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The glory of creation is celebrated in this psalm.
When we look at the magnificence of the universe, we see the glory of God revealed. The beauty of creation itself should be a constant reminder to us to live a life pleasing to the Creator.
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and there is nothing hid from its heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern his errors?
Clear thou me from hidden faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Words to Remember
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
All Creation Shows Us the Truth about God
In explaining what St. Paul meant when he said that God’s nature has been clearly perceived in creation, St. John Chrysostom comes back to Psalm 19. Everything in creation shows the power and wisdom of God, and the beauty and wonder of the world is meant to draw us closer to him.
“Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20).
In the same way, the prophet said, “The heavens are telling the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).
For what will the pagans say in that day? “We didn’t know about you”? Didn’t you hear the heaven sending forth a voice by the sight, while the well-ordered harmony of all things spoke out more clearly than a trumpet? Didn’t you see the hours of night and day abiding unmoved continually, the goodly order of winter, spring, and the other seasons remaining sure and unmoved, the regularity of the sea amid all its turbulence and waves? All things abiding in order—and by their beauty and their grandeur, loudly preaching the Creator!
For all these things, and more than these, Paul sums up in saying, “The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”
And yet this is not the reason why God has made these things, even if this is what came of it. For it was not to leave them without any excuse that he set before them so great a system of teaching, but so that they might come to know him. But by not having recognized him, they deprived themselves of every excuse. And then to show how they are bereft of excuse, he says, “For although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Romans 1:21).
—St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans
Questions to Think About
1. How could I grow in appreciation of the beauty in the humblest things around me?
2. Do I regularly thank God for the goodness of creation?