Psalm 19

"The Law of the Lord Is Perfect"

In the evening we are going through Deuteronomy,

exploring the Ten Commandments in their application to the life of Israel,

and showing how the Law of God applies today in Jesus Christ.

Psalm 1 had spoken of the blessed man,

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

but who delights in the Law of God.

Psalm 19 returns to the theme of God's law,

God's Torah.

Remember that Torah is a broader term that the English word "law."

Torah refers to instruction, or direction.

To say that the Torah of Yahweh is perfect,

means that God's Word shows us the path of life on which we must walk.

Indeed, the Psalmist declares that the Law-the Torah-of the Lord,

restores the soul.

Is this the way that we are used to talking about God's law?

For that matter,

does this sound like it contradicts Paul?

Paul, after all, takes a very dim view of the law-doesn't he?

When Paul speaks of the "law" in Galatians 3,

what is he referring to?

Some have tried to say that Paul is speaking of the ceremonial law.

But that will not do-because he cites a part of the civil law in v13.

No, Paul is thinking of the whole law in this context.

But he is thinking of the whole law considered as a covenant.

This is clear from v17:

"The law, which came 430 years afterward,

does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God,

so as to make the promise void."

When Paul thinks of the covenant which God made with Israel through Moses,

he thinks of a temporary arrangement that was good only in Israel's minority.

When Israel was a child, the law was good and necessary

in order to train Israel to look for the Messiah.

But now that Christ has come (v24-26),

the purpose of the law (as covenant) has been fulfilled.

Paul uses the illustration of a child.

4:1-7

Sure, Israel was the Son of God-but Israel was the Son of God in his minority.

Now that Christ has come, however,

the Son of God has reached maturity.

Since Jesus has sat down at the right hand of the Father,

we know that the Son of God has received his inheritance.

Therefore, Paul says,

all who are baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

And in Christ, you are all sons of God through faith,

and therefore you are heirs according to the promise.

The law was never intended to be a means of salvation.

It was intended to discipline the Son of God in his youth,

to prepare him for adulthood-for the coming of Jesus Christ.

So how can Christians sing Psalm 19?

If we are no longer under the covenant of law,

then why should we declare that the law of the Lord revives the soul?

Because there is another usage of the word "law."

We are no longer under the law as a covenant.

But that does not mean that the law is irrelevant.

Paul speaks of "the law of the Spirit of life" (Romans 8:2),

and "the law of Christ" (1 Cor 9:21).

Considered as a covenantal arrangement,

the law is outdated and to go back to the law is to reject Christ;

but considered as God's instruction, as God's direction for how we are to live before him,

the law is still useful.

But this is why we need to sing Psalm 19 in Christ.

What does it mean to sing Psalm 19 "in Christ."

It means that we sing Psalm 19 in the light of what Jesus Christ has done.

When we say "the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul,"

we do not limit the "law" to simply the five books of Moses.

We sing Psalm 19 with the fuller revelation of Jesus Christ in view.

Psalm 19 has three parts:

the first section speaks of the revelation of God's glory in creation (1-6);

the second section speaks of the revelation of God's mercy in scripture (7-11);

the final section provides our response to the revelation of God(12-14).

The whole of creation proclaims the glory of God,

but especially the heavens.

Psalm 19 does not speak of the earth,

but fixes our attention on the revelation of God's glory in the heavens.

The language of verses 1-6 is the language of ordinary observation.

The word translated "firmament" or "sky" in verse 1 is the Hebrew word "raqia"

which prior to the development of modern astronomy

was understood to be a solid dome.

This shouldn't surprise us.

After all v4-6 speaks of the sun "rising" and "running" across the heavens,

again using the language of ordinary observation.

The firmament (that blue thing up there that we call the "sky") and the heavens above

proclaim the glory of God and his marvelous skill at crafting such a tent.

All the earth can behold these visible words that God has created.

This opening section of Psalm 19, however,

is not designed to suggest that God's revelation in nature

can convey saving knowledge.

The glory of God is revealed in creation.

All humanity beholds this glory every day.

And since the heavenly bodies were designed to convey knowledge to the creatures

(remember how God speaks of them as being for signs, and seasons, etc., in Gen 1)

It should not be surprising that they accomplish

the purpose for which they were created.

But the contrast between section 1 and section 2

shows that these first 6 verses were intended to set up verses 7-11.

While verses 1-6 speak of the glory of God revealed in creation,

verses 7-11 are concerned with the mercy of God revealed in scripture.

God's revelation in creation is good and useful,

but it has no inherent power to change us.

But God's revelation in scripture is different.

"The law of Yahweh is perfect, reviving the soul.

The testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple."

Notice where the power is located.

Yahweh's testimony makes us wise.

Yahweh's law revives the soul.

The word of God is powerful.

Isaiah speaks of the word of God:

"So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

It shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." (55:11)

Hebrews 4:12 says that the "word of God is living and active."

When you come to the scriptures,

you are not coming to an ordinary book.

But not only does the Word of the Lord revive the soul and make wise the simple,

the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Verse 8 shows that the Word of God brings joy through showing us the right way.

Our eyes are enlightened as we see things that we had never before imagined;

our hearts rejoice as we find the right path.

Likewise verse 9 points to the righteousness of God's law:

the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether."

We could explore each phrase,

but we might miss the point.

The point is the cumulative effect of verses 7-9 (read again).

(Verse 10)

Do you desire rules and commandments?

You should.

I did virtually nothing this week.

Or more precisely, I wasted many hours playing computer solitaire games.

And the more time I wasted, the more I dreaded preparing this sermon,

because I knew what would happen once I started preaching to myself!

God's law,

his rules, his commands, his testimonies,

are more precious than gold-even much fine gold.

His instruction-his direction for our lives-is sweeter than honey

Why?

Why does the Psalmist so desire law?

Why does the Psalmist relish God's commands and rules?

Because we are stupid.

Left to ourselves we would wallow in our selfishness and pride.

But God's law warns us-reminding us of the peril of ignoring the law of God,

and also of the great reward that comes from keeping his law.

"Who can discern his errors?

Declare me innocent from hidden faults."

This phrase does not mean, "I am innocent from hidden faults,"

indeed, the force of it is "do not punish me for my hidden faults."

Rather the Psalmist acknowledges that he has sinned without even realizing it!

But law of the Lord reveals the promises of God,

so David asks God for forgiveness-do not reckon my sin against me.

But also "Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins,

let them not have dominion over me."

Our response to the law should first be to acknowledge our sin and plead for forgiveness,

but then also to ask God "to lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil."

This is true repentance-

not just turning away from sin,

but turning to the grace of God for strength,

and then rejoicing that, in Christ,

we shall be (and indeed, we are!) "blameless and innocent of great transgression."

Do you really believe that God does what he says?

In Jesus Christ you have been declared righteous.

In Jesus Christ you have been made holy.

Do you believe in the power of the Word of God?

You are no longer the person you once were.

Paul says that "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

The law-as covenant-could not do this.

It was only the Son who could bring all things to completion

through his death and resurrection.

If you try to rely upon your own obedience,

you have missed the point.

Galatians 3:1-4

Paul's phrase "the works of the law" refers to those who tried to say

that Jesus was the one who brought the kingdom,

but that the kingdom consisted of the renewal of the Mosaic covenant.

Paul's response to this is to point out that Jesus is not merely the one who brings the kingdom;

Jesus does not merely reinstate Moses.

No, the law-as covenant-is done away with.

As Paul puts it, we are not under law, but under grace.

The believer's relationship to the law has changed.

It is the difference between a son who is a child,

and a son who is an adult.

In an ideal father-son relationship,

the adult son lives according to the principles his father taught him.

But he lives according to those principles,

not as a child who will be spanked if he disobeys,

but as an adult who delights to honor his father through reflecting his father's character.

(I realize that all of us want to be different in certain ways from our earthly fathers;

remember that our heavenly father has a character that is worthy of imitation in all respects!)

We delight in God's law,

not as children fearing punishment,

but as adults who rejoice that we have such wonderful instruction to show us the way of life.