These are questions that over the year philosophers, theologians and scientists have asked
Matt 11:25 - "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes."
We cannot know God by our own investigations
We must not search for God, He must reveal Himself to us
God reveals Himself to the humble
In Psalm 19 David reflects on how God reveals Himself to us
What David saw in the Sky
David was a shepherd
He spent a life looking up at the stars
What did David see?
He did not see deities to be worshiped
He did not see the stars guiding his fate
He did not see merely a product of time and chance
"The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork." (v1)
A Hebrew device called parallelism - saying the same thing in a slightly different way
He saw a reflection of God's glory
'If the firmament is so vast, how great must be the God who made it?'
"Day unto day utters speech and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard." (v2-3)
If we want to hear God, this is the first place He is speaking to us
It is a universal language (v4)
"Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world." (v5)
Wherever you go in the world God's voice will be heard
The very fact there is order and consistency in creation points to the Divine hand behind it all
Some will say it can all be explained by the laws of nature - but Who wrote those laws in the first place?
The sun is not to be worshiped or turned into a deity
It is not just a natural object to be explained away or analysed
Rom 1:20 - "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"
Although God is invisible, He has revealed Himself to us
His creation speaks of His eternal power and Godhead
God speaks to us in the things He has made
What David saw in the Scriptures
God has revealed Himself most clearly in His word
Creation cannot tell us what it means for God to be holy or loving; or what He thinks of us or what He requires from us
David holds up the Scriptures like a diamond
"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul" (v7)
The Torah: all the things that God has taught
The word is flawless and converts/restores the soul
"The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (v7)
Prov 14:15 - "The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps."
The simple are naive and gullible, constantly swayed by the latest opinion
The Scriptures help us to avoid the devil's snares
"The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" (v8)
Speaks of the authority of the Lord
In following this pathway we enter into the deepest experience of joy
This makes little sense to the non-Christian world
The way to true and lasting joy is through the path of obedience
"The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes" (v8)
1 Sam 14:24-29
The word of God motivates and strengthens us for greater service
"The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever" (v9)
The Scriptures create in us the fear of the Lord
Fear and reverence and awe in the hearts of His people
We discover who God is and what He requires of us
We discover He is not the God we imagined
We discover He is a God who is righteous and pure
God's word does not change, it endures forever
"The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether" (v9)
Every word is true
The Bible will never deceive us
David's Response to the Word of God
The word of God is precious
More precious than honey or gold
Honey was an incredibly previous and valuable commodity - there were no other sweeteners available
The Bible is not just a book to be left gathering dust on the shelf
The Bible is not a dry or boring book to the Christian - it is the voice of God speaking to them
The words are relevant to them
What David saw in Himself
"Moreover by them Your servant is warned and in keeping them there is great reward" (v11)
David turns to prayer
How do we find fuel and direction for our prayers?
Start with the Scripture
"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults." (v12)
David begins to have a better understanding of himself
The more he looked into God's word the more he understood his own heart
The more he realised he was sinful
The more he realised that there might be missed sins
Do we have any sins that we do not realise?
"Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression." (v13)
The more David reflects on his own heart in light of God's word - the more he begins to see how guilty he really is
The more David realises that wilfil sin can take hold
David prays that he should keep himself from such danger and so should we
If we have any insight into our heart, then we join with David in praying this
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." (v14)
David addresses God is Redeemer
He is our Redeemer because He has rescued us from the consequences of our sins
Heb 1:1-3 - "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high"
God has finally spoken to us in the person of Jesus Christ
This is the greatest and most precious revelation of all
God loves us enough to send His own Son to die in our place
