Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)

The month of March is hardly the most beautiful time of the year, but it is an apt time for remembering. When and where in creation have you sensed God’s presence most closely? Perhaps you were on a mountain, or beside the ocean, and the sky was amazing. Maybe the heavens were brilliant blue and populated with towering clouds like mounds of cotton candy. Or, perhaps you fell silent before the brilliant light show of a colorful sunset, or watching the dawning sun crack the horizon and leap into view—and it was as if you heard God’s own voice saying to you: “I’m here.” [DD]

            The psalmist knew what that was like. He had seen thunderclouds stream in from the Mediterranean Sea and drop their payloads across the hills of Judah. He had watched the constellations, like images on a movie screen, march proudly across the sky.

            And he had heard God speak without words.

Words without sound

(vv. 1-6)

Psalm 19 is a favorite psalm for many people, but also a curious one: it appears to consist of two different psalms that have been combined into one. The first six verses of the psalm, which are labeled as part of the Davidic collection, comprise a hymn of praise that speak in majestic terms of God’s self-revelation in the glory of the sky and the daily movements of the sun. The latter part shifts to the style of a wisdom teaching, with shorter lines and a more repetitive rhythm while giving praise for God’s commandments. [DD]

            We note as well that the first six verses speak of God (Elohim) while the remainder of the text uses the word LORD, our translation of the Hebrew name Yahweh.

            The differences are sharp, but the two parts are connected. Both speak of God’s self-revelation, through the heavens in vv. 1-6, and through the law in vv. 7-14. The style, vocabulary, cadence and content of the two sections are quite different, but the psalmist’s conjunction of the poems effectively demonstrates that God’s message can be revealed either with words, or without them.

            The psalm begins with a poetic celebration of God’s splendor as revealed in the expansive beauty of the sky: “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork” (v. 1). The first and second lines of the verse follow a common pattern in Hebrew poetry in which the second line repeats or expands upon the thought expressed in the first line. [DD]

             “The heavens” and “the firmament” both refer to what we would call the sky. The ancient Hebrews did not understand, as we do, that the earth is round, with an atmosphere held in place by gravity, providing air to breathe and guarding against the vacuum of space. They thought of the earth as being flat and topped by a solid dome (the firmament), that made room for a bubble of air and kept out cosmic waters above and below the earth.

            The ancients imagined that the sun, moon, and stars followed set patterns or tracks set into the dome-like firmament, while clouds floated in the space beneath. Imagine what the psalmist would have said if he had been able to grasp the place of our earth as a tiny dot near the edge of one galaxy among millions of galaxies. For those who believe God is the creator of all things, the wonder of God’s creation becomes far more expansive than the psalmist could ever comprehend.

            The heavens speak constantly, the psalmist says, through both day and night (v. 2). [DD] The astounding beauty of clouds and sun shout glory during the day, and the unfettered glow of the stars in a land with no electricity to fuel competing ground-light put on a nightly show that would have been awe-inspiring to dwellers of the ancient world. [DD]

            While v. 2 speaks of the heavens gushing forth speech and declaring knowledge, vv. 3-4a clarify that the heavens can communicate without speaking: “There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.” The plural verbs refer to the heavens, which speak in both day and night.

            In vv. 4b-6, the psalmist focuses on the sun as a particular witness of divine glory. God has set up a heavenly tent for the sun, he says, from which it emerges each day like a proud bridegroom on his wedding day, or like a strong runner eager to begin his course. As the personified sun runs its circuit from one end of the heavens to the other, “nothing is hid from its heat,” a reminder that nothing hides from God, either.

            If you should ever feel inspired to write a poem or devotional thought about hearing God’s voice through the wonder of creation, what would you write about? Would you echo the psalmist’s fascination with the heavens, or speak of God’s presence in a mountain vista, a majestic waterfall, or a tropical beach? Have you sensed God’s glory in the bright blue of glacier melt, or the colorful fish of a coral reef?

            Can you think of other ways in which God speaks without words?

Sweetness without sugar

(vv. 7-10)

As noted above, Psalm 19 makes an abrupt shift from praise to wisdom in v. 7. The cadence is less musical and more pedantic, and the theme turns from vistas of sky to matters of law.

            Many readers would consider the move from heavenly heights to legal tenets to be a major comedown, but faithful Hebrews saw the law as the basis of their life with God, and thus a source of daily inspiration. The law was no collection of moribund rules, but a set of principles that could “revive the soul” and “make wise the simple” (v. 7), bringing joy to the heart and enlightenment to the eyes (v. 8).

            Note the series of synonyms in vv. 7-9: laws, decrees, precepts, commandments, and ordinances all relate to the covenant between God and Israel. They bring such spiritual profit because all are “of the LORD.” The “fear of the LORD” in v. 9 is not another synonym for God’s laws, but points to the mindset that motivates one to find inspiration in divine guidelines for life that are pure, lasting, true, and “righteous altogether” (v. 9).

            God’s law in all of its manifestations is more appealing than the finest gold or the sweetest honey, the psalmist insists (v. 10). Note the repetition for emphasis: the law is more desirable than gold—“even much fine gold.” It is sweeter than honey—even “drippings of the honeycomb.”

            Have you ever thought of the law as more enviable than gold, or more delicious than the sweetest baklava? Probably not—but can you imagine living in a world where there are no laws, where everyone can do as he or she pleases and get away with it, where property rights are not respected, where no system exists to provide services for the common good?

            The societal laws that bring order to the world may not excite us, but life would be very different and much less pleasant without them. For Israel, the source of the law was God, and it served not only to maintain societal order, but to ensure a proper relationship with God. The psalmist recognized the law as a source of daily encouragement and revelation from God.

Devotion without guile

(vv. 11-14)

With v. 11, the psalmist turns from celebrating God’s law to praying for the ability to keep every precept and avoid every fault, even those of which he was unaware (vv. 11-12). Most of us have more than enough known failures to confess, so the psalmist’s worries about being forgiven of hidden faults may seem over the top, but it illustrates the depth of his commitment to keeping God’s teachings.

            The translation of v. 13 can go in one of two directions. Literally, it begins “Also keep your servant from proud (ones) …” The Hebrew word translated “proud” or “presumptuous” is a plural adjective, but what does it modify? The NRSV assumes that it describes bad company—insolent people whose harmful influence the psalmist hopes to avoid.

            Most translations, however, see “proud” or “presumptuous” as referring back to the word for “sins” or “errors” in the previous verse. As the psalmist sought to avoid unknown faults, he also asked God to keep him from more obvious sins. Thus, the NIV11 has “Keep your servant also from willful sins,” and the NET2 has “Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins.” 

            Thus, the psalmist fears falling under the sway of willful sins, not presumptuous people, as he seeks a blameless life, free of “great transgression” (v. 13). [DD]

            The psalm concludes with a verse that millions have memorized: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (v. 14).

            The psalmist began his prayer by applauding God’s ability to speak through heavenly wonders, even without words. He continued by praising God’s gift of the law—revealed through words—that taught him to live rightly. He then closed the prayer with a plea that his own words and thoughts might be pleasing to the God who empowered and delivered him.

            What are some ways you believe God has spoken to you? What kind of words do you use in speaking of yourself to God, or in speaking of God to others? Revelation can work in many ways.