The Lord, Creator of Heaven and Earth is evident in every part of His creation. From the sky to man His mark is clear. The creation shouts the proof of its Creator. All creation carries the Hallmark God. His children are evidence of His perfection and love. We are amazing complex masterpieces who have to have been formed purposely. He is perfect and calling Him Lord is a joy.
Verses 1-4 read,
“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,”
Have you ever spent time just admiring His creation? I know when I am in a place of natural beauty I can see God in everything around me, the magnificence of the mountains, the brilliance of the sky, and the music of the birds, wind, and water. In Brazil’s Amazon I slept on a boat in the open air. Night was dark with no man made lights except what the boat produced. The stars were more numerous than I had ever imagined. The sky seemed so close. It was truly awesome. I was filled with wonder and amazement for God. All of nature testifies to the Lord.
Look at David’s description of the sun in verses 5-6.
“which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
Have you ever had the chance to watch a sunrise? As the sun rises the colors of the once velvet black sky change to the most beautiful hues of blue, purple, orange, and pink. It is as if God is kissing your soul as you watch Him make a new day, a new beginning.
The rising of the sun, the dawning of a new day is a testimony to Jesus Christ. He is the bridegroom in all His splendor and magnificence. He never tires. He did all He did with joy, even dying on the cross with joy. With His death He brought us reconciliation with The Father. With His resurrection He gave us hope. With His ascension He gave us The Holy Spirit, His promise. Just as the heat of the sun affects every part of creation, so does Jesus touch every heart. While not every person acknowledges Him or accepts Him, every person on earth seeks to fill the need for God in their soul. Look at the most isolated of peoples, the tribes hidden deep in the jungles and you will see they all have created religions, worship gods, and acknowledge there is a Creator.
Just as God made the laws of physics, He also made laws of righteousness. Look within your soul, look at the universal laws of morality and it is clear. All men know that harming another is wrong. There is no nation, tribe, or people on earth who do not have rules against murder, stealing, and hurting people.
We are not perfect and we will mess up and break His laws, but God is perfect. He cannot break His laws. His perfection and tremendous love made Him come to us, live perfectly and pay the price of death for sin for us. He attributed us with Jesus’ perfect goodness. He did that just to give us the chance to know Him and be forever with Him.
The Holy Spirit within us allows us to see clearly the true Laws of God and follow them. We are able to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength because His Spirit is in us. We are able to love others as He loves us because we know what His love is. His Spirit transforms us, conforms us to Jesus’ image. He teaches us who He is and allows us to be love as He is love. Verses 7-8 read,
“The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;”
We once were dead. We once thought that to be good we had to follow countless rules. Following the law made people appear good on the outside. Following Jesus by faith makes us new and makes us righteous from the soul which then shows on the outside. He gave us new life. He makes us wise with His wisdom which is love. He gives us joy even through suffering because we know His love. He opens our eyes and lets us see with His eyes and heart, with His love.
Attaining the perfection of God’s love, being like Him is our goal. Our relationship with Him is worth more than anything on earth. He is more valuable than we can even comprehend. And do you know that He cherishes us even more than we cherish Him? We love Him with His Spirit and with our imperfections still in there. But He loves us completely, perfectly, and purely. Verses 9-11 describe it this way,
“the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.”
The people who tried to keep the laws of the Old Covenant weren’t filled with joy. But they had it wrong, even before Jesus, they had it wrong. They missed the basics. God didn’t want rituals. He didn’t want every rule He made to have five more slapped on to it. He wanted people to know Him, love Him, and have faith. One of my favorite Bible Verses is Hosea 6:6.
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
It was never about keeping over 600 laws. It was always about loving God, experiencing Him, and being loved by Him. That is what made David righteous. That is what made Abraham righteous. That is what the Pharisees missed. They loved the rules not God. They loved the rules so much they missed what God’s Word really had to say. David didn’t miss the true message in the scriptures. He sought God, he loved God, and he reveled in God’s love for him. Verses 12-14 read,
“Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
God is perfect. In Jesus we are made perfect too! Seriously, when the accuser throws up all your sins in your face recognize his feeble lies as just that. God forgave you, you are perfect, holy in His sight. Since He is God, the Creator what He declares as righteous cannot be declared sinful. Don’t wallow in the sins of your past. Don’t flounder in the accusations of the enemy. Instead, meditate on the perfecting and perfect love of God. Consider your redemption and don’t devalue it.
You are the crowning glory of creation. The grandeur of the mountains, the majesty of the oceans, and the brilliance of the skies have nothing on the glory of you. Psalm 8:3-6 describes you like this,
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,”