By Jeremy Bell
This is my personal study on Psalm 19 using groupings from my motif analysis from my book, Psalms in Motif Visualization. I have taken these groupings of the Psalm and put them together. So, the entirety of the Psalm will be posted, but these groupings will present the text in a different order. Here, I consider the songwriter, the sound waves of music, and God’s voice as a physically powerful agent to create all of existence.
The Analysis Summary
My analysis of Psalm 19 demonstrates it is a simple verse form. A verse is one idea that still has a breakdown of pattern, but those patterns are contained in one idea. I have identified 3 distinct sections, or elements. These sections are much like the sections of a piece of music, each related, but distributed in a pattern throughout the Psalm. When I write for Visualization, my goal is to highlight the patterns and intent over strict translation. I hope it gives fresh encouragement, but I strongly recommend the Psalm to be read as is for proper understanding.
Cymatics
Cymatics is the study of visible sound. At first, that seems to be impossible. But if you’re a person who is really into loud music, you have probably witnessed the inside of your speakers moving when the volume is all the way up. Sound is a wave of energy. It may be invisible, but it has effect. Different sounds produce different waves, and those waves have different effect.
Mark Pretorius a Senior Academic at the South African Theological Seminary and author. He has taken time to consider how sound and theology mix. For me, scientists have filled my mind with visions of a “big bang” they often display as an explosion of light. I suppose one assumption is this big bang happened in space and in space, there is no sound. Sound needs atoms and molecules, and empty space does not provide that. But Mark has a different perspective. What if that burst or bang of light came from sound? What if it was the waves of God’s audible voice that birthed the universe?
God Said
The Bible says that in the beginning, was the word. In Genesis, it starts by saying “God created”. By verse three, Genesis states, “God said”. There are many paths’ scientists and theologians go down in trying to discover the where and way we came to be. I will let them speak for themselves. But now, I take the time to consider the power of Gods’ voice and words. The sound and its’ waves that would cause the universe to exist. The heavens and all of creation would declare His glory indeed. It is so powerful and magnificent to consider, I will let the Psalm writer do the poetry work for me. Read!
[ Psalm 19 ]
Regrouped and modified for clarification
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.
The heavens declare the glory of God.
The expanse shows his handiwork.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul.
Yahweh’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple.
Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart.
Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Yahweh, Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.
Let them not have dominion over me.
Day after day the heavens and the expanse pour out speech,
and night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
The tent for the sun is as a bridegroom coming out of his room,
like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.
His going out is from the end of the heavens,
his circuit to its ends.
The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever.
Yahweh’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether.
They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold,
sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.
Help me Yahweh, Then I will be upright.
I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.
The voice of the heavens and expanse has gone out through all the earth,
their words to the end of the world.
There is nothing hidden from the heat of the sun.
Moreover your servant is warned by Yahwehs’ ordinances.
In keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern their own errors?
Yahweh forgive me from hidden errors.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.
Music of Life
There is power and awesome wonder in everything decreed by God’s voice. He created a perfect universe with human ambassadors. He gave those ambassadors a will and option to disobey Him and unfortunately, we are living in the consequence of their decision to mistrust Him. Creation does not simply sing His praises and fill us with the wonderful music of life. It displays law and promise. It sings of commands and obedience.
God sent His son, Jesus, to live, die, and live again. Jesus is recorded as saying that he came to fulfill the law and that there would not be a tiny pen stroke of the law left unaccomplished. The gospel is that God has a glorious plan that includes His people to magnify His glory. The great news for people is that through faith in Jesus and by Gods’ grace, we can participate in that plan. In the last book of the New Testament God speaks, and He speaks about the time after the end of all brokenness.
Beginning and End
God’s voice from His throne says: “Behold, I am making all things new. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.” These are powerful words. These are words that are on the way, and they are words that we can live in now.
Let God’s voice, His sound waves, affect the meditation of your heart today, even now! Sing a song to Him, adore Him! He deserves it and you can enjoy Him, with Him, now! Enjoying the goodness of God, singing in the power of His word, is truly vibrating in The Nature of Joy.
Resources and Notes
All scripture in this article is from the WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB). The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.
For more related to this blog, check out my post on Unity in the Bible Truths About God.
This is a reliable translation, but it is always good to read other translations as well. Biblegateway.com has a multitude of translations to read from. It is a great resource.
Another great resource is Biblehub.com. There are multiple translations, commentaries, and so much more. Great research can be done on this platform.
One more I use regularly is Gotquestions.org. This is a great site to answer questions and find threads of related questions.
There are many resources. The key is that God wants relationship directly with you, the individual. His primary source for revealing who He is and growing in intimacy is His word, the scriptures. Don’t just read for instruction. Analyze and read for understanding. Explore, ask questions, and be transformed in Jesus every moment you possibly can. There is no dispute this is a key desire of God. People are brough to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This… This is the Nature of Joy.
Jeremy is an author, musician, and business intelligence manager. His mission is to equip and encourage those in Christ, to equip and encourage others in Christ. Jesus, Christ, is the Nature of Joy and melody of the heart. Jeremy unites business analytics (business intelligence), songs, and Scripture for Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit.