Ps. 19 Pt. 1

1.                  The heavens / are recounting / God’s glory   and the firmament / is declaring / the work / of his hands. One can often get a sense of the author of these psalms as they are patiently worked through. The previous psalm strikes me as one probably written by David, a man of intense honor and devotion, of martial demeanor and of great passion, a man whose focus on the political realm is almost absolute (fitting for a king of course). This psalm seems almost the opposite. The author strikes me as deeply meditative and contemplative. His vista is as broad and all encompassing as possible; he is much more ‘abstract’ than David and he strikes me as a man of capable of intense but calm joy.  The rhythm of his though seems to be liturgical and almost stately. I could see him being a friend of the gospel writer of John.  The heavens are the focus of this first half of the psalm (vs. 1-8). It begins in the most expansive terms possible: the heavens and the firmament. This opening therefore serves as a type of summation or introduction. From here, the focus will move into more narrow categories (day, night, the sun). However, before moving into greater particularities, the psalm wants to ‘set the stage’; these are not particular bodies that are recounting God’s glory—the entire heavens and the firmament. It is the entire created order standing above the earth. As we will see later, this primes the reader of the psalm for a vision of effusive and all consuming praise. Just as, geographically, the psalm begins with the greatest possible expression of praise, so too will it later employ images of almost uncontainable praise. There is certainly a sense here that what is attempting to be portrayed is a mystery, a ‘something more’. Not only will the images seems to contradict themselves (they speak without words) but they will pile upon themselves (like a bridegroom, (no, better) like a warrior) in an attempt to shed a greater light on what is at the center of the psalm: God’s glory and Yhwh’s ‘torah’. It will only be through the interplay of these various aspects that ‘something’ will emerge. “Recounting God’s glory”: God’s glory, throughout the OT (and into the NT), is something of almost indescribable beauty and power. It would not be possible to list its various expressions. However, what we can say is that its effect upon any observer is overwhelming: prophets fall down as if dead, Israel retreats like some salamander from its flames, Moses’ face becomes incandescent in its presence, it lifts itself up in a terrifying chariot, it is surrounded by the finest jewels of creation. And yet, even in all of these descriptions, one is always aware that the author is, perhaps, not even getting close to its reality. And when we look at Genesis (which this psalm is obviously based upon, in some form), we come to understand that the ‘heavens’ themselves are not simply a ‘dwelling’ for God; they themselves were created. They are not divine. This is not meant to diminish their beauty or power, of course, but to point to the fact that a greater ‘glory’ (sovereign power) is their creator. One approach I have always heard of in relation the ‘de-mythologizing’ of Genesis is how the author shows creation is ‘not divine’ but ‘simply’ created. I wonder, though, if the reverse is not in fact the case—that the author by showing these things to not be gods was actually removing a hindrance to seeing their greater beauty. In this way, the ‘de-mythologizing’ would have been a removal of something that was eclipsing an even greater light within the heavens themselves; by showing these heavens to be created, they actually burned brighter, not less.  I think this may actually go some way to seeing this psalm in its proper light: we are not here describing the modern sense of ‘matter’ and ‘space’. We are, rather, in a more enchanted realm. A realm where the created order is grounded on its subservience, and obedience, to God. It is not simply ‘following laws’, but enacting and showing forth an almost covenant fidelity. God’s glory is never simply a physical manifestation of his presence/power; but a manifestation of his sovereignty and lordly authority. For ‘the heavens’ to recount that glory would require of them to also recount this very real and deeply intimate conviction—not simply power. On some level, though, this has done nothing to answer what it means to ‘recount God’s glory’. It would seem that to do this is to, in some way, “offer praise”—the heavens are then engaged in liturgy to God. Although it does not say they ‘sing praises’ to God’s glory, there must be this element—later, the psalm will use phrases that suggest this (for the sun: bridegroom; warrior ‘rejoicing’). Likewise, their ‘voices’ ‘pour forth’ speech, to the extremity of the world. Furthermore, this is what they are doing. The line would feel different it said, “The havens recount God’s glory”. With the inclusion of ‘are recounting’ one is already made aware of the fact that this liturgy is permanent, ‘always already’. This is picked up in the next line: “firmament is declaring the world of his hands”. Again, it does not say the firmament ‘declares’ but ‘is declaring’. It is happening, right now. The world is encased in this ongoing, continuous, overflowing praise. This writer is aware of a silent symphony being played around him, modulating and undulating, but perfect in its pitch and tone. “Day to day / pours forth speech  Night to night / makes known knowledge”. One could picture here a heavenly stream, continuously overflowing onto the earth. During the day, the speech is not only present, but ‘pours forth’. In this way it is wild, and prodigal in its praise; it is continuously, and without interruption, being renewed from its source. To perceive this, then, is to be aware of this ‘prodigal’ nature of heavenly praise—it is ‘wasteful’, joyous and liberality. The image is muted at night: “makes known knowledge”. One fact of this is interesting: during the day light is so prevalent it acts as a type of canopy or veil to the night sky. During the day the only celestial object that is (generally) visible is the sun. Perhaps the day ‘pours forth’ praise, because light is ubiquitous during the day, whereas at night, the canopy of light is pulled back to reveal the more muted, but more sublime, beauty of the speckled heavens. They both, in their own way, ‘recount’ and ‘declare’ but in seemingly very different temperaments.  There is / no speech / and there are / no words;  their voice is / inaudible.  Their voice has / gone forth / into all the earth,  and their words / to the extremity / of the world. This section concludes the first half of the first half of the psalm, and it is fitting in its contradictory nature to what has come before (heavens/firmament/ day-to-day/night-to-night). Here, though, we enter a world of apparent contradiction, not contrast. These verse operate in a chiastic fashion:

There is no speech and no words

There voice is inaudible

The voice has gone forth

And their words to the extremity of the world.

The psalm has just said, day-to-day ‘pours forth speech’. It now says, ‘there is no speech’. It has been said that this points to the fact that the heavens to not literally speak. To put it mildly, that would be a rather silly observation and I think there is something very different going on here than something so obvious. A first step is to recognize that he does not say they have ‘no voice’ but that it is ‘inaudible’. It is not something heard. Furthermore, this comes at the end of a litany of verbs of speech: recounting, declaring, pouring forth speech, making known knowledge. It seems that this psalm has, thus far, been something oriented toward the sense of sight, more so than to the ear. I would wager, then, that the ‘words’ are words that ‘poured’ into the eye; they are ‘recounted’ and ‘declared’ to the eye. It is not simply that creation is ‘silent’ but that this psalm is focused, rather intently at this point, on the visual liturgy of creation, rather than the auditory. It is fascinating that there would be such a focus then on ‘voice’, implying hearing. Furthermore, I think this may be setting us up for the second half of the psalm where the ear will play a central role as to hearing the Torah of Yhwh. Might it be that the eye perceives God whereas the ear perceives Yhwh?