Reflections on Psalm 19, the Psalter for Sunday, January 21, 2006This Psalm speaks of sounds, voices, and words, subconscious, conscious, and conscientious. The silent thunder of the heavens proclaims God’s glory. The sky bears mute testimony to God’s works. In a peculiarly ironic, contradictory way, the Psalm struggles to find words to describe these words beyond words:
There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (19:4,5 NRSV)
How can it be that without utterance, without words, their voice carries all over God’s creation? The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) and The Vulgate (Latin translation) tried to resolve the unheard/heard conundrum and translated with the more sensible “There is no utterance, there are no words, whose sound goes unheard.” (Jewish Publication Society Tanakh).
Something is lost, I think, by attempts either ancient or modern to fix the Psalm writer’s seeming confusion. Creation refuses to keep quiet. Day by day it insists on declaring God’s glory. The ancient poet beheld the sun emerging rom heaven’s tent like a bridegroom from the chamber, “like a hero, eager to run his course.” The whole world can see and hear what is beyond saying. Without distinct words (at least in frequencies human ears respond to) creation booms away, speaking to the subconscious of God’s work. As the Psalmist watched the sun rise and set, he heard: the Lord God had made an ordered, dependable world.
The Psalmist heard other words; even as the good God brought a well-ordered world into being, he also provided for well-ordered living of that same world’s inhabitants. The Lord had spoken in clearly understood terms: teaching (“Torah”), decrees, precepts, commandments, “the fear of the Lord” (the Hebrew phrase for “worship” or “religion”), and ordinances (19:7-9). More desirable than gold, sweeter than honey, his enduring words renew life, set things aright, make fools wise, bring joy to the heart, and give light to the eyes. They also reward to those who pay them heed.
When disorder threatens, words from God forestall error and speak to the conscience. When disorder prevails, words from the Lord restore and cleanse. “Who can be aware of errors? Clear me of unperceived guilt, and from willful sins keep Your servant; let them not dominate me….” (Psalm 19: 13-14, JPS Tanakh).
The Psalmist’s meditation on the marvel of wordless and wordful speech leads him to pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the prayer of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:15, JPS Tanakh)