Praise to the Creator

MEMORY SELECTION: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.” —Psalm 19:1

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Psalm 19:1

THE heavens, which are beyond the ability of man’s mind to comprehend, speak eloquently of the power and wisdom and majesty of God. The statement “day unto day” in verse 2 gives the thought of repetition, or the exact compliance of the heavenly bodies to God’s laws. Their behavior in the heavens is so accurate and unveering that their exact position in the heavens can be predicted hundreds of years in the future, or the pages of time can be turned back and their exact location at a certain time can be known. This speaks a language that is universal and is understood in spite of differing tongues and dialects. It proclaims loudly the glory and majesty and power of God.

Verse 3 states, “There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” The New English Bible translates this verse as follows, “And this without speech or language or sound of any voice.” In other words, it is simply by observing the marvelous handiwork of God that anyone can know something of God and honor him.

In Romans 1:19-21 the Apostle Paul uses this thought in showing that the universal condemnation of man is just, for he states: “For all that may be known of God by men lies plain before their eyes; indeed God himself has disclosed it to them. His invisible attributes, that is to say, his everlasting power and deity have been visible, ever since the world began, to the eye of reason, in the things he has made. There is therefore no possible defense for their conduct; knowing God, they have refused to honor him as God, or to render him thanks.”—NEB

Then the psalmist, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, shows an amazing understanding of the nature of space and the function of the earth’s atmosphere in making the energy of the sun useful in the accomplishment of the Lord’s will in connection with his creation here on earth. Psalm 19:4 reads, “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun.”

“Their line” seems to refer to the magnificent structure or organization of the heavenly bodies and their laws of motion, all made with great exactness and, as it were, by rule or line. It is this wonderful design that speaks so eloquently, without words, that the hand that made them is divine.

A part of this wonderful arrangement concerns the earth, for he says, “In them he hath set a tabernacle [or tent, or canopy] for the sun.” We know from our exploration in space that it is a hostile environment, dark and void. We know that the light which strikes Mars, for example, makes conditions unbearably hot in the day, and then they are at night unbearably cold. But, in addition, the harmful rays of the sun are not filtered out, and life as we know it could not exist when exposed to them.

The earth is covered as by a tent, or canopy, of atmosphere, which acts wonderfully to make the heat and light from the sun usable to all forms of life. The elements of the atmosphere, together with moisture and dust particles, filter out the harmful rays of the sun and diffuse the light, making it less harsh. The atmosphere acts as a thermal blanket, retaining enough of the heat to make a much more even temperature, favorable to both plant and animal life. Thus the earth alone, in all our planetary system, can use the sun in the way for which is was designed.

The psalm continues by relating the law of God given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai to the perfect laws we see in operation in the universe. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. … Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.”—vss. 7,8,11

We realize, of course, that the precepts of the law were the measure of a perfect man’s ability to perform. And only Jesus, with his perfection of mind and body, was able to keep the law perfectly. Because of this he was a reflection of the Heavenly Father’s character. Jesus expressed this harmony with God’s precepts and laws as being at one with the Father.—John 17:11

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