"Chew on" this.

Good morning!

Psalm 19 is so beautiful.  I wish I knew the original language because I'll bet the words just roll musically off the tongue.  In the English, still, it is glorious.

The first six verses show the psalmist rejoicing in God's creation.  I'm not going to get into an evolution/creation battle in this post, but it is inconceivable to me how anyone can deny the existence of Creator God - - Father, Son, Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Colossians 1:17).  The psalmist clearly testifies to the fact of God's creation.  Plus, as scientists learn more about the incredible complexity and perfection of God's design, it is amazing to me how some of them try so hard to explain it away, God's revelation of His omnipotence and omniscience, in our physical world.

I'm not an expert in the debate, but I will point out that the discovery of DNA dealt the theory of evolution (and that's all it ever was, a theory) a death blow, because DNA flies in the face of evolutionary theory.  DNA shows the remarkable individuality of each species; it is the fingerprint of God upon every species God created.  I believe that evolution will continue to fall out of favor, as more truth is discovered to disprove its tenets.  But, that does not mean that some new manmade heresy won't arise to take its place.

There is a school of thought - - - that anyone who believe in creationism is simple and ignorant, that more modern and educated people would never believe such a thing.  This is as erroneous as the belief that all ancient peoples were less advanced than is our civilization today, when tremendous archeological evidence exists to the contrary.  If you want to read about some of it, I recommend to you Jonathan Gray's book, Dead Men's Bones.

A similar dismissiveness and derision exist in regard to the beauty of Scripture.  In an effort to excuse his own sin, man has for centuries dismissed the Law of Moses, the writings of the Old Testament prophets, the New Testament as "just a book".  It is so interesting to me that the psalmist "got this" and demonstrated his understanding of worldly dismissiveness by juxtaposing both topics in this magnificent psalm.

As Christians, we should defer always to the incomparable Word of God on any "knowledge" that seems to fly in the face of what God has revealed in Scripture.  The second part of the psalm goes on to extol the beauty of the "Law" of God.  The Old Testament followers of Jehovah God had only a few books of the Old Testament, and in the earliest days, not even that.  But, the point is that, what they had, they revered.  Look at the adjectives David uses to describe the magnificence of God's written revelation:  (NIV)
perfect  (vs. 6)
trustworthy  (vs. 7)
right  (vs. 8)
radiant  (vs. 8)
pure  (vs. 9)
firm  (vs. 9)
A beautiful, old hymn was written about verse 9:  "How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith, in His excellent Word.  What more can He say, than to you He hath said, to you who for refuge to Jesus hath fled?"
Also in verses 7-9, the psalmist, who has obviously spent much time studying God's revealed, written Word of that day, proclaims that God's written revelation "refreshes the soul", "makes wise the simple", "gives joy to the soul", "gives light to the eyes" and "endures forever".

If you only have a passing familiarity with the Savior and/or the Bible, you may be thinking, "That's a little much."  (And, I have not even mentioned the New Testament passage that describes Scripture as being a "living thing"!)  There is so much non-Biblical evidence about the supernatural nature of the Bible.   If you are a skeptic, I invite you to read it.  The best extra-biblical book of "proofs" for the Bible was written by a former atheist, who became a Christian after he did an honest intellectual study of the veracity of the Bible.  He became convinced, and then converted!  Praise God for His amazing power and grace!  The book is called, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, and it was written by Josh McDowell.

I woke up this morning so tired!  Last night, I was blessed with a full night of sleep; however,  I'd been totally "done" when I went to bed.  Yet ... getting up this morning and diving into God's Word, I feel washed, refreshed, rejuvenated....resplendent.  Such is the incomparable beauty of the Word of God.

David points out, in verses 11-13, that we are incapable of seeing our own faults and transgressions, when left to our own devices.  It is just too easy to excuse our sin!  But, the Bible reveals our incredible, inescapable need for a Savior, and for daily cleansing/restoration.  David reminds us that, as we apply the Bible to our lives, (vs. 11) there is "great reward".  The Message version calls it "hidden treasure".

Sweeter than honey straight from the comb!
More precious than the purest gold!  (vs.10)

The psalmist, David, the man after God's own heart, closes his meditation by praying this: (vs. 14)
"May these words of my mouth, and this meditation of my heart, be pleasing in Your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer!"  (Such humility!)
The Message translates "meditation" as truth you "chew on" and pray about.  "Give us this day our daily bread..."

Are you ready to start this day "Son-washed"?  Scrubbed clean of the grime of sin?  Let's meditate on God's truth as we begin this day, this beautiful day God has given.

Dear Lord, we cannot, cannot make it on our own.  Our attempts to do so result in emptiness in the depths of our being, regardless of the pretty, outer trappings of our existence.  Thank you for revealing Yourself so stunningly in your magnificent creation and even more so in your written Word.  True understanding lies there.  "Teach us to apply our hearts to wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).  In Jesus' name, amen.