Thomas Aquinas: 2 witnesses to God’s love and power: the Bible and creation, and that’s the theme of Ps. 19.
First, the “book” the witness and testimony of creation – in this case, the skies. Then the “book” the witness and testimony of scripture. Both of them the work of God and both of them channels or conduits for the word of God. Let’s look at them both, in that order, the order which the David puts them in Psalm 19.
So, first, the witness and testimony of creation. Here we are in the season of Lent with quite a penitential service, remembering and regretting our sins, repenting of them and confessing them to God. All very Lenten, and the weather lately has been pretty lean and mean as well. Very grey, very cold and very windy. But it’s also Springtime (or meant to be) and (in theory!) it’s a good time of the year to spend time with God in creation (Maybe when the weather picks up a bit!).
Springtime brings with it lighter mornings and evenings, and birdsong and spring flowers. It’s a good time of the year for a walk in the park, a bit of gardening, even sitting near an open window. Let’s not just enjoy creation without the creator – as we spend time in and with nature we can be thinking and praying. We can – we should -- also looking and listening out for what God might be saying to you through the world he created. Jesus often took things from the natural world to show and speak to the people about God. Birds, animals, flowers, the weather, plants, etc. etc.
E.g. Jesus said “Consider the lillies of the field who do not toil or spin and even King Solomon in all his glory was not decked out as brilliantly as them.”
In that saying Jesus even instructs us to “consider the lilies” – i.e. to actively go out meditation on and with nature so that we might hear God speaking through it or at the very least draw godly lessons from it. I think Jesus must have spent time with God, in God’s creation looking out for and listening out for God speaking to him through creation.
So, how about some homework. Will you spend 20 minutes this week in or at least near God’s creation, looking and listening not just at nature but for God speaking to you through it? Now you might say you haven’t got 20 mins but I generally think people can always find time for what they really want to do. If I said I’d give you fifty pounds for doing it then I suspect you might be able to make the time, even if you couldn’t find the time (And there’s an important difference: do we find time for God or do we make time for God? You can’t always find time for something that isn’t important but you can usually make time for something that is).
I’m not going to give you fifty pounds. I’m going to give you something much more important: an audience with the Supreme and Ultimate Being who created, saves and sustains the cosmos and who loves you intimately.
So, that was nature, creation.
Second, the scriptures.
Ps. 19 vv 7 – 11 extol the merits and virtues of the scriptures. You might think the Bible is hard work and heavy going and that the Old Testament laws or commandments are especially so. Here David describes them in warm, glowing tones. Look for a moment at verses 7 – 11:
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
God’s scriptures are: perfect, reviving, trustworthy, making wise the simple, right, giving joy to the heart, radiant, giving light to the eyes, pure, enduring forever, sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
WOW that doesn’t sound hard or heavy. That sounds light and golden and sweet and life-giving and lovely. So, to recap. We’ve seen that creation is one testimony or witness to God, a work of God through which God speaks, we see the same is true for scripture. Rather neatly, each is in the other. The Bible is full of lessons from creation. We’ve seen how Jesus would sometimes take nature as his text to preach from, and creation is full of lessons and messages from God. In Psalm 19 the skies are speaking, telling of God’s greatness and goodness and glory in a wordless universal language that everyone can understand and no-one can hear. Creation itself points to, preaches about and praises its creator. Perhaps you could combine the two – nature and scripture – by taking a Bible out into the garden or to the park.
Read the Bible; read, as it were, creation, and listen for God speaking. Then maybe we’ll really be the sort of Son worshippers God wants. |
