I. Introduction

Here is a psalm of David, no doubt with the great spectacle of the rising sun in his view awaking prayerful meditations on the Creator Jehovah, and His Word; thus in lockstep arising in David’s heart, said meditations, all the more spectacularly.

The many links to figure 1 are purposed to stir appreciation of the diverse causals attributable to the Word of God—the finger of the LogoS (Figure 1).

We will follow this format:

Verse of Scripture utilizing the YLT text followed by an NASB mouse over of that verse. Key words in the YLT text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Hebrew text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word (we are not biblical Greek or Hebrew scholars, please consider our grammatical constructions with a critical eye).

Commentary We shall always be commenting on this passage keeping before us the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.

II. Psalms Nineteen Commentary Verses

19:1-6- The Heavens Bespeak the Glory of Jehovah God, Elegant, Magnificent, Creator

YLT TEXT: To the Overseer[1]. — A Psalm of David[2]. The heavens[3] are recounting[4] the honour[5] of God[6], And the work of His hands The expanse[7] is declaring. Day to day uttereth speech[8], And night to night sheweth knowledge[9]. There is no speech, and there are no words. Their voice hath not been heard. Into all the earth hath their line[10] gone forth, And to the end of the world their sayings, For the sun He placed a tent[11] in them, And he, as a bridegroom, goeth out from his covering, He rejoiceth as a mighty one To run the path. From the end of the heavens is his going out, And his revolution[12] is unto their ends, And nothing is hid from his heat. (Psalms 19:1-6, Psalms 19:1-6, NLT).

COMMENTARY: The light that comes from the heavens—our observable universe—which is, besides the aesthetics, codified information, literally does tell a story[13]. It is radiative energy stemming from sundry heavenly hosts which can be decodified to gain insights about these sources. And what we learn bespeaks design and power. Specifically, how so? It bespeaks design precisely because the heavens are a connected system; a system, and its parts, governed by the logic of (algorithmic, codified) mathematics[14]. The heavens speak logically, in the language of mathematics, itself another form of aesthetics exuded by the heavens. It is for this reason that we as logical creatures endowed with the capacity to think mathematically and thus design in our own right, understand the little bit that we do about the heavens. And now as to said power, but first, a short definition: Power is realized energy per unit amount of time; the shorter the time over which said energy is realized, the greater the power. The heavens bespeak power precisely because of the inherent energy of the heavens-system, energy by which it betrays itself to us, and because of the very brief interval of time during which all this energy was realized. It is thought that the energy of the observable heavens is only a fraction of the total energy therein, hence the energy here realized is staggering to say the least, and even more so the originating power, given a quite finite and specific beginning to our universe. All this energy is part and parcel of the to-date unaccounted-for primordial energy of our universe.

Now design bespeaks a designer; this is axiomatic. And power bespeaks a source, this too is axiomatic. What we learn from the heavens, from the story it quite literally tells us, plausibly attests to the Creation claims of the transcendent Creator-Designer Jehovah. Thus, Jehovah must be a Being with unimaginable inherent energy, and with unimaginable intellect and know-how, and a Being that of necessity stands entirely outside the mundane Causal Network He designed and manifested and upholds to, it goes without saying, His exceeding glory:

The heavens are recounting the honour of God,and the work of His hands the expanse is declaring. Day to day uttereth speech, and night to night sheweth knowledge. (Psalms 19:2; consider Psalms 8:3, Figure 1)

Mathematics is of God, who is the Master Mathematician. The language of mathematics is lucid, it is the lucid language of logic, nay, of the LogoS. It is in fact so lucid, that many do not hear it unless it is spoken just so; and too many others who do hear it, do not hear the LogoS in it:

There is no speech, and there are no words. Their voice hath not been heard. Into all the earth hath their line gone forth, And to the end of the world their saying (Romans 1:20, Figure 1).

The heavens we behold so keenly these days bespeak a glorious Algorithm O so silent, so elegant (Figure 1).

19:7-11- The Law of Jehovah, a Greater Majesty

YLT TEXT: The law[15] of Jehovah[16] is perfect[17], refreshing[18] the soul[19], The testimonies[20] of Jehovah are stedfast, Making wise the simple, The precepts[21] of Jehovah are upright, Rejoicing the heart, The command[22] of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes, The fear of Jehovah[23] is clean[24], standing to the age, The judgments[25] of Jehovah are true[26], They have been righteous[27] — together. They are more desirable than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey, even liquid honey of the comb. Also — Thy servant is warned[28] by them, ‘In keeping[29] them is a great reward.’ (Psalms 19:7-11, Psalms 19:7-11, NLT).

COMMENTARY: The Spirit of Jehovah God has prepared us by way of introducing the simpler, albeit majestic things concerning His Creation in the previous verses to now behold the deeper, quintessentially majestic things concerning His Holiness in the remainder of the verses. Only those of us who have found Jehovah God in His relatively simpler things just before will find Him in the deeper, richer things of His that now follow. Let us go first to a sort of outline-table to introduce the remainder of the verses, and then we shall discuss them in turn (Table 1).

(1)         It is good to be refreshed. A good meal, sleep, a shower, a workout, fun conversation with a good friend/s, on it goes. How does Jehovah’s Law fit in here; how does it refresh? We are told that it refreshes the soul: “…The law of Jehovah is perfect, refreshing the soul…”. It is a different kind of “refresh” that we are considering now than the former refreshes. The human soul is corrupt, it is corrupted, it is not at all what Jehovah God intended it to be when He gave it to each of us to personally develop in a manner that reflects His heart. Jehovah’s Law shows us our corruption and at the same time shows us that by the Law we may “refresh” our souls unto perfection. Of course, none of us can, of ourselves, make this refresh happen—that is the work of God in, once again, the LogoS, Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17, ”A Letter of Invitation,” Figure 1). God’s Law stands for all that is right (it is perfect—totally foreign to the human experience, and necessarily misunderstood), and that perfection is the craving of many a corrupted, weary soul that longs to be refreshed unto the perfection it was intended to have—these are the souls that cry out for refreshing to God (Psalms 119:18-the wonderful things in God’s Law are in the face of Jesus Christ; to know Jesus is to understand God’s Law).

(2)         Jehovah God is unchanging—thus is deity by default; it follows that His testimonies are as well: “…The testimonies of Jehovah are stedfast…”. The testimonies of Jehovah God are His very Reality, and thus they are Truth, which is absolute (=quintessentially steadfast). Why are the testimonies of Jehovah God His Reality? Because testimonies attest to something; here, Jehovah’s testimonies attest to (betray) who He is, which Being (ontological), is His Reality. And Jehovah God’s Reality is necessarily Truth.

We can go a little further with this. Truth is foundational to Wisdom. In the negative, Wisdom is not Wisdom unless it be Truth. It follows that Jehovah’s testimonies make wise the simple (and the not so simple, and the whatever else there is that is lacking wisdom). It is God’s Reality, that is, it is Truth, that makes the simple wise and the wise wiser. God’s Reality, Truth, is precisely the Word of God, even the LogoS. The LogoS testifies to God, to God’s Reality, to Truth (Figure 1).

(3)         Jehovah’s precepts—(not least moral) principles by way of instructions—are upright; that is, they are morally right, ethical (Matthew 5-6, 7:12, “The Beatitudes”): “…The precepts of Jehovah are upright, rejoicing the heart…”. Jehovah is upright because He is God (the proof of His deity is from first to last in the ministry of Jesus Christ). Thus, it follows necessarily, that the Source of all ethical standards is Jehovah God. That there are other ethical proposals besides those found in in the Word of God, is but redundancy where these align with the Word of God, and where they do not align, they are by default outliers, not ethical in the strict sense—the Standard here is in the Word of Jehovah God.

Moreover, Jehovah’s instructions cause the heart to rejoice:

Premise 1: An upright instruction to an upright heart is a rejoicing thereto.

Premise 2: All of Jehovah God’s instructions are upright.

Conclusion: An upright heart will receive Jehovah’s instructions with rejoicing.

The interesting question is, how do you and I receive Jehovah’s instructions, with rejoicing, or otherwise? Given the preceding argument, it is a testimony to the uprightness of our heart this response.

(4)         How is the command of Jehovah pure? “…The command of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes…”. It is holy, that is how. Jehovah’s commands are holy, like He is holy. Jehovah’s commands are commandments unto holiness. His commands are designed to make one holy (Leviticus 11:44-45, 1Peter 1:13-16, “Be Holy”). In this way, they enlighten the eyes unto holiness: ‘…Do this, it is like unto holy Jehovah your Father God; do not do that, it has not at all the holiness of Jehovah in it…’. In this manner do Jehovah’s commands quicken our holiness cognizance (Psalms 119:9). He is fostering His image in us via the “schoolmaster” of His commands—one rightly predisposed to receive them and obey them is enlightened aright (=unto holiness) by them. This enlightening is the work of the blessed Holy Spirit, our Helper. Our Helper helps us appreciate God’s commands for what they are certainly, but beyond that, as teachers unto holiness.

(5)         Cleanliness is next to Godliness—thus it was understood in Israelite society from early on in its relationship with the LogoS of Clean and Unclean (Figure 1). And here from the lips of the very LogoS of Clean and Unclean we are given the spirit (as opposed to the letter) of Clean and Unclean:

The fear of Jehovah is clean, standing to the age.

There we have it, plain and simple (as opposed to super-added and complicated, as in the generations after Ezra): The Fear of the LORD is clean, no more, no less. David could not have known that Isaiah would, several hundred years later, further define Clean by One coming many more centuries later still, even Jesus Christ:

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,

And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, (Isaiah 11:1-3, red font added).

What is the Fear of the LORD? It is, as the text tells us, clean, which means: Undefiled with respect to God’s Laws, Precepts, Commands, and Judgments, all of which are subjects of discussion in these verses. In other words, we have hit the Mother Lode with this one—precisely the Fear of the LORD is the means to the ends we have been discussing. The Fear of the LORD is Clean. A little more practically, the Fear of the LORD presupposes, is motivated by, love for Him, which manifests in a sober reverence for all that He holds dear, which is identically all that He says to us (John 14:15, 23-24), as found in His Word. Motivated by love, yes, but nevertheless, humanly speaking, a “tall order” here in its detailed outworking this reverence, to say nothing of consistency therein. Therefore, thanks be to God that we are clean by the Word the Clean One spoke to us (John 15:3), upon whom | which we stand, stand Clean, to the age. Praised be your Name great savior God, even Clean, Fear of the LORD, I AM, LogoS, Word of God (Figure 1). Amen.

(6)         Jehovah’s decisions and verdicts are true— “spot-on” is meant. Besides the literal message here (that is, this accuracy is for Jehovah a Name), Jehovah’s judgments lend an invaluable decision-making advantage to whosoever wishes to learn His leanings in practical matters. One can check on Jehovah’s leaning in a matter and go with it like a winner. One must learn how Jehovah judges a situation (a lifelong learning actually—the sooner one starts the better), and if that same situation presents itself one knows the right way to go to win—to win spiritually by doing what pleases Jehovah God, particularly because one’s leaning will be righteous, in line with Jehovah’s judgment which is righteous, of course, and to win physically by getting ahead of the curve. The Bible is our ultimate guide and is fraught with Jehovah’s decisions and verdicts (for example, the Book of Proverbs=the Book of Judgments, Proverbs 1:1ff—this is just one example amongst many); it is wise to know which way He leans in a matter so that one leans that way too (=agreement).

The Spirit of God surely helped David come to appreciate this “goldmine” because David can’t say enough about how terrific Jehovah’s judgments are not least for his own personal benefit: “…The judgments of Jehovah are true, they have been righteous – together [i.e., altogether]. They are more desirable than gold, yea, than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey, Even liquid honey of the comb. Also — Thy servant is warned by them, in keeping them is a great reward…”. Smart guy this lover of Jehovah God David.

19:12-14- O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer, Hold me Fast

YLT TEXT: Errors[30]! who doth understand[31]? From hidden[32] ones declare me innocent, Also — from presumptuous[33] ones keep back Thy servant, Let them not rule[34] over me, Then am I perfect[35], And declared innocent[36] of much transgression[37], Let the sayings of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, Be for a pleasing[38] thing before Thee, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer! (Psalms 19:12-14, Psalms 19:12-14, NLT).

COMMENTARY: Jehovah’s Law, testimonies, precepts, commands, Fear of the LORD—all previous subjects—make lucid errors, that is, they make lucid sin (Romans 7:7ff), for without Jehovah’s Law, testimonies, precepts, commands, Fear of the LORD, there is, by definition, no error/sin: “…Errors, who doth understand?…”. Without this ethical and spiritual roadmap from God one knows not error. Why? Because without this Standard from the highest Authority, namely Jehovah God, personal ethics and spirituality are at best relative. So, it is by the Word of God, the LogoS, by which we come to “understand” in this context (Figure 1). Notwithstanding: “…Errors, who doth understand…?”, asks David (asks the Holy Spirit). I pray it is you and I Christian friend, for we are without excuse in this learned Church Age. That one would confess their sins and believe on the Savior Jesus Christ shows this understanding (“A Letter of Invitation” unbelieving friend, consider also “Be Holy”).

Now enters trouble. So far so good and indeed all is well and good and said roadmap has a chance so long as things are open for discussion as it were, but hidden sins—now there is trouble; who can discern them, besides God? (Or, what fool thinks He doesn’t?) Who even wants to discern them—hardly anyone it would follow if they are kept buried nice and deep in their safe, secret, secure little, or maybe not so little, heart-vault? This calls for some sober, Word-guided introspection and careful attention to the roadmap promptings of the Spirit of God who alone can “crack” heart-vaults. One must, like David here, want to discern them. Not easy to do oftentimes. But if that scary first step of the will can indeed be hurdled, then taking the next step involves asking a more than willing God to show them to us: ‘…My Lord, show me my hidden sins. O Lord, just a few of them at first lest I despair of Victory for I fear there are many; bring me along my Lord—I am willing, you are Able (Philippians 4:6-7). Help me great savior God, My Lord and Redeemer, and glorify thyself in this at my expense, and where I fail you, declare me innocent, wash me clean by your precious redeeming blood great savior God…’.

Now enters yet more trouble, trouble heaped upon trouble: What are we to say of presumptuous sins, those sins that presume to be a Law unto themselves? “…From hidden ones declare me innocent, also — from presumptuous ones keep back thy servant, let them not rule over me…”. Satan’s Sin was (is) presumptuous. How so? That unclean thing presumed (presumes) to vaunt itself above everything that is of Jehovah God (Isaiah 14:12-15). Presumptuous sins “strut their stuff” as it were. That is why they are easy to spot, in contrast to hidden sins, which must be revealed to us by God. Presumptuous sins must be throttled by God—that is why David petitions God on the one hand about revelation (hidden sins), and on the other about rule (presumptuous sins). And ever since Satan’s first efforts at this, this unclean thing has gathered unto itself aplenty flesh and blood and otherwise stepping-stone stooges to try to do just that—it rules over these presumptuous sorts—kin in spirit. By God’s grace, David understood this; and that is precisely why David asks that presumptuous sins not rule over him. Hidden sins, presumptuous sins—presumably a one-two knockout punch thrust by the enemy. But David’s prayer cuts Satan’s thrusts asunder: “…Then am I perfect, and declared innocent of much transgression…”. The petitions of David here are terrific (revelation, non-rule), but are incomplete as they stand, and David quite knows it. If hidden sins and presumptuous sins are presumably a one-two knockout punch thrust by the enemy, then the targets of those blows—that little member called the tongue, itself ever so tightly tethered to that sin-seedbed called the heart, both must needs be shored up by Jehovah God: “…Let the sayings of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be for a pleasing thing [not for an unclean thing…] before Thee, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer!…”. O let it be thus with my mouth and my heart before thee great savior God, my Rock and my Redeemer! I know I walk but by thy Grace my Lord. Amen.

Praised be thy Name eternal LogoS, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.