1The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His
handiwork.
2Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals
knowledge.
3There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not
heard.
4Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of
the world.
In them He has set a
tabernacle for the sun,
5Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man
to run its race.
6Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other
end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7The law of the Lord is
perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8The statutes of the Lord
are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9The fear of the Lord is
clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and
the honeycomb.
11Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is
great reward.
12Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
13Keep 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.
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
Commentary
Vs.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His
handiwork.
God’s Glory is clearly seen in the heavens: by all the planets, stars, galaxies, universes and beyond, for all of these bear witness to the Awesome Glory of God! For who has not looked up into the night sky and been mesmerized by it all. These all then give testimony to the glory of God, give testimony to His awesome handiwork in the heavens, for He alone created and creates them all, and He alone guides and sustains them all, all according to His own Perfect Knowledge, Will, and Power. Believing in the One true God then is near impossible for those who have eyes to see, and hearts to believe, for His Magnificence is seen everywhere!
And night unto night reveals
knowledge.
3There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not
heard.
Every day then God’s Person is revealed to us all in His heavenly creation, and every night there is knowledge of Him to beheld. And though the heavens do not audibly speak to us, there is no language here on earth where their “voice” is not heard. For God speaks to all of mankind through them, to our hearts and souls’ deepest desires to want to know Him by awaking this desire in us through them.
Vs. 4-6 4Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of
the world.
In them He has set a
tabernacle for the sun,
5Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man
to run its race.
6Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other
end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Vs. 7-9 7The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8The statutes of the Lord
are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord
is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9The fear of the Lord is
clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Moving then from the revelation of God in the heavens where His Power and Majesty is clearly seen and known by all, to awakening our souls to rightly knowing and understanding Him through His Law, For it is only by His Word that we come to a true and right understanding of Him. For His Word teaches us everything that is right and just and holy about Him, but also wrong with us. We see then that the law of the Lord is perfect in converting the soul, by first bearing its own true witness to God and our origins, and then through its statutes and decrees reveal to us just what we should be and just what we are not, and so through it God brings about a conviction of our own sin, but also through the law He provides the only solution for it, which is only found in sacrificial death, (i.e., the shedding of blood), specifically the Crucifixion death of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, by which all our sins are atoned for, and by which our reconciliation and restoration with God can be attained by anyone who believes in Him. Therefore by Him God has opened the door of His grace to us all when we believe in Him! Therefore, by the law we see just how serious sin is, that wages of sin is death, and that God’s righteousness, holiness and justice will never allow it to go unpunished, which again is why God sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of our sin, because only His Sinless Person could provide a sufficient sacrifice for us all! Therefore through the law we also soon learn that we ourselves could never fulfill all the righteous requirements of the law to save ourselves by it (Acts 15:6-11; Gal. 5:1, 4-5), and thus by the law we see our need for Him, to not only atone for all our sins, (and thus save us), but also for Him to transform us, and restore us back to God Himself (Gal. 3:19-25; Titus 3:4-7). This then is the primary purpose of the law to show us our sin (by teaching us what sin is and just what is morally right and morally wrong and just how far we have fallen short of the glory of God revealed in His law) so as to bring us back to God again through the Gospel. Therefore, the testimony of the Lord then is sure making wise the simple, for by the Lord’s testimony He opens our eyes to Him and our need for Him, for God and His Son is clearly seen not only in the Gospel, but also in His law.
“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;”
Truly then when one comes to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and they receive God's grace through Him alone they become captivated by God’s Word. By the profoundness of it, yes, but also the truth, justice, mercy and grace found in it. For God’s Word always speaks and reveals the truth, unadulterated and uncorrupted truth, therefore His statutes make righteous men and women rejoice, because by His Word all that is sound and true of God and His way is revealed and declared, and all that is wicked, evil, crooked, unjust, unfair, or misleading is exposed and rebuked. And on His Day it will all be forever ended and repaid. God’s commandments then are pure (being completely free from the sinful desires of mankind who always alter their own laws and decrees to suit their own evil desires). Therefore by these one is made wise, wise to know and understand good and evil (Psalm 119:97-104).
Vs. 10-11 10More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and
the honeycomb.
11Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is
great reward.
Therefore, the Word of the Lord is exceedingly desirable, much more so than mere gold and riches which have a “shelf life”, which is our own lives (Mark 8:36), and which cannot direct a life out of sin nor save a soul from troubles, wrath, and judgment. Whereas the Word of the Lord one may keep forever, and be forever rewarded for believing it and keeping it! Therefore, by the Word of the Lord all of God’s servants are warned, warned to stay on the narrow road and steer clear of the very wide road that those of this world are following to their own eternal damnation.
Vs. 12-13 “Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
13Keep 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.
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
Therefore the finial verse of this Psalm is more a prayer than a declaration, and as such it is most good and wise if we keep it in our hearts and minds as our own meditation.
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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