A Psalm to Guide our Journeys

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches
January 26, 2025
Psalm 19

We’re on a journey through life. Journeys are exciting and like most journeys, we should be amazed at the sights we see as we travel with Jesus. Ours is a sacred journey. Our ultimate goal of returning home to the Father, as the prodigal came back to his dad’s farm.^[1]

Jesus prepares the way.^[2] But there’s no need to rush down the road. Instead, we should saunter through God’s marvelous creation. As we’re on a spiritual journey, there may be things we can learn from other traditions. From Confucius philosophy out of China comes a list of practices for a spiritual journey. I recommend them to you:

• Practice the arts of attention and listening.
• Practice renewing yourself every day.
• Practice meandering to the center of every place.
• Practice the ritual of reading sacred texts (for us, that’s the Bible)
• Practice gratitude and praise singing (to this we might add Paul’s advice to “pray without ceasing”^[3]).^[4]

Before reading the Scripture: 

This morning we’re looking at Psalm 19. As I have emphasized before, the Psalms served as Israel’s hymnal. This psalm, credited to David, had a liturgical function in worship. David draws from his experience at being outdoors where he’s amazed at the way God created order. 

Our psalm can be divided into three parts. The first section serves as a hymn of praise to the God of creation. Theologians call this natural theology, God’s revelation through creation.^[5] The second part praises God’s law. The law as with all Scripture, is a part of God’s revelation.^[6] Having been brought to enlightenment through the awe of creation and the wisdom of the law, the psalm ends with a plea for God’s help so that the Psalmist might be cleansed and remain pure. This is a Psalm which guides us on our journey home.

Read Psalm 19:

As I read the opening of this Psalm, I mumble to myself, “Amen.” I, too, have seen God’s glory in the sky. The winter sky at night is amazing. Thursday night, I got home from an amateur radio meeting in Galax about 10 PM. A friend had met me at my house and rode with me. We spent about ten minutes talking outside by our cars, in the cold, while looking up at the sky. 

I spotted Mars by the twins, in the constellation Gemini. Jupiter stood near the right horn of the bull, Taurus. Orion and his faithful dog had risen high in the sky as well as the dipper as it circles Polaris. But that’s only what the eye can see. Even as scientists bring us more understanding of the vastness of the universe, it’s not a reason for us to question our faith. Instead, there’s more to be in awe of God in the beauty and vastness of creation.  

And yet, we need to remember that although we might witness the glory of the Lord in creation, it’s because God’s creation is good. David, the psalmist, doesn’t slip into pantheism, praising creation itself as god, nor does he go off into worshipping nature.^[7] We do not worship creation, only the Creator is worthy of our praise. But because it is a good creation, we stand in awe of the God who made the heavens and the earth. 

The opening six verses of this Psalm remind us of Psalm 8, which also praises the wonders of God as seen in creation. Scripture itself, in Genesis, begins with creation. Again, we don’t worship creation, only the Creator. But in creation, we come to understand an aspect of God’s majesty. Take the time to enjoy the night sky. Or watch in awe as a storm blows in, to appreciate distant mountain peak, or to watch the waves crash on a beach. These experiences should drive us to our knees in praise of the Creator. 

The appreciation of the world in which we live is only the first part of this Psalm. The change comes in verse 7. Some scholars suggest the Psalm is really two separate Psalms put together for some reason but originally separate.^[8] I don’t buy into that line of thinking. Instead, the God who created the cosmos, has not abandoned it, but continues to be involved with creation, through the giving of the law and later the sending of a son.^[9]

The second section of Psalm 19 is similar (but with a lot less words) to Psalm 119. The 119^th Psalm, as you may know, goes on and on and on in praise of God’s law. If you have time, I encourage you to read it. But be warned, it’s the longest Psalm in scripture and longer than some books within the Bible. 

I believe the Psalmist intentionally links the parts of the Psalm to remind us of when we find ourselves in awe of God’s handwork, we should dive deeper into God’s heart. This is where the law comes into play. This section begins by calling the law perfect. We’re reminded the law’s purpose is to revive the soul. This may sound strange. We think of a particularly spectacular sunset as soul reviving, not laws. Laws sound, well, too legalistic. And we don’t want to be legalists. 

You know, at one point in my life, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but a college course in jurisprudence cured me of that idea. So how can the law restore our souls?

As I have often said, God’s law shouldn’t be viewed as restrictive. Instead, it sets boundaries in which we live in a way we honor God and others while having great freedom. If we stay within the boundaries, we enjoy life. If we move outside the boundaries, just as we move beyond the firmaments of the heavens, we’re not going to sustain life for long. 

Just as the Psalmist allowed the majesty of creation sweep over him as he watched the sun and stars make their way across the sky, he now looks inside of himself. He acknowledges how the law restores his soul, bring joy to his heart and light to his eyes. 

The law is even more desired than wealth. It’s sweeter than honey. The sweetness should remind of a practice in ancient days when Jewish children started to to study the law. The rabbi dropped a bit of honey on their tongues so they might come to understand that like honey, the law is also sweet. 

In verse 11, the Psalm takes another turn. It’s as if the Psalmist realizes the law brings consequences. He asks God to cleanse him. This is a prayer of confession and supplication. The Psalmist knows he needs forgiveness, which involves his confession. He also knows he can’t do everything by himself. In verse 12, he acknowledges the sins of which he’s unaware—and, as a warning, we all have such sins. He also knows others stand to lead him astray. To avoid the consequences of stepping out of the bound prescribed by the law, the Psalmist needs God’s help.  

The Psalm closes with a verse I’ve often pray silently before stepping into the pulpit: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to thee, O Lord.” Here, at the end of this poem, the wonderings of his imagination focus. Having seen God’s glory in the heavens and experienced it in the law, he realizes he need not try to please anyone but God. God is his rock, his foundation; God, is his redeemer, his Savior.  

Psalm 19 is one of the more beloved Psalms, standing there with Psalm 23, 121, and 145. It’s a good Psalm to mediate upon and, if you’re into such, to memorize. We’re reminded of God’s amazing creation, of God’s care for us through the law, and of our need to seek refuge in God’s grace. This Psalm sets before us a way to appreciate God and to help steer our lives to align us to God’s purposes. It’s a Psalm which captures the Christian journey back home. Amen. 

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^[1] Luke 15:11-24.

^[2] John 14:1-7.

^[3] 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

^[4] From the Analects of Confucius as quoted by Phil Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred (New York: MJF Books, 1998), 126. 

^[5] See Romans 1:20.

^[6] Leonard Vander Zee, “Psalm 19 Commentary,” Center for Excellence in Preaching, https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2018-09-10/psalm-19-3/

^[7] James L. May, Psalms: Interpretation: A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1994), 97. 

^[8] Artur Weiser, The Psalms: Old Testament Library (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962), 197 approaches the Psalm as two separate Psalms. Claus Westermann, The Living Psalms (1984, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1989), 253, both approach Psalm 19 as verses 1-6 being the original. Westermann sees the rest as a later addition. 

^[9] Scott Hoezee, “Psalm 19 Commentary,” The Center for Excellence in Preaching, https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2025-01-20/psalm-19-11/