Psalm 19:6 Komentář

There are two excellent books which the great God has published for the instruction and edification of the children of men; this psalm treats of them both, and recommends them both to our diligent study. I. The book of the creatures, in which we may easily read the power and godhead of the Creator (Psa 19:1-6). II. The book of the scriptures, which makes known to us the will of God concerning our duty. He shows the excellency and usefulness of that book (Psa 19:7-11) and then teaches us how to improve it (Psa 19:12-14). To the chief musician. A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 19 To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. This psalm was penned by David, and inscribed to the chief musician, as others, to be used in public service, and was designed for Gospel times, as the subject of it shows; which is first, not an account of the light of nature, and then of the law of Moses, but of the Gospel of Christ; and especially as ministered in the times of the apostles, as a citation out of it in Rom 10:18, makes clear.

The law of the Lord is perfect,.... By which is meant, not the law of Moses, or the ten commandments, but the "doctrine" of the Lord; as the word "torah", signifies, even the whole word of God, as in Isa 8:20. All the Scriptures of truth, which are profitable for doctrine; for setting doctrine in a clear light, and for the vindication and establishment of it, and are the rule of doctrine both to preachers and hearers; and which are "perfect", contain the whole mind and will of God, both with respect to faith and practice; whereby the man of God is made perfect, and thoroughly furnished to all good works, Ti2 3:16; and especially the Gospel part of the word of God may be designed, which both in the Old and New Testament is called "a law" or "doctrine", being eminently so; the doctrine of the Messiah, and of justification by faith in his righteousness, Isa 2:3, Rom 3:27. The Gospel is a perfect plan and scheme of spiritual and saving truths: it gives an account of perfect things; as of the perfect righteousness of Christ, and complete justification by it; of the full as well as free pardon of sins by the blood of Christ; and of redemption and salvation from all sin and evils by him: and it also shows where true perfection is; namely, in Christ, in whom the saints are complete, be being made to them wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; see Jam 1:25. This character, therefore, suits better with the Gospel than with the moral law; though that, as it is to be gathered out of the whole word of God, contains the good and perfect will of God, with respect to what is to be done or avoided; nor is anything to be added to it; nor did our Lord come to add unto it, or to make it more perfect, but to fulfil it, which men could not do; nor could the law make any man or anything perfect, either perfectly sanctify, or justify, or save; whereas the bringing in of the better hope in the Gospel does, Heb 9:7. The effect, under a divine influence and blessing ascribed to it, is, converting the soul; which is a further proof that the law of Moses is not intended: for though by it is the knowledge of sin, or conviction of sin, which often falls short of conversion; yet the Spirit of God, as a spirit of regeneration, conversion, and sanctification, is not received through the doctrine or preaching of the law, but through the ministration of the Gospel; which is designed to turn men from darkness to light, and from the powers of Satan to God; and which use it has when it is attended with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power; see Rom 3:20, though the words may be rendered "relieving", that is, refreshing and comforting the "soul" (z) as in Lam 1:11; Through want of bodily food, which is the case in the passage retorted to, the spirits faint and sink, the soul is almost gone, when, by the ministration of proper food, it is as it were brought back again, as the word (a) here used signifies, and the animal spirits are cheered and revived: and of like use is the Gospel; it is the food of the soul, by which it is refreshed and exhilarated, when ready to sink and faint away; hereby it is restored and revived, comforted and nourished; the testimony of the Lord is sure; this is another name for the word of God, or the Holy Scriptures; so called because they testify of Christ, of his person, office, and grace; of what he is, was to do, and suffer, and perform for his people, and of his glory that should follow thereon, Joh 5:39; and particularly the doctrine of the Gospel is the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ, both which he himself testified, and which is a testimony concerning him, Ti2 1:8. And this is "sure", or "to be believed" (b); the whole of Scripture is true, coming from the God of truth; having for its principal subject Christ, who is truth itself, and being dictated by the Spirit of truth; and particularly the Gospel part of it, and all the truths therein contained, especially the doctrine of salvation by Christ, which is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation: the Gospel is a testimony of record which God himself has bore concerning his Son, and eternal life by him, and therefore sure and to be depended upon; for if the witness of men is received, the witness of God is greater, Jo1 5:9. The effect ascribed to the word of God, Or to the Gospel under this character, is, making wise the simple. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, render it "babes" or "children"; and so Apollinarius; and the word here used in the Arabic language, is said to (c) signify such; and here it intends babes and children not in years, but in understanding, to whom God is pleased to reveal the truths of his Gospel, when he hides them from the wise and prudent: these simple ones are such who are sensible of their simplicity and folly, and of their want of understanding; who, with Agur, think themselves more foolish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man; and these, by the word of God, are made wise to know themselves, their folly, sinfulness, imperfections, and impotence; and are made wise unto salvation, to know the right way of salvation by Christ; see Ti2 3:15; where the same phrase is used as here, and seems to be borrowed from hence, and is used of the Scriptures; which also make men wise in the knowledge of Gospel doctrines, the wisdom of God in a mystery, which to know is the greatest wisdom and understanding, and much more so than to be acquainted with the law only, Deu 4:6. (z) "recreans animam", Vatablus, Schmidt; "refocillat", Piscator. (a) "Restituens animam", Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius; "reducens", Gejerus, Montanus; so Ainsworth. (b) "fidele", V. L. Musculus, Pagninus; "fide dignum", Piscator, Michaelis. (c) Shemot Rabba, s. 3. fol. 93. 2.

By heavenly power and co-operation, like a sun ray, the saving Word quickly illumined the whole earth. Straightway, in accordance with the divine Scripture, the voice of its inspired Evangelists and apostles “went forth to the whole earth and their words to the end of the world.” And then in all the cities and villages, churches were quickly established, filled with multitudes of people, like a teeming threshing floor, and all those souls, bound through hereditary succession and original error by the ancient disease of idolatrous superstition, on being set free as it were from terrible masters and finding release from most difficult bondage by the power of Christ through both the teaching of his disciples and their wonderful works, rejected all demoniacal polytheism and confessed that there was one God alone, the Creator of all things, and this One they honored with the rites of true piety through inspired and rational worship that was implanted by our Savior in the life of people.

Christ fills his world with copious lights, since “his going out is from the end of heaven, and his circuit even to the end of it, and there is no one who can hide himself from his heat.” Benignly he gives light to all, wishing not to repel the foolish but to correct them and desiring not to exclude the hard of heart from the church but to soften them. Hence … Christ in the Gospel invites them, saying, “Come to me, all you who labor, and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”

“And there is not one who may hide himself from his heat.” Really there is none who does not have the seeds of the knowledge of God.

"His going forth is from the highest heaven" [Psalm 19:6]. From the Father is His going forth, not that in time, but from everlasting, whereby He was born of the Father. "And His meeting is even to the height of heaven." And in the fullness of the Godhead He meets even to an equality with the Father. "And there is none that may hide himself from His heat." But whereas, "the Word was even made flesh, and dwelt in us," [John 1:14] assuming our mortality, He permitted no man to excuse himself from the shadow of death; for the heat of the Word penetrated even it.

Someone lights a lamp.… That lamp, as far as regards the little flame that shines there, that fire has light in itself.… When the lamp was not there, your eyes were inactive and saw nothing. Now they, too, have light, but not in themselves. Accordingly, if your eyes turn away from the lamp, they are darkened. If they turn toward it, they are enlightened. But that fire, as long as it exists, emits light; if you wish to take the light away from the fire, you extinguish it also at the same time; for without light it cannot remain in existence. But the light, Christ, is inextinguishable and co-eternal to the Father, always glowing, always shining, always burning; for if he did not burn, would it be said in the psalm, “There is no one who can hide from his heat”?

As often as water is contracted by excessive cold, if the heat of the sun comes on it, it becomes melted; when the same sun departs, the water again becomes hard. Similarly the charity of many people freezes because of the excessive coldness of their sins, and they become as hard as ice; however, when the warmth of divine mercy comes on them again, they are melted. Surely that is the heat of which it is written, “Nothing escapes its heat.”

Likewise he explains this similitude when he says, "From the highest heaven." And what is said here can be understood in two ways. In one way, because there are two points according to the astronomers, namely the summit of the heavens, where the sun is when it is at midday, and the opposite point, which is the angle of the earth, where the sun is at midnight. And this is what he says, "His going forth is from the end of heaven," according to those who begin the day from midnight, "and his circuit even to the end thereof," with respect to the angle of heaven where it is at midday. But if it is referred to one high point, there is one point where the sun is at midday. And this is what he says, according to the astronomers who count more days from midday; as if to say: from the meridian point is his return, namely of the sun, to that same place: Eccl. 1: "The sun rises and sets, and returns to its place." His effect is manifested when he says, "And there is no one that can hide himself from his heat"; as if to say, the sun at its meridian so scorches the earth and is so hot that in some lands a man can scarcely endure: Eccl. 43: "At noon it scorches the earth, and who can withstand its burning heat?"

"From the highest." Here he continues on the ascension, and concerning this he does three things. First, he sets forth the fitting ascension. Second, its terminus. Third, its fitting effect. The first, when he says, "From the highest heaven is his going forth." It is natural for each thing to tend to its own connatural place. The highest natural place is owed to him who has the highest nature. Christ was born from the Father having the highest nature: Eph. 4: "He who descended is the same who also ascended." And therefore he says, "From the highest heaven is his going forth," namely, through his eternal generation. And he says, "from the highest," not from the ethereal or the empyrean or any other, but from the being of the Trinity, because he is consubstantial with the Father, the same in essence. Then he sets forth the terminus. He says therefore: "And his circuit is even to the highest point thereof": Jn. 16: "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again I leave the world and go to the Father." The effect follows: "And there is no one who can hide himself from his heat": Eph. 4: "He gave gifts to men." Likewise: "He ascended above all the heavens, that he might fill all things." The sun, when it is on high, warms all. So Christ, ascending, sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples; hence he says, "And there is no one who can hide himself from his heat." The Holy Spirit warms: Song 8: "Its lamps are lamps of fire." But do not many fail to receive his warmth? It must be said that as it is with the material sun, so it happens with the Holy Spirit. Many can hide themselves and not receive the heat of the sun, but the sun for its part offers itself to all; so the Holy Spirit is poured out everywhere and seeks to be received by all, unless someone hides himself through malice. Or, "there is no one who can hide himself," and so on: because even if the sinner does not receive him, still he cannot be hidden from being known by him, and so on. Prov. 15: "Hell and destruction are before the Lord."

After exhibiting the harmonious revelation of God's perfections made by His works and His word, the Psalmist prays for conformity to the Divine teaching. (Psa 19:1-14) the glory of God--is the sum of His perfections (Psa 24:7-10; Rom 1:20). firmament--another word for "heavens" (Gen 1:8). handywork--old English for "work of His hands."