Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.

2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Psalm 104:10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

17 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

33 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

   MEMORY VERSE: O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. —Psalm 104:24

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The beautiful sun, moon, and stars, along with all the wonderful creatures, growing plants and trees of the earth, are the gracious creation of the wise, merciful, and loving God, Who also created us to enjoy His goodness and love and worship Him all the days of our lives.

WORD DEFINITIONS

   Psalm 19:1, “declare”: Speak forth clearly. “firmament”: The great expanse of the skies above us.

Ver. 2, “Day unto day”: Day after day. “Night unto night”: Night after night. The glory and beauty of the heavens are daily showing the power and loving wisdom of our great Creator!

Ver. 4, “Their line”: Their message to us here on earth. “tabernacle”: A place to shine forth.

Ver. 5. “a bridegroom coming out of his chamber”: A bright happy man coming forth to embrace his bride. “rejoiceth”: shines forth so wonderfully.

Psalm 104:10, “sendeth the springs”: Causes fountains of water to flow.

Ver. 14, “herb for the service of man”: Fruits and vegetables for nourishing good food.

Ver. 15, “wine”: Various juices from fruits. “maketh glad the heart of man”: For man to richly enjoy drinking. Ver. 18, “conies”: Small rabbit-like creatures that live among the rocky areas of the mountains.

Ver. 24, “manifold”: So great in number and various kinds.

Ver. 34, “meditation”: Loving thoughts and consideration.

LESSON BACKGROUND

In our lesson today we want to present the wonderful message that is daily preached to us mortal beings of time. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” This is a sermon and a message that is preached every day and night. It portrays and declares the goodness and power of Almighty God. How does all of this heavenly beauty come about and operate? Does it just happen to be? Oh, no! There is a gracious, wise, and loving Almighty God Who created it all.

Paul quotes from this 19th Psalm in Romans 10:18, speaking of the hearing of the gospel of Christ: “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went unto all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” He is associating the hearing of the gospel of Christ to the message that is preached daily from the heavens! Are people today hearing and being affected by the message of the sun, moon, and stars? Sad to say, as a general rule, they do not hear. The heavens declare the glory of God!

Then we also consider from Psalm 104 the various works of wonder portrayed in the many blessings and marvels of the earthly realm. The wells and springs of water, the many different beasts and birds that go and come, the grasses, the trees, the many fruits and vegetables–they all portray and preach a message that man ought to hear, but many times man is void of any response or honor to God. Oh, how we need to honor and worship our God for all of His wonderful works!

–Bro. Leslie Busbee

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the message that the heavens are speaking to us?

2. What response should be given to this wonderful message?

3. What various things of God’s earthly realm are so marvelous?

4. What effect should all of these blessings have on the soul of man?

5. What ought we to say and feel in our hearts to our Creator?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, “Your Father which is in heaven maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Oh, let us open our eyes to the message that is daily preached on a good part of the world! That glorious sun! How bright and beautiful it is! Without its warmth and blessings we would all freeze to death in a little bit. It has a message so vital and important for us to ponder and study about. There is also a message given us by the many stars and constellations on high, although I realize that the abundance of man-made light seems to dim their glow and brilliance. And there is the moon in all its beauty! It all speaks a message from the Almighty God to us. What is that message? It is a message of His love, goodness, faithfulness and power toward us.

Let us then consider the many blessings of nature that He put into being. Think of the beautiful trees, bushes, grasses, flowers, and plants of food! They exist and are sustained in life, beauty, and blessings by the wisdom and power of Almighty God!

Think of the wonderful fruits that are brought forth: apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, grapefruits, lemons, limes, grapes, figs, dates, and oranges! Who designed and set them in production?

Then think of the various grains from the grasslands of the earth: corn, rice, wheat, rye, oats, and barley; all designed and brought forth by the precious LORD God Almighty!

Oh, how we need to wake up to the truth and be aware of the greatness and goodness of our wonderful Creator, our Heavenly Father! Oh, how we need to honor, reverence, worship, obey, and diligently serve Him in this short earthly life. We are going to have to meet Him one day, stand before Him and give an account of how we have treated Him in our hearts and minds. We will have to answer for our selfish ignorance and rebellion against His truth, salvation, and great goodness. Let us be diligent to humble our hearts in love, thanksgiving, and sincere worship before Him daily and seek to please Him with our life and breath!

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

REFLECTIONS

The heavens declare the glory of God.  Inspiration is ignited within me when I gaze heavenward on a star-filled night and try to comprehend the endless…space…the awe-inspiring magnificence and beauty of the heavens, to try to wrap my mind around the fact that God numbers the stars and calls them all by name.  Technology has made incredible advances — we can not only see stars and planets with our eyes, but electromagnetic vibrations of some of the stars and planets have been recorded by NASA and are within the range of human hearing.  To my mind’s ear, the combined music of the millions of stars in the heaven must surely create a song of all songs, a symphony of all symphonies.

Down here on earth, a movement to “save the planet” is big in our United States culture today—people recognize the beauty of God’s creation, although the spirit behind the movement has taken on a grossly deviated form.  A prominent feature of the Hindu religion is worship of the Sun, much like the ancient Egyptians worshiped the “Sun-God.”  Native American Indians had a deep reverence for nature and held many of its elements sacred.  Religions down through the centuries of time have also worshipped various elements of nature, in their ignorance and/or blindness, worshipping the creation while not acknowledging the Creator Himself.

Although nature is harmonious and song-filled beyond my comprehension, although I may find a temporary peace in its sanctuary, although I stand in awe of the intricacies of the world around me, it is God the Creator alone Who can satiate the thirsting of my soul. He only can pour the balm of peace over my troubled heart, and penetrate the darkness of my soul with the warmth of His love – He only knows my name and the number of hairs on my head.  Nature is but a beautiful and wondrous declaration of the God who created it.

–Sis. Julie Elwell