Psalms

4 Their sound has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.

Sound: the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of hearing by vibrations transmitted through the air or other medium; a noise, vocal utterance, musical tone.

Word: a unit of lanuage, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principle carrier of meaning; an expression or utterance; news, tidings, information.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

Tabernacle: any place or house of worship; a temorary dwelling or shelter, as a tent or hut; a dwelling place.

Rejoice: to be glad; to take delight.

Race: a contest of speed, as in running, riding, driving, or sailing; onward movement; an onward or regular course; the course of time.

6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Rise: to come into existance; appear; to move froma lower to a higher position; move upward; ascend; to ascend above the horizon, as a heavenly body.

Circuit: an act of instance of going or moving around; a circular journey, beginning and ending at the same place.

Hide: to conceal from sight; prevent from being seen or discovered; to obstruct the view of; cover up; to conceal from knowledge or exposure.

Heat: the state of a body percieved as having or generating a relatively high degree of warmth; the condition or quality of being hot.

The sound of the heavens and the sounds of the day and night, both the vibrations and the message, travel throughout the world declaring the glory of God. In these heavens, God has set a place for the sun and it is glad to move along its course. Likewise, God has set all of us in a place, and perhaps we could also be glad to move along our course. Maybe we don’t need to fight and worry so much for a new or different course, but rather seek to make the best of our current course.

From our perspective, the sun rises and sets, and returns again and again to do the same thing every day. Nothing can hide from the heat of the sun, and no one can be unaware of its existance. The sun just is, and does what it was created to do – and is happy about it.

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1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the expanse of heaven shows the work of His hands.

Declare: to make known or state clearly; to announce officially; to reveal, to show.

Glory: very great praise, honor, or distinction; adoring praise or worhipful thanksgiving; a state of great splendor, magnificence; a state of absolute happiness, satisfaction, contentment.

Expanse: an uniterrupted space or area; something that is spread out over a relatively large area.

Show: to cause or allow to be seen; to display; to indicate, or point out; to explain or make clear or make known; to prove.

Can you imagine that not only do the skies reveal the greatness and power of God, but perhaps also His general happiness, satisfaction, and contentment? That God Himself might be happy and content?

“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31

Can you imagine that the uninterrupted space of the skies is the indication and proof of God’s work? That perhaps it alone would make clear that God exists and is active?

2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.

Day: the period of light between between sunrise and sunset.

Unto: to; until.

Utter: to give audible expression to; to produce sounds.

Speech: the act or faculty of speaking; that which is spoken; a talk or address delivered to an audience; a national or regional language or dialect.

Night: the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

Reveal: to make known, disclose, display, exhibit; to reveal a secret.

Knowledge: acquaintance, awareness, familiarity with facts, truths, or principles, as from study, investigation, sight, experience, report; information.

Can you imagine that perhaps the day has its own sound and its own language? Maybe that’s why it gets so quiet at night; why sounds seem louder at night.

How much information do the skies reveal to us on a day by day, night by night basis? How much can a person learn just be being interested and perceptive of the speech that is uttered and the information that is revealed like a secret?

In two lines there is a basis for curiosity, investigation, and paying attention to the skies, if not also the natural world. From astronomy to biology, chemistry, physics; from farming, to sailing, to lightbulbs and minerals, God has set the natural world in a certain order, and perhaps we are able to learn about it as if it were a puzzle revealed piece by piece, day by day to those who pay attention.

3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.

Speech: the act or faculty of speaking; that which is spoken; a talk or address delivered to an audience; a national or regional language or dialect.

Language: a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition; communication of meaning.

Voice: the sound or sounds uttered through the mouth of living creatures; a sound likened to or resembling vocal utterance; something likened to speech as conveying impressions to the mind.

Hear: to percieve by the ear; to learn by the ear or by being told, to be informed of; to listen to, to give or pay attention to; to listen with favor, assent, or compliance.

The skies speak to everyone, across the world and across time; even more, the voice of the skies is heard by everyone regardless of their language and culture. Everyone knows of the inexpressible quality of the skies: their power and beauty, and amazing-ness; their glory. However, perhaps it’s not their glory, but God’s glory? Perhaps the thing we can’t quite describe about the skies is the revelation to our souls that God is real and amazing?

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