Monday
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19
C.S. Lewis called Psalm 19 the greatest poem in all the Scriptures. It is truly a magnificent poem, full of depth and beauty and we will be spending time studying it each day throughout the week. However, before we begin to break it down, examine specific verses and try to apply them to our lives, it is important that we read it first as it was originally intended – as a poem, a song of praise to God. This Psalm is not primarily a text to dissected and examined, nor a list of facts to be memorized, it is a poem to be read in praise to God. Former professor of Literature at Wheaton College, Clyde Kilby, once wrote that we cannot get the true impact of any poem until we have read it aloud five times slowly.
My guess is that most of us don’t read much poetry at all, let alone repeatedly and out loud. But the Psalms were written and intended to be read and sung aloud by God’s people. C.S. Lewis wrote in his little book Reflections on the Psalms, “The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to teach me to express that same delight that made King David dance”.
We are often in too big a hurry to get straight to the conclusion, we want quick answers and bullet point summaries of the Scripture. Even our educational system trains us to read (to skim) for information, to quickly digest the necessary facts so that we can regurgitate them back on the test or exam. But this is not the way to approach the Word of God. The Bible is not a text that we master, it is the text that must master us! When we read the Word of God, we should be reading for transformation, not merely information. The truth is that you cannot read the Psalms in a hurry, not if you hope to be changed by them. Psalm 1 tells us that the blessed person is the one who meditates on the law of God day and night. The two primary Hebrew words for meditate are ‘Hagah’ – to growl, groan, or sigh, and ‘Siach’ – to ponder, or ruminate. Eugene Peterson has written that these Hebrew words bring to mind the images of a dog growling with pleasure as he chews on his bone, and of a cow chewing its cud over and over again until it is ready to be swallowed.
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2 comments:
What is said here applies to all scripture.
Well by the third out loud read, I finally listened and heard much of the words of the Psalm. Thank you for reminding me to take time to read to hear and not just read to achieve.
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