Reading this chapter I couldn't help think about art. I remember being a young boy in elementary school. Every once in a while we would have an art project that I would bring home to my parents. Always - somewhere on the picture I would sign my name, put my initials, or leave some sort of unique mark that would tell my parents - "hey, your son is the wonderful artist behind this creative wonder of art." Needless to say, my creative skills were limited. Even to this day, I still have trouble drawing proportionate stick figures. The point I'm trying to make is that art always has a tie to the maker - that every stroke and every detail is thought out intentionally to send some sort of message. Some of the more famous painters that you might know spent years on end to create their masterpiece - a work of art that would stand the test of time and show their handiwork to future generations. OUR GOD IS AN ARTIST. Today, we see that His creation was intentionally thought out - it was pieced together with foresight and purpose. God, just like any artist, left his masterpiece for us to better understand who He is. Bottom line, creation cries out His majesty.
Verses 1-6 In the gospel message, there came a time where the disciples were bold and outspoken for Jesus. In response, the Pharisees silenced the disciples in the name of the law. Jesus, being awesome as usual replied, "Fine, but even if you silence the disciples, the rocks will cry out" (Luke 19:40). Here it is again in Psalm 19 - creation, as David explains it, is simply God's handiwork. Man can create cars, planes, bridges, and houses - but God created the entire universe by the work of his hand. The attention to detail is fascinating. We live in a society that claims that the world and all that is in it is accidental - that one day, there was some massive explosion and after billions of years - life. Well, that's not how the Bible tells it. David says that creation reveals His knowledge and his foresight. That God created the universe with intention - that you are not merely a statistic of chance. Aside from the facts, just think about the Earth. It has water, an atmosphere, oxygen, sunlight (but not too close or too far to be ineffective), it has plants that convert nitrogen into breathable air, it houses species upon species of animals, a moon so that we can see at night, and of course it has us. There is zero chance that this was an accident - just look around and you will see the elegance and precision of creation. Like Jesus said - even the rocks will cry out who God is.
Verses 7-14 The phrase comes to my mind - "if you can't beat em, join em." Creation will never stop being amazing, and it most certainly will never stop being a testament of how awesome our God is. So, David adopts a pretty good attitude - if we're part of creation, why aren't we living in a way that glorifies Him? God intended for all things to work a specific way - that's simply his nature. He didn't just give us a body and say "go" - he gave us lungs, a heart, a brain, and so much more. Even so, God calls us his own. Yes God loves his creation, but He is so much more concerned about you. Jesus once said that if the Father is faithful to clothe the fields in grass, and feed the sparrows, how much more He will care for us? Well, a lot more. David flips a switch here and turns the page in the middle of the Psalm - why are there rules to Christianity? Why do we have to live a certain way? Well, simply, that's how God wants us to live. Just as God created gravity to work a certain way, he created us to have a relationship with Him. You have to remember, Adam and Eve were created without sin - but sin brought death to man (separation from the Father in a spiritual sense). Sometimes, we look at the law and we see a ball and chain. We feel like we're restricted and held down, but David says that the law is sweet, that it brings freedom, and for obeying it, we receive great rewards. David encourages to not sin - to live like the rest of creation and serve the Father. Read it ... it's pretty self-explanatory.
Creation Cries Majesty Think about creation this week. Think about how many hours you have spent on school projects that looked absolutely ridiculous, and then think about what God made in 7 days (knowing that he could have made it instantaneously). Every artist has a story to tell - God's story is a story of love. He made this - all of this so that you could know Him that much better.
[Explosion]
-Chris
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