Psalm 19 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 19 Short Summary:

Psalm 19 begins with the famous words, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” The creation spoke to David of God’s existence. Later in the psalm he praises God for giving men his commands, precepts, and laws, whereby men can live upright and holy lives.

Psalm 19 Summary

AUTHOR:

• According to Psalm 19:1, this psalm was written by King David.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• Romans 10:18

THEMES:

• Creation declares the existence and glory of God.

• God’s words are desirable and full of wisdom.

DEFINTIONS:

• Presumptuous Sin – Sinning without respect or regard for God’s law. Generally, this is sin done by a person who is fully aware their actions are contrary to God’s instructions.

OUTLINE:

• CREATION IS THE HANDIWORK OF GOD (19:1-6):

  • The psalm begins, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”

  • David looked up into the sky (the heavens) and heard God speaking to him, not verbally, but through the incredible things He created.

  • No matter where a person was on earth, they could know there was a glorious God in heaven. They could know this because during the day, the sunrise and sunset preached it to them, and during the night, the tapestry of planets and galaxies whispered it to them in starlight.  

• THE LAW OF GOD IS A MARVELOUS THING (19:7-14):

  • From the creation, David shifts focus to God’s commands.

  • He wrote, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul” (19:7).

  • God’s law can make a simple person into a wise person.

  • God’s precepts make the heart rejoice.

  • God’s commandments are pure, and they give light to people’s eyes.

  • His rules are true and righteous.

  • Knowing God and His instructions is to be desired more than gold.

  • There is a sweetness in them more potent than the sweetness of honey.

  • David wanted to live according to God’s laws and he asked God to keep him away from hidden faults and presumptuous sins.

  • He concluded the psalm expressing his desire that his words and thoughts would always be pleasing to God.
    

APPLICATION:

• This psalm describes two important parts of God’s revelation that are essential to living in God’s will, “general revelation” and “specific revelation.”

• We can know that God exists because we see signs of a designer around us in creation. This is general revelation.

• General revelation tells us there is a god, but it doesn’t tell us exactly who that god is or what he wants from us.

• This is why “specific revelation” is also necessary. The word of God, the Bible, which the Holy Spirit inspired, is God’s specific revelation to men. It tells us about God’s identity, our identity, why we were created, and what God expects from us.

• Both “revelations” were necessary for David to serve God, and they are still necessary for us to serve God.