The Beauty of the World and the Word
Louise Maynor
Psalm 19 is a song of praise and adoration of the majesty of God’s physical creation and the Law of the Lord. As we awake to the warm, life-giving rays of the sun or see the marvels of the night sky, we witness this majesty in creation. Earth’s glory is on display in the cascading falls of Niagara or Victoria, the plains of the Sahara, the crystal blue of the Mediterranean, the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas or even in the first blooms of the crocus in Spring. Breathtaking is our response to earth’s beauty. However, the awesome glory alluded to in verses 1-6 of Psalm 19 gives way to the word of the Lord. In verses 7-11, the poet describes the sacred beauty of the Law of the Lord. David describes the perfection and complete truth of God’s word in this second section. God’s word is perfect, sure, just, clear, clean, true, and righteous. The word revives the soul, gives wisdom to the innocent, rejoices the heart, clarifies and enlightens us, and endures forever. The word of God is more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey from the honeycomb. What majesty he assigns to the word of the Lord! Awe and wonder lace the descriptions of God’s World and God’s Word.
Psalm 19, according to C.S. Lewis, “is the greatest song in the psalter, the greatest lyrics in the world.” It is no wonder many hymns have been inspired by it. We often sing “The Spacious Firmament on High” (#409) and “For the Beauty of the Earth” (#416). The Isaac Watts hymn, “The Heavens Declare Your Glory, Lord,” unmistakably retells David’s song, as these lines illustrate:
The heav’ns declare your glory, Lord;
In ev’ry star your wisdom shines;
But when our eyes behold your Word,
We read your name in clearer lines.
Anticipating and waiting for the arrival of our Lord and Savior is the salient feature of Advent. The joyful planning begins weeks before this season of awe and wonder occurs. After living with Psalm 19 for these last weeks, I realize how appropriate the psalm is for this time of joy, excitement, and awe. Though David wrote Psalm 19 a millennium before Christ, the tone of the poem’s first six lines evokes that sense of awe and inspiration. But the coming of our Lord is even more glorious and soul-sustaining. The word of the Lord is perfection. Enjoy the beauty of the earth and the saving grace of God’s word.
