The Tenth Word
C.S. Lewis said of Psalm 19: “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.” Psalm 19 is not only very beautiful lyrically, but it provides insight that is not found anywhere else in the Bible. Right off the bat we read that the glory of God is declared by the heavens and proclaimed by the work of his hand. Psalm 19 opens up to us the marvelous thought that we can actually see the work of God’s hands in His expansive universe. And then it goes a step further…not only can we see the work of God’s hands, Psalm 19 declares that we can hear what he is trying to teach us:
“Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, their voice is not heard. Their sound goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 1:2-4).
God’s voice through creation penetrates to the furthest corners of the earth. Nature’s sounds of praise, however, are subtle to human perception. Before the noise of human traffic begins to drown out the praise of creation early in the morning, you can hear the orchestra of birds singing, leaves rustling in the trees, crickets chirping, and the clicks, whistles, grunts, and trills of the frogs in the nearby ponds.
These sounds are contingent upon the observer. If we can take a moment to stop and listen, we can enjoy the full splendor of God’s creation singing his praise. God is speaking everywhere, and it is always so beautiful and so uniquely creative. Every morning is different. Peter Craigie writes, “To the sensitive and mindful observer, the heavenly praise of God’s glory is an overwhelming experience, whereas to the insensitive, sky is sky and stars are only stars.”
As the morning shouts the sounds of praise, the night reveals knowledge. Derek Kidner shares “that without the night, man would not know of the universe beyond the blue sky.” Thus, the night allows man to experience the vastness of God’s creation. You can look through a telescope in the daytime, but you aren’t going to see the stars. Only the night allows man to take a glimpse at the vastness of God’s immense creation. Night reveals the knowledge that God is more powerful than we can fathom.
Now, let’s dive into the theological beauty of Psalm 19. In verses 1-4, there are nine repeated words related to God’s communication through creation:
1. Declares
2. Tells/Makes Known his Handywork
3. Utters speech
4. Tells/Makes Known Knowledge
5. Speech
6. Language
7. Voice
8. Line/Voice
9. Words
One of the first things to notice is the unusual numbering scheme. All throughout the Bible, writers communicate using different literary devices. The Hebraic writers of Scripture generally communicated in 3’s, 7’s, 10’s, and 12’s, but not in 9’s. For the discerning reader, this should be a red flag.
God is trying to communicate something, and it is our quest to search out the matter. To search out this hidden meaning we must proceed to the next sentence. The Psalmist writes: “He has set a tent for the sun.”
Can you see the connection? At night, the sun is “sleeping,” so to speak. The sun has entered its tent. Then in verse 6, the sun rises from one end of heaven to the other and: “nothing is hidden from its heat.”
Now this is where it gets good. The next verse states: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving our soul.”
Just as the effects of the sun’s influence are inescapable, so also is the influence of the Word of God—the Law/Word revives life. And those who place themselves under its influence will become sensitive to God’s voice both in creation and in his Word. As we read in the rest of Psalm 19, this influence permeates our soul, reviving it, gushing forth wisdom, rejoicing the heart, and enlightening the eyes to God and His glory!
Now for the grand finale…
The last sentence in this Psalm states: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Do you remember how we started? God communicated through his creation 9 times, which would be unusual. Here in the last verse of Psalm 19, the 10th word has been found! We, who hear his voice, follow his commands, and have our souls revived, are the 10th and final word. We are to be the completion of God’s voice to mankind. Our voices are to sing his praises. Our voice is to communicate his commands. Our voice is the 10th word. And as the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart become acceptable in his sight, our LORD will be our strength, and the redeemer of those who hear us.
Recommended Reading for children that will inspire a love for God and His creation:
Worth More Than Gold (Ages 6-11)
Basket of Flowers (Ages 9-14)
Shipwrecked, But Not Lost (Ages 9-14)
