Praise the Lord for sweet summer. We
spent the last few days camping with Micah, Simeon, Ada, and their parents,
Janice and Jeremy. Jessica and Tom joined us for a couple nights. We camped
along the shores of beautiful Tully Lake, a very rustic and yet very majestic
campground located in Western Massachusetts very close to the New Hampshire
border. As we drove to the campgrounds we saw several signs along the roadway
warning of "Moose Crossing".
As we arrived at camp Simeon, who turned
7 on the 8th of July, had caught a big mouth Bass. He was so excited and so
thrilled to surprise me with his big catch. In fact, his daddy prepared the
fish for our lunch. The campground is quite rustic, with a 200 acre man
made lake constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of a flood
control plan. No power boats are allowed on the lake ... only kayaks and
canoes. We spent some time canoeing there. It was a great time with our
grandchildren, spending time with them looking at the beauty and the blessings
of the Lord through their eyes.
We spent the time in the deep woods under
the vast skies, looking at the unhurried sun and the moon. The stars that were
dazzling and the trees were majestic. I was reflecting on the amazing Psalm
19. Looking at verses 1-2, the first thing the Psalmist tells us is that
creation declares God's glory and creativity. Here it talks specifically about
the heavens and the skies. We see the sun marching across the sky in verses 5-6
being used as an image of majesty. However, these are only symbols indicating
the broader sweep of creation. Everything in creation declares God's glory and
presence.
Paul, in Romans
1:20 makes the point: "For since the creation of
the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power, his divine nature —
have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..."
The first part
of Psalm 19 speaks of God revealing
Himself through creation; theologians call this "general revelation". The
second part of the Psalm talks about God revealing himself in a special way —
through Scripture. Verses 7-11 focus on this special form of revelation.
Through His Scriptures God reveals Himself, while through creation, God reveals
His glory. Through the Scriptures, God reveals His will by means of law,
statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances. The Psalmist declared that the
Scripture is perfect, trustworthy, radiant, and more precious than gold.
Scripture reveals details about God's
character and his expectations of his creatures. According to Psalm
19, God's
revelation in creation is enough to show that He exists and He is
glorious. God's revelation in Scripture is also trustworthy and is our guide
for life.
God's Word gives us certain knowledge
about his character and desires. "For the word of God is living and active.
Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
(Hebrews 4:12)
God reveals his glory through creation.
He reveals his character through Scripture. Best of all and above all, God
uses this knowledge to shape us and transform us. In Psalm 19:12-14
we have a prayer for
forgiveness of sin. Here also we have a prayer that our words and thoughts
might be pleasing to God. David was praying that the Scriptures would have
their effect on him. In response to God's revelation, David repented his sin
and desired to do what is right. He asked God to forgive him and to empower
him for living a life that would bring glory to His Name.
I love the the story of Helen Keller, the little girl who was blind, deaf,
and unable to speak. I love to read how Annie Sullivan persisted in teaching
her how to communicate, first by writing letters on her hand, then by reading
Braille. Annie even taught Helen how to speak by the age of 10. Shortly
thereafter, Helen Keller was introduced to Phillips Brooks, the famous Episcopal
preacher from Boston. As they sat, knee to knee, Brooks began to tell Helen, by
writing the letters on her hand, the story of Jesus. Suddenly, Helen jumped up
and croaked out, "I knew him. I knew him. I just didn't know his name!" She
knew him — she knew he was there, but only in the shadows until that time. It
took Phillips Brooks proclaiming the story from Scripture to for it to click.
She would later write, "The Bible is the record of man's efforts to find God and
learn how to live in harmony with his laws." The shadows that she knew in that
dark and quiet world became clearer through the light of Scripture proclaimed to
her.
In Christ,
Brown
