It is encouraging to know that in the midst of all the lies and deception we are being subjected to these days, there is a place we can turn to for truth. Even those who are illiterate can turn to God’s creation and find truth. It is a great insult to God when a person denies His very existence. The multitudes of people who have rejected Him will certainly be without excuse when they stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the great white throne judgment. The majesty and magnitude and the glory of God are on display for all to see just by looking at the heavens.
As we look into the sky we can see the glory of God. King David is the writer of this psalm. We know that he had an abiding relationship with the true God. He believed in God and he demonstrated that belief in many ways. He spent time as a young man, watching his father’s sheep. No doubt he spent time with them at night. He could watch the stars. There were no street lights to interfere with the brilliance of the stars. He saw the moon and in the daytime he saw the different cloud formations and the sun. There was so much that he saw and observed that clearly pointed to the glory of God.
The naysayers look to the same heavens and they try to figure out where the answer is to the age of the universe and how it all started. They are fools. The Bible says so. God has given every person enough light that they can look into the heavens and they can know there is a Creator. There is no doubt about that. The person who will allow God to direct their thoughts will discover that the Creator is God.
The firmament refers to that area where the clouds are. There were no jets in the sky to interfere with the beauty of the heavens. David saw the majesty of the heavens and he knew this pointed to his God. He was encouraged as he looked into the heavens. He was in awe of the greatness of God. That is the response that any sane person will have as they look into the sky. They will be in awe of what God has made. They will be in awe of the intelligence of God. When we think that those clouds that we see can hold large quantities of water and yet they look like they are so fluffy and light, when we see the birds flying in the sky under the clouds, how can they move around so majestically in that space, there must be a God. We can breathe that same air that they are flying in and it is never depleted.
In verse 2 David was directed to remind us that every day is unique and every day shows forth the glory of God. There is always something we can learn from the study of the heavens. We do not need a space station up there. We do not need to send rockets up there. David saw things with his naked eye that many “scientists” never see. David had the right understanding of what he was looking at. We do not know what David all saw in his view of the sky. Our text tells us that there was a message being sent by God through the heavens. It was not an audible voice. It was a visual scene that spoke of many great things to the observant viewer.
David also knew that at night God was revealing His greatness to all people. David saw it. David recognized it.
The word translated as “knowledge” means perception and discernment. David learned more about God with his naked eye and with his enlightened heart than many people do today with their sophisticated equipment. David approached the heavens with an understanding that God is. That is important. His brothers did not seem to have this same understanding. They were too self-centred and too proud to acknowledge God’s greatness. We can see how people can grow up in the same household, in the same environment and yet come away with completely different understanding. It is important to lay hold on that basic truth that God is. From there we can be instructed in Who God is and how great He is.
In verse 3 we see that the multiplicity of languages, that were a judgment from God, do not interfere with man’s ability to hear the voice of the heavens. It does not matter if a person comes from the jungles of the Amazon or from what we call a “third world country”, all people can look up into the sky and see that there is a great and glorious God. The problem that man faces is the rejection of God’s truth.
Cain knew the same truth about God that Abel knew. Cain knew of the holiness and greatness of God. He chose to approach God from a much different perspective than Abel did.
The people of Noah’s day had access to the same truth that Noah had. Noah chose a vastly different approach to God than the majority of mankind did. David had the same access to God’s truth that his brothers had. He chose to believe in God, while his brothers chose to ignore God.
The same holds true today. We all have the same capacity to know God. There are those who have more severe mental limitations than others do. They still have the capacity to observe things. The problem is that too often children are exposed to so many lies that interfere with the facts. It is not that they cannot be amazed by what they see in the heavens. It is that adults mock God and many never bother to take the time to study the heavens with their children. They do not bother to show them the constellations or the cloud formations. They are too preoccupied with materialism.
Children are very inquisitive. Rather than sit in front of the TV or some digital game, take some time to observe what God has made. Notice the greatness of the true God. Notice His glory. Stand in awe of Who He is and of what He has made.
When we consider the greatness of the heavens, it will help us to take a much wiser view and position of the hot air that proceeds from so many naysayers around us. We can actually help them to stop and consider the more important and needful aspects of life. We can help them to see there is a great and glorious God Who is still in charge and to whom all people will answer.
Those that are parents of young children, take them outside and just have them take note of what they see in the heavens. Be ready to help them to see Who put that up there. Help them to see the glory of God as they look at the birds flying or the clouds forming and changing. Let them see the different constellations that appear in the night sky. Let them try to count the stars as God challenged Abraham to do. Just try to section off a small portion of the heavens and then try to count the stars in that small section. That will open your eyes to the greatness of God. Abraham was certainly enlightened by God’s challenge to him. Obviously David was also awe struck by what he observed in the heavens.
Pastor Bartel