Lesson 1 - God in the World & in the Word, Psalm 19
(To help you answer the questions see the Notes below)
"I don't believe in God!"
That was my declaration as a confused and angry teen-ager. However, I found my unbelief hard to maintain. My adolescent hungers weren't satisfied in the "normal" places like music, friends or school. But during my first year of college, God began to reveal himself to me in ways that I couldn't deny. After a year of his constant calling, I yielded.
C. S. Lewis writes, "Avoiding [God], in many times and places, has proved so difficult that a very large part of the human race has failed to achieve it." This study looks at why God is so hard to avoid. All the world around us declares that there is a God.
Think of a close friend. How have you grown to know each other well?
Read Psalm 19:1-6. How does the psalmist help us perceive the presence of the invisible God?
The psalmist views the world as we might view a work of art. How does seeing the world in this way help us to appreciate God's glory?
The psalmist says the creation speaks in every language and in every corner of the world. What can anyone in the world know about God through creation?
What are some things about God that can't be known through creation?
The sun gets special mention (Psalm 19:4-6). How is God's glory particularly revealed in the sun?
Which aspects of creation have helped you learn the most about God and his glory? Explain.
Read Psalm 19:7-14. The psalmist shifts his focus from the way God makes himself known in creation to the way he reveals himself in his law. What words does the psalmist use to describe God's law?
According to the psalmist, what are the benefits of knowing God's law?
What benefits have you received from God's law?
What can we learn about God from his law that we can't learn from creation?
Why would reflecting on God's creation and his law cause David to think about his own responsibility before God (Psalm 19:11-13)?
How do both nature and God's law bring up the idea of sin and our need of forgiveness?
God is a person who is making an effort to be known. What should you be willing to do to know him better?
19:1ff In this psalm, David's steps of meditation take him from creation, through God's Word, through David's own sinfulness, to salvation. As God reveals himself through nature (Psalm 19:1-6), we learn about his power and our finiteness. As God reveals himself through Scripture (Psalm 19:7-11), we learn about his holiness and our sinfulness. As God reveals himself through daily experiences (Psalm 19:12-14), we learn about his gracious forgiveness and our salvation.
19:1-6 We are surrounded by fantastic displays of God's craftsmanship-the heavens give dramatic evidence of his existence, his power, his love, his care. To say that the universe happened by chance is absurd. Its design, intricacy, and orderliness point to a personally involved Creator. As you look at God's handiwork in nature and the heavens, thank him for such magnificent beauty and the truth it reveals about the Creator.
19:3-4 The apostle Paul referred to this psalm when he explained that everyone knows about God because nature proclaims God's existence and power (Romans 1:19-20). This does not cancel the need for missions because the message of God's salvation found in his Word, the Bible, must still be told to the ends of the earth. While nature points to the existence of God, the Bible tells us about salvation. God's people must explain to others how they can have a relationship with God. Although people everywhere should already believe in a Creator by just looking at the evidence of nature around them, God needs us to explain his love, mercy, and grace. What are you doing to take God's message to the world?
Psalm 19:7-11
19:7-11 When we think of the law, we often think of something that keeps us from having fun. But here we see the opposite-law that revives us, makes us wise, gives joy to the heart, gives light to the eyes, warns us, and rewards us. That's because God's laws are guidelines and lights for our path, rather than chains on our hands and feet. They point at danger and warn us, then point at success and guide us.
Psalm 19:12-13
19:12-13 Many Christians are plagued by guilt. They worry that they may have committed a sin unknowingly, done something good with selfish intentions, failed to put their whole heart into a task, or neglected what they should have done. Guilt can play an important role in bringing us to Christ and in keeping us behaving properly, but it should not cripple us or make us fearful. God fully and completely forgives us-even for those sins we do unknowingly.
Psalm 19:14
19:14 Would you change the way you live if you knew that every word and thought would be examined by God first? David asks that God approve his words and thoughts as though they were offerings brought to the altar. As you begin each day, determine that God's love will guide what you say and how you think.