In the previous article in this series, we saw that
there are two kinds or categories of divine revelation:
general and
special. General
revelation is God’s uncovering of knowledge through means available to
all mankind. The Scriptures indicate that God uses three major means of
general revelation: nature, history, and conscience. God can use these
as means of general revelation because all people are exposed to some
form of nature and history, and all people have consciences.
At least three biblical passages indicate that God
uncovers knowledge to mankind through nature, specifically the heavens.
The first is Psalm 19:1–6.
David began Psalm 19 by stating, “The heavens declare
the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (v. 1).
The word translated “glory” (kabod)
means “to be heavy, weighty.”
The Bible uses it most frequently in a figurative sense for “the concept
of a ‘weighty’ person in society, someone who is honorable, impressive,
worthy of respect.”
Thus, a person’s glory is anything concerning that person causing him or
her to carry weight with others. It is that which is impressive and
demands recognition, gives a person influence, sets that person apart,
and distinguishes him or her from others. For example, Jacob’s great
wealth and Joseph’s powerful position as an official of Egypt are called
their glory (Gen. 31:1; 45:13). These things gave these men influence
and recognition and impressed others.
The word translated “showeth” means “to place a
matter high, conspicuous before a person.”
In light of these meanings of
glory and
showeth, we can
conclude that David was saying in Psalm 19:1 that the heavens declare
what is impressive or influential concerning God. They display what
should be obvious to the human eye and mind—namely, the conspicuous,
distinctive stamp of His divine handiwork. The magnitude, beauty, order,
and design of the heavens testify to the existence, wisdom, and power of
their Creator.
Have you been impressed with the existence and
greatness of God while gazing at the magnificent star-studded heavens on
a clear night If not, perhaps some data concerning the universe will
help to impress you. Are you aware that the planet Earth weighs
approximately 6,600 quintillion tons (6,600 with an additional 18
zeros).
To convert this astronomical figure into pounds, you must multiply it by
2,000.
The earth is huge in contrast to each human, but in
comparison with the sun in our solar system the earth is very small. Did
you know that 1,300,000 earths are needed to match the volume of our sun
The sun is enormous, and yet it is one of the
smallest stars in our galaxy. Another star, Antares, is so gigantic that
it occupies 90 million times as much space as our sun and is 390 million
miles in diameter.
In spite of its great size, Antares is only one of
approximately 100 billion stars in our galaxy.
Our galaxy is so massive that it takes 100 thousand years for light,
traveling at approximately 186 thousand miles a second, to move from one
end to the other.
It is so thick that five to ten thousand years are needed for light to
travel from the top to the bottom.
Although our galaxy is so vast, it is only one of
approximately one billion galaxies that astronomers had been able to
photograph until a few years ago.
As new techniques and instruments for probing the heavens continue to be
developed, even more tools are invented. Recently “the world’s largest
optical telescope has captured an image of the most distant galaxy known
... The galaxy lies approximately 12 to 15 billion light-years from the
“Milky Way” and “spans 200,000 light-years in diameter.”
Are you beginning to feel a little bit insignificant?
Why did God create a universe of such magnitude, beauty, order, and
design? He did it to so impress His human creatures with His existence
and greatness so that He could have life-changing influence in their
lives. As a result of observing the heavens, we should be impressed with
God’s infinity and our own finiteness. David expressed such an
impression: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the
moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, What is man, that thou art
mindful of him And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Ps. 8:3–4).
In Psalm 19:2, David emphasized a time factor: “Day
unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.” While
quoting from Keil and Delitzsch’s
Commentary on the Old Testament, Leonard
J. Coppes stated the following significance for the verb translated “uttereth”
“In Ps 19:2 naba
images the ‘uninterrupted line of transmission’ and ‘inexhaustible
spring,’ the ‘day’ issuing in declaring God’s glory.”
David was indicating that there is no time limit on this revelation of
knowledge concerning God through the heavens. It has been going on 24
hours a day without interruption since the beginning of time. Thus,
regardless of the time period during which a person has lived on the
earth, he or she has been exposed to this revelation.
In verse 3, David emphasized a language factor: “No
speech, no languages; their voice is not heard” (literal translation).
David’s point was that there is no audible speech, no language involved
in this revelation that comes through the heavens. It is a totally
silent communication of knowledge concerning God. Because this
revelation does not come in the form of languages, there are no language
barriers to its effective communication. As a result, this revelation
can be understood by people of all languages.
In verse 4a–10, David emphasized a geographical
factor: “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words
to the end of the world.” According to Earl S. Kall and, David used the
word translated “words” “for the revelation of God (Ps. 19).”
David was asserting that the revelation of knowledge concerning God that
comes through the heavens is worldwide in scope. It comes to every
geographical area. As a result, no matter where people live on the
planet Earth, they are exposed to this revelation. In line with this,
Ralph H. Alexander wrote, “Creation itself gives a ‘worldwide’ witness
to God’s glory (Ps 19:4) which should result in Yahweh’s praise (Ps.
98:1).”
The expression “Their line is gone out through all
the earth” contains an additional implication. In the Old Testament, the
word translated “line” frequently referred to a measuring line, a
standard by which other objects were measured (Isa. 34:17; 44:13; Jer.
31:39). Concerning this word, John E. Hartley stated, “A line is
basically a measuring line. It stands parallel to plummet (Isa. 28:17).”
In light of this concept, the additional implication of Psalm 19:4 is
that the knowledge concerning God revealed worldwide through the heavens
is the foundation for a world-life view. This foundation (the existence,
wisdom, and power of one infinite, eternal God who created the universe)
is the measuring line or standard by which the foundations of all other
world-life views should be measured or evaluated. Any foundations that
do not agree with this standard are contrary to reality, as are the
views based upon them.
In verses 4c and 5, David applied a twofold simile to
the sun to illustrate the role it plays in the revelation of God through
the heavens. First, the sun “is like a bridegroom coming out of his
chamber.” Here David borrowed from one aspect of Jewish marriage customs
in Bible times. After the bride and groom arrived at the house of the
groom’s father on their wedding night, they were escorted by the members
of their wedding party to the bridal chamber (huppah).
While the groomsmen and bridesmaids waited outside, the bride and groom
entered the bridal chamber alone. There they consummated their marriage
through physical union.
After the marriage was consummated, the groom came
out of the bridal clamber to announce the consummation to the members of
the wedding party waiting outside (Jn. 3:29).
Similarly the sun, after hiding from view during the hours of darkness,
comes out of hiding each morning as it appears over the eastern horizon.
It too comes out of hiding to deliver an announcement. As it moves
across the heavens from east to west, it announces the existence of the
infinite, eternal God who had the power and wisdom to create it and
place it in the heavens. The sun faithfully gives this witness to the
entire world every day.
In the second simile, David declared that the sun “rejoiceth
like a strong man to run a race.” Just as a runner, whose body has been
trained to the peak of endurance, rejoices as he or she approaches the
finishing line because he or she has the strength necessary, to run a
race, so the sun rejoices as it approaches the eastern horizon because
it has the power necessary to race across the sky every day giving its
witness concerning God. The sun has such great power that “each day the
Earth receives in the form of solar energy about 20,000 times the total
world electrical-generating capacity.”
“The Sun converts five million tons of matter into energy every second.”
In spite of this enormous conversion, it has the capacity “to shine for
... 100 billion years at the present rate.”
Even a blind person who has never seen the sun is
exposed to its witness concerning God. David said, “there is nothing
hidden from the heat thereof” (v. 6). Thus, there is no escaping the
glory of the sun in one way or another, be it through sight, heat, or
its effects on all that it touches.
David’s statements in Psalm 19:1–6 imply that there
are no time, language, or geographical limits on this revelation of
knowledge concerning God through the heavens. Regardless of historic
time of life, language, or geographical location, every human being has
been exposed to it. In addition, any world-life view that is not based
on this revealed knowledge is contrary to ultimate reality.
The next article in this series will examine the
other two passages related to God’s revelation of knowledge through
nature.