Psalm 19
The theme of Psalm 19 is the word of God. It is discussed in three parts: 1) the message of God’s creation (verses 1-6), 2) the perfect message of God’s salvation (verses 7-11), and three 3) the message of law and gospel in worship (verses 12-14).
The introductory words are also part of the psalm. King David is the author, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “To the Chief Musician” indicates that David intended that this psalm be sung in the worship service of the Temple.
1) God’s creation: St. Paul states that unbelievers cannot make the excuse that they never knew about God. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
Psalm 19 declares the same truth. The message about God is seen in the “handiwork” of creation. The universe of stars and galaxies show God’s marvelous design and preservation. The sun by day and the stars at night reveal this knowledge to all people. Verses 3 and 4 teach that peoples around the world have understood the message and worshiped some God. Unfortunately, they “worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).
Not only do the stars declare God’s glory, but verses 4-6 say the sun does also. While the sun is a star, God created the sun to provide needed light and heat for plants to grow. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west each day.
2) Even more important than the stars and sun is God’s Word. Verses 7-9 contain many words for God’s Word, which are synonyms—law, testimony, statutes, commandment, and judgments. These synonyms refer to all of the Bible, not just to God’s law. For the law cannot convert anyone, as verse 7 says. Only the gospel message that promises salvation through the Messiah is able to convert the soul from sin and unbelief to faith and forgiveness of sin.
God’s word is perfect, it has power to convert souls to believe on the Messiah. It is sure, all people can be confident that it teaches the truth. It is right, they rejoice the heart because the Word is true and does not change. It is pure, not mixed with speculation or error, but gives light and understanding to those who believe it. It is clean, for God’s Word is true for all peoples living in every time. It is true and righteous, so that we can know about God’s salvation and trust in it. God’s Word is to be desired more than any precious thing in the world—honey, gold, or silver. For the word both warns the reader and rewards those who give it heed.
Verses 12-13 states the law—no one can know how sinful he or she is because of our many secret faults. The sin of pride leads to many presumptuous sins. We pray that such sins not have dominion in our lives. This can be done only through faith in the Messiah.
Verse 14 asks God to accept our worship of praise from our lips and our meditation on His Word. The Lord is called “my Redeemer” because He died to ransom us from our sins.