pure: there is no mixture of
impurity or error in them. There are no falsehoods
or lies contained in the Word of God. God's commands,
if obeyed, will give us the knowledge we need
to see clearly and make our way safely through
this dark and deceptive world.
The
fear of the Lord (Yir-at Adonai) is clean, enduring
forever. The fear of the Lord is that aspect
of the Word of God that results in a reverential
respect for God. When you consider your mortality,
that one day you will die (unless the Messiah
comes and transforms you first), and stand before
the throne of a holy God, who is like a consuming
fire, there to be judged for what you have said,
thought, done, and left undone, and that nothing
is hidden from His sight, and that there is a
Heaven to be gained and a Hell to be avoided,
the fear of the Lord will keep you from defiling
yourself. The fear of the Lord is clean, and it
will keep you clean, too!
The
judgments (Mish-pah-teem) of the Lord are true;
they are righteous altogether. Judgements
are those aspects of the Word of God which regulate
our relationship with other human beings. What
God has revealed to us in that area is true -
it conforms with the truest principles of law
and justice. If put into practice, they will bring
fair and equitable relations among the members
of any society. That has been the experience of
Israel, and many other nations when they based
their legal and moral systems on the judgments
of the Word of God.
ADDITIONAL
BENEFITS
The Word
of God - His Torah, with all of its testimonies,
precepts, commandments, judgements and reverence-producing
words, brings other benefits as well: They
are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine
gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings
of the honeycomb. The spiritual riches contained
in the Word of God are superior to material wealth.
They alone bring genuine happiness and lasting
satisfaction. There is gold, fine gold, and
much fine gold, but the advantages that the Word
of God brings are better still! One may get
sick by eating too much honey, but one can never
have too much of the joy that comes from being
faithful to God's Word.
The benefits
that flow from the Word of God are not exhausted
with inner happiness. Moreover, by them Your
servant is warned. Imagine what it would be
like to travel our nation’s roads without any
signs? What if there were no speed limit signs,
no warnings for that “dangerous curve ahead,”
or “two lanes narrowing down into one lane?” We
need those signs to arrive safely at our destination.
In the same way, God's Word not only enables us
to navigate our way safely through all this world’s
dangers, but in keeping them there is great
reward. It is not the one who merely hears
about them, or reads them, or thinks about them,
who acquires a reward, but it is the one who keeps
them. He receives not only a reward, but a great
reward. God has prepared the most incredible
rewards, things which human eye has not seen,
and ear has not heard, things so great that they
have not entered into the heart of man. You will
never be a loser by embracing the Torah.
BARRIERS
TO UNDERSTANDING GOD’S TWO BOOKS
You might
say, "But I read the Bible, and it may give you
a lot of joy, but when I read it, I don't get
much out of it." King David will help us with
that too. If you are having problems reading either
of God’s two books, it is not because they are
not speaking clearly. There is nothing wrong with
either book. It is the reader who is the problem.
Who can discern his errors? indicates that
when we examine ourselves, we usually look fine.
It can be very hard to see our own errors. Yet
these errors, these distortions of right attitude
and proper thinking, affect us so that we can't
see the truth. We do not understand the World
of God speaking to us, and we don’t understand
the Word of God. We desperately need correction
for our hidden errors, so David prays: Acquit
me of hidden faults. If we pray that way,
God will respond by revealing these hidden obstacles
-perhaps through some circumstance which brings
us to the realization that what we have done was
wrong; or God may send someone to confront us,
since our faults that are hidden to us are often
not hidden to others; or God may enable us to
see something in the Word of God that will show
us the truth. There are hidden faults that will
keep us from understanding God’s two books, and
there are more blatant sins as well: Also keep
back Your servant from presumptuous sins; let
them not rule over me; then I will be blameless,
and I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
There are hidden faults, and there are presumptuous
sins - those things we do which we know are wrong,
but we do them anyway. If only we will ask God
for His help, we will find forgiveness and the
grace to restrain ourselves from future transgressions.
King David
concludes this enlightening Psalm with a beautiful
prayer: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation
of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord,
my Rock and my Redeemer. David acknowledges
that God has been like a Rock. God gave him strength,
confidence and support, and brought David safety
and stability whenever he faced any kind of danger.
As His Redeemer, God helped David overcome every
difficulty throughout his difficult life. David
realized that it was important that all his thoughts
and prayers reflect the truth of His Rock and
Redeemer. That’s the kind of prayer that opens
God’s two books. When you pray that kind of prayer,
you will find, as King David did, that God will
speak to you in a marvelous way from the Book
of the World and the Book of the Word.
I'm indebted
to A. Cohen, Henry Morris, Ray Stedman and others
for this message.
Shalom!
Rabbi Loren
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