Text: Psalm 19
WHO SPEAKS FOR GOD?
Who speaks for God? We could say that God does quite well on His own. Indeed this is the testimony of the Psalmist in Psalm 19. Who speaks for God? Well, "The heavens are telling the glory of God", that is, the stars and the galaxies and solar systems - all speak for God. They "declare His glory". And isn't it true? Anyone who has a heart that is not full of self and pride can see that the heavens are God's messengers. The firmament - that is the sky and all that we see there "proclaim His handiwork." Creation points to the Creator. Have you ever read a piece of poetry or looked at a piece of art and said to yourself, "The artist who created this must have had a beautiful mind." The art, the poetry clearly told you something about the person who created it. You didn't allow yourself to rest in the beauty of the art alone. You recognized that it was a mirror of someone's personality and character. And so it is with creation. It is a large canvass upon which the creator God has left His imprint and through it we can catch a glimpse of who God is. It is a continuous witness. "Day to day pours forth speech, night to night declares knowledge." The heavens are telling - they are continually telling of the glory of God of His beauty, creativity, might and power. It is a universal witness. "Their voice goes through the whole earth and their words to the end of the world." There is no one who hasn't seen. There is no one who hasn't witnessed the glory of God. Certainly this is what we read in the book of Romans that God has given everyone everywhere the testimony of existence - of His eternal power and divine nature in what has been made so that no one is without excuse (Romans 1:20). But note, you have to listen carefully. For, "there is no speech, nor are there words, their voice is not heard." (verse 3) That doesn't mean that creation does not communicate. It means that it communicates in audible ways. You have to listen, for they do not speak with words, but with beauty and mystery and order and wonder. The witness is there, but if you are not careful you can miss it. I have always scratched my head in bewilderment at scientists who do not believe in God. Some study the wonders of the sky, others study the orderly scientific laws of this world, or the complexity of the human body, yet many remain unmoved, remain nonbelievers. To be sure there are some scientists who believe, and thank God for them. We need to hear their voices. Voices like James Simpson who discovered chloroform in the last century, he was once asked, "What is your greatest discovery?" And he, having paved the way to pain free surgery, said, "My greatest discovery is that I am a great sinner and that I have a great Saviour." Having grown up in a family of gardeners I spent a lot of time in the yard with the dirt and flowers and vegetables. And to this day I marvel at the beauty of creation and see it as a reflection of the creator. It is simply too wondrous, too complex, too exact and orderly for me to believe that is was created by chance. I remember in grade six taking part in a debate over the question, "Does God exist?" I remember when it was my turn to speak using one piece of evidence in particular to sway the class in favour of the existence of God. I had discovered that the honeybee when it finds a food source flies back to the hive and does a little dance to communicate with the rest of the hive and tell them exactly where and how far the food is. All of that could not have happened by chance. And we can highlight numerous other wonders of the world that point to God. The psalmist in Psalm 19 points to the sun and says, "Look, the sun is under a tent of the sky and it's coming out is spectacular, a wonder to behold." (verses 4,5,6) He compares it to a bridegroom all decked out, beaming with joy coming out of his wedding tent. And then it runs its course like a strong man, from the end of the heavens and its circuit is to the end of them. Nothing is hid from its heat. Who speaks for God? The heavens, of which the sun is but one example are telling of the glory of God. The story is told of a missionary who had been trying to impress the chief of the tribe with the nature and character of God. The chief pointed to his idols and said, 'There are my gods. Now show me your God and perhaps I will believe in Him." The missionary explained that God is invisible and could not be seen if we did see Him we would be blinded by His wonder, His beauty and purity. The chief was not moved, "Here are my gods, you show me yours." The missionary said, "I cannot show you God but I can show you one of his messengers. Let me blindfold you in your hut, and I will take you to one of His great messengers." The chief agreed. The missionary blindfolded him, took him outside, and told him turn his face to the sky. Then he snapped the blindfold off and the chief staggered back blinded by the blazing light of the noonday sun. "That," said the missionary, "is but one of the servants of my God. That is why you cannot see Him." The sun spoke a language even the chief could understand. 1 Who speaks for God? The heavens are telling the glory of God. But not only the sky but there is also the scriptures. Not just the created world but the revealed Word of God speaks of God. And it is to this revelation that the psalmist now turns. The law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul. And for five verses the psalmist exults in the written Word of God. He uses several words to describe the same thing. Each description is a little different but each refers to the written word of God. The written Word speaks for God. And how wonderfully it speaks. It speaks in a way that creation could never. Creation speaks for God, but only generally, it speaks of God's power. But says nothing of God's love. It speaks of God's creativity but says nothing of His grace. Creation speaks of God's sovereignty but says nothing of His nature to seek and to save the lost. Not it is in the Word that we have God revealed to us. His love, His grace and His desire to seek and to save the lost. While creation testifies generally to God, Scriptures reveals Him specifically. And look how the Word is described. It is perfect, sure, right, clear, true and righteous altogether. This is so contrary to what the world teaches us. We are constantly bombarded with the idea that the Bible is not true, that it is full of errors. That the stories are myths. I have a file full of these. Here is an article that quotes a biblical scholar, Robert Funk, as saying, "that there is more fiction than fact in the gospels." Or this article which quotes scholars as saying that Biblical Israel is fiction, King David and his son Solomon are mythological characters. And then this cover story in Macleans - only 3 months ago - suggesting that the Bible is a good book but really bad history. But how we need to get our sources right. You and I are Christians and we bow our knee to God and we take our cues and orders from Him and what does He say about His word? He says that His word is perfect, right sure and true. There is no command in this book that is not perfect. The precepts of this book are right. There is no teaching in this book which will lead you astray. The ordinances of the Lord are true. There is no quotation in this book that has fault or flaw. The law of the Lord is perfect. But you say, “Pastor, surely the Bible can't be trusted to be historically accurate.” And I say sure it can. And it has proven itself over and over again. For example the Bible speaks of a city called Petra, a city built out of solid rock. Those who questioned the authority of Scripture said such a place does not exist. But then in 1812, archaeologist J.L. Burckhart discovered this vast city carved in the sandstone rocks south east of the Dead Sea. In this city they find forums, theatres, temples, palaces, dwellings and tombs cared out of the multi colored sandstone - 200 to 400 feet in the air. Over and over again, the Bible has proven itself to be flawless, it is perfect, trustworthy, right and sure. If there are historical facts that are yet to be answered they will be if the Lord does not return tomorrow. Because the Word of the Lord is flawless in its content. Just before we leave that idea of content - think for a moment how unified the Bible is in its content. Here is one book comprised of sixty six different books, written over a period of about fifteen hundred years by about forty different authors. These authors are not alike; they came from different levels of society and from diverse backgrounds. Some were kings; others were statesmen, priests, prophets, a tax collector, a physician, a tentmaker, and a fisherman. And together they have produced a work of marvellous unity in its doctrines, historical viewpoints, ethics and expectations. In it, in short, a single story of God redeeming the world to Himself - beginning with the people of Israel, centering on Jesus Christ, culminating with His second coming. How do we account for this unity? Only one thing? Behind the efforts of more than forty human authors is the one perfect sovereign and guiding mind of God." 2 It is perfect in its intent - the word of God is perfect in its intent. O, how the Word of the Lord is perfect in its ability to transform lives. How able it is to purify the soul, of all hatred and anger and everything impure as the Holy Spirit uses it as a scalpel to cut out that which is ungodly. How able it is to make wise the simplest of people. Making us wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:16). How able it is to make our hearts rejoice as we read of a loving God who seeks us and gives us His own Son for us. How able it is to enlighten our eyes so we can see the way we are to walk to follow God. The word of God is perfect in its ability to transform lives. This is perhaps the greatest argument for the flawlessness of Scripture - its amazing ability to be an instrument of transformation. Some years ago the great preacher, Harry Ironside was in San Francisco and one day he was invited to give his testimony of how God had saved him through faith in Christ in an open-air meeting, right out on the city street. Now being a shy man, Ironside agreed. And as he spoke a large crowd gathered to listen and there on the edge of the crowd, Ironside noticed a well-dressed man taking notes. When Ironside finished the man came forward and the preacher recognized the man who had made a name for himself lecturing for socialism and against Christianity. The man handed Ironside a card and the card read, "Sir, I challenge you to debate with me the question, ‘Agnosticism - that is the belief there is not God, versus Christianity’ at the Academy of Science Hall, next Sunday at 4. I'll pay the expenses." Ironside read the card out loud to the audience, then said, "Sure. But to be sure the gentleman has something worth debating about I want to make the following stipulation. I will come to the debate if the gentleman will promise to bring with him two people, the first person he should bring with him is a man who has been known as what we call a ‘down and outer’. I'm not concerned the nature of his sin, but someone who was considered to be an outcast of society. Let it be a man who was under the power of his evil habits for a long time, and was unable to break from them until one day he came into one this man's meetings and heard how bad Christianity is, and how untrue the Bible is, and after hearing the speech the down and outer said to himself, ‘I'm going to become an agnostic,’ and as a result of accepting your philosophy chanced his life. The horrible habits he once loved he now hates, he now lives a life of purity and goodness. All because he has become an agnostic. The second person he should bring is a woman, and then Ironside gave a similar description - someone who had been transformed by they power of this man's belief that there was no god. And then Ironside said, I'm sure with a smile on his face, to the man who handed him the card,“If you will bring those two people I will promise to meet you at the Academy of Science Hall next Sunday. And I will bring with me 100 men and women who for years lived in the worst sin you can imagine but who have been gloriously saved through believing the gospel you ridicule. I will have these men and women with me on the platform as witnesses to the miraculous saving power of Jesus Christ and as present day proof of the truth of the Bible.” Apparently the man who made the challenge had some sense of humour for he smiled wryly and waved his hand in a deprecating ways as if to say, "Nothing doing" he then edged out of the crowd while the bystanders applauded Ironside.3 So the Psalmist looked at his own life and recognized the value of the Word. It is to be desired more than gold, than much fine gold. Why? Because it is worth more. Has gold ever kept you from harm? No. But says the Psalmist by them is your servant warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. He recognizes who speaks for God and prays a prayer of repentance. He is brought low by the realization of God's revelation in creation and Scripture. But God not only speaks through the sky and Scripture, He also speaks through his servants. As His servants, you and me, see God reflected in creation, as we submit ourselves to His Word He asks us to speak for Him. He asks us to witness on His behalf. The Psalmist realizes this, I believe, and prays, "let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you o Lord my Rock and my Redeemer." He prays that his testimony, both visually and audibly would testify to the reality of God. That he would testify to the Rock of his life and the redeemer of his soul. Who speaks for God? God does quite well on His own. The skies, the Scriptures speak for God. But by His grace He invites us to speak for Him. That our lives and our words would be a living testimony of His reality. As we gaze at the wonder of creation and submit ourselves to the authority of Scripture, knowing that it is flawless in content and intent God asks us, to speak to this world for Him.
Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - February 2003
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