Grace abounds. Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more.
We know and we talk it up often. As we’ve been working through Hebrews together there’s been a constant reminder that Jesus – as creator, sustainer, heir of God and ruler – also generously and continuously pours out grace through the purification of sin he provided for us on the cross. It’s a complete and continuingly complete purification that has been accomplished on our behalf. There’s nothing to add, there’s nothing more that has to be done or that can be done for us to receive salvation than for us to respond to this invitation from Jesus to join Him at His table.
And yet, somehow, there’s more to say. Psalm 19 tells you that. And here’s where we need to be careful. Having accepted this undeserved invitation to become a child in his family he invites us to be the best Jesus billboard we can be. He asks us to live accordingly. To respond to his love by loving others. To be a blessing to others out of the over of the blessing we’ve received. None of this qualifies us any more or less…it’s simply entering into this sweet life that we’ve been invited into. We put off ungodliness (behaviours that are harmful to us, to others and to our relationship with God) and we seek to be holy as he is holy. Not in a weird and crazy way that’s disconnected from the world in which we live but a faithful way that’s utterly integrated and whole. A life that lines up with the one in whose image we were created.
I think that’s what David is on about in verses 1-6. He starts out with this beautifully poetic description of all of creation praising God and declaring his glory. The creation around us speaks volumes of God’s majesty and brilliance. For David, it does even more. It is a written and spoken commentary of the God’s glory (God’s presence, work and action).
Then David moves to the law, or the Torah as the Israelites would have understood it. David proclaims the Torah for its perfection, its ability to revive, its trustworthiness, righteousness, radiance, purity and endurance.
God’s Word is more precious than gold to David for they contain wisdom. For us they contain the words of eternal life.
David makes a great observation in this Psalm. We can’t always see our stuff.
We don’t always see (nor perhaps desire to acknowledge) our sin. Our friends might help – if we’ve placed ourselves around Godly people of discernment, wisdom and knowledge, and we’ve made ourselves open for correction – they might be a great source of clarity.
His Word though is truth. It gives us hope, grace and mercy but it doesn’t bend with permissiveness, it guides with precision. So David prays a great prayer: ‘Lord, forgive me for my sins of commission and omission. My sins of commission: the thoughts, words and actions that I have committed that are opposed to your Word. And the sins of omission: the thoughts, words and actions that I haven’t done and should have.
He closes with this brilliant and perhaps familiar prayer that we should etch into our minds and on our hearts:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
God invites us into this spacious and graceful life fuelled by his forgiveness, acceptance and mercy. He calls us on towards Him. He grieves to see us wallowing in the mud of our own choosing when His desire us for us to enjoy life, and abundantly.
Grace and obedience aren’t at two ends of some imaginary spectrum. Obedience to what we’re called onto in Jesus is a response to the undeserved grace we’ve received. Creation declares the depth of the glory we’re being called on to. I pray for all of us a revelation of the depth of his grace, and the new life in Christ that it paves for us, as we respond, trust and obey.
– Simon Elliott