Day 8
Read Psalm 19
Dallas Willard begins chapter 3 of his book, The Divine Conspiracy, with these words, “To his (Jesus’) eyes this is a God-bathed and God-permeated world. It is a world filled with a glorious reality, where every component is within the range of God’s direct knowledge and control – though he obviously permits some of it, for good reasons, to be for a while otherwise than as he wishes. It is a world that is inconceivably beautiful and good because of God and because God is always in it.”
Psalm 19 describes this God-bathed world in two seemingly different ways. The Psalmist begins by describing how nature reveals God – “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (vs. 1). Without words, the world itself proclaims the wonder and majesty and beauty of God. You have seen such glory in a sunset, or a trip to the mountains, or a walk in the woods.
Then, starting in verse 7 the Psalm takes a radical shift. The Psalmist suggests that God’s beauty and wonder can be seen in another way as well – through His law and commands. He says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statues of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” And he continues for 6 more verses describing how beautiful are the laws of God. The word “torah” (law) means more than just random laws but a vision for a flourishing life.
Theologians call these two ways of knowing God “general revelation” and “particular revelation.” General revelation refers to what we can know about God (what is revealed) through the natural world - the wonder, order, creativity, beauty, etc.. Particular revelation refers to what God has specifically told us about Himself in His Word and in Jesus Christ. Psalm 19 is a celebration of both.
Prayer
It’s often easy to think of the mountains as declaring the glory of God, but have you ever thought of God’s laws as revealing His glory? Take some time to pray through verses 7-14, asking God to reveal Himself to you even through His commands.
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