Psalm 19:1-14 The Word of God: The Revealing of Glory
God has given us two books: the first is the book of nature and the second, the book of Scripture. Both books have the same aim: revealing, declaring, recounting the glory of God. God’s glory is written all over the pages of both Creation and Scripture.
The rest of creation may not have been endowed with the gifts of verbal communication the way God’s image-bearers have been, but it still speaks. It does so without words. What does creation communicate? The one thing it was created to-the glory of God. General revelation provides everyone with a general knowledge of God, a knowledge of God’s glory … so glorious that the only proper response is worship.
General revelation only offers a general knowledge of God. Hence, God is referred to generally. As much as creation discloses about God, it does not enable us to know God personally or intimately. We can know things about His character and His attributes,
But to know God intimately, we need special revelation. We need God to communicate to us in a more personal way. We need His Word. We need to know His name.
Whereas creation doesn’t reveal God perfectly, especially given the Fall and it’s being subjected to futility, God’s Word does. The Law or Torah of the Word is perfect.
Notice, that it’s the Word that even reveals how we are to view the heavens, how we are to understand general revelation. Now, let’s be clear. This isn’t due to some deficiency with creation, but a deficiency in us due to our sin. It’s not that we can’t see God’s glory in creation, but that we close our eyes to His glory. In our sin, we refuse to see His glory. Hence, we need God’s Word in all its fullness if we are to see the glory that’s so readily available to us.
The whole of Scripture has one ultimate goal really. And it’s likely not what you think. Scripture, more than anything else, is the defense of God’s glory. And that’s what we are all in need of more than anything else.
But get this. This God, He defends His glory in the most glorious way… redeeming rebels, saving sinners. But understand, what is ultimate to God is not you or me. What’s ultimate is defending His glory. And that is ultimately why you and I are saved.
We are saved, not because we are ultimate; nor is our salvation ultimate. We are saved because God’s glory is ultimate. That’s the purpose of creation. God created to publicly display His greatness, His perfections.
Creation, the Bible, and even you… are not primarily about you, nor primarily about mankind. It’s all about Him. It’s about God’s glory. And to flip the script, which so many do, and have been doing since Genesis 3, is to 1) get the story wrong, 2) miss the beauty of the story, and 3) find yourself eternally separated from the Lord and His glory. And don’t think countless churches aren’t guilty of this, teaching a distorted compromised gospel, because they fear man and not God.
The world, the U.S., Middle TN is full of man-centered churches. And when man is central… when you and I are central… you know who isn’t? God! And there is no salvation is a man-centered church, proclaiming a man-centered gospel. You know why? Because the point of salvation is God’s glory, not man’s.
If the created order shines forth the glory of God, shouldn’t I join in by ordering my life accordingly? If God’s Word shines forth God’s glory, shouldn’t my life be conformed to what His Word ordains? O Lord, don’t let me live contrary to Your design or Your decree. That’s what’s going on here. May my life, my words, my every thought be pleasing to You, Lord. Why? Because in this Word, David met His Rock and His Redeemer.
And it’s in this Word that we meet ours. You see, it’s at the cross, that our eyes are finally opened to see the glory that was always there. We had been blind to it because we believed the lie… the lie that caused us to question God’s goodness, causing us to believe that God had withheld something good from us. You won’t see it apart from this Word, because only here will you meet the King of glory and all His goodness.