1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 5It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other;nothing is deprived of its warmth. 7The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. 10They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. 11By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. 13Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. 14May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Today’s Three Pearls
- The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. .. no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. …..It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth – v.1-6: Men tend to glorify God when they feel up to it, many are yet to successfully live the command to do everything for God’s glory. We can take a lesson from the heavens and the firmaments: by their being, by their situations and locations and by their obedience to God’s directives. Even when they move about, their message is constant. They are not selective in where or who feels their effects, no part of the world is denied their light and beauty, not even the nests of evil. They obediently shine their lights and show love to all wherever they are; and when they are underestimated or abused, they leave God to carry out retribution as He sees fit.
- The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul…The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous….By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward -v.7-11: God’s law is perfect and it brings back the spirit from adversity according to the covenant of works; when joined to the covenant of Grace, when joined to the gospel of Christ which pulls in the heart, it awakens the sinner, shows him his duty and convinces him of sin and judgment – Thomas Marvin.
- But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer -v.12-14 How great it would be if we could know all our ignorant and careless errors and all the ways we offend God’s holy nature, then we would be more appreciative of how merciful He is to us. And perhaps be more merciful to those who seem to constantly annoy us. Add to that, our secret faults which even Apostle Paul was not exempt from as he lamented about a need for deliverance from them. For many say in their hearts what their tongues dare not utter, and do in their thoughts what their hands would not do. These secret sins are the roots of hypocrisy and the more we try to accommodate or minimize them, the more perfect our hypocrisy. While outward sins can be corrected or rebuked, secret sins are dangerous to the soul; just as internal bleeding is often deadlier than external bleeding. Like David, may our daily prayers include a request for cleansing of secret sins and a heightened lack of tolerance for such. May our desire to avoid sins deliberately committed against our better knowledge and judgment be halted immediately while still in our thoughts. May our thoughts and words always be a pleasing aroma to God.
Ref: Treasury of David
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 