Tuesday, March 7, 2023

 

Tuesday, March 7, 2023


Psalm 19

Genesis 43:15-34

Luke 13:1-9


Observance: Perpetua and her companions, martyrs at Carthage (d. 203)


Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.


Psalm 19 has to be the Psalm par excellence.


It is the foundational, key text for an effective apologetic: verses one to six speak of what theologians call “general revelation”. That is, a human being, with zero spiritual training, can stand outdoors and, simply by observing the world around them, know that there is a creator God, that that God is good, and that God is worthy of worship. This means that whenever we need to defend our faith to the aggressive unbeliever, or explain it to the honest seeker, we can all begin from the same starting point. Atheism is a fig-leaf; everyone knows that there is a God.


Then, in the next five verses, we read about another theological term called “special revelation”. This is the understanding that there are certain things about us and God we can only know because God explicitly tells us. It is a beautiful truth, and it is worth celebrating, both for ourselves, because we have been taught by our Creator how to get the most out of life, and in praise of God, because it tells us that God wants the best for us.


Verses eleven to thirteen then address both the fact that we cannot keep to God’s instructions perfectly, as well as the fact that there are forces that would have dominion over us. This is where we hear whispers of the gospel of Jesus: God is the One who clears us from hidden faults, and makes us blameless, and innocent of great transgression.


God’s glory is undeniable; He radiates, and lets us see some of that radiance in the natural world. God has blessed us with instructions on how to live well, and has in so doing given us a great gift, to be treasured above all other worldly goods. Finally, God has cleared us of any evil we commit, purely by God’s virtue and goodness to us.


The last verse is like falling into a soft bed after a stressful day. Rest easy, Christian. God has blessed you many times over. Cling to Jesus, and joyfully live the life of good deeds He has planned for you.



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