PSALM 19 — Commentary for Verses 1 -- 6

      To Link to a Printable copy of the Full Commentary (pages 1--3) Click HERE

Page 1 of the Commentary is shown below; this is the content that was presented in class on July 20th.   Definitions for Majesty and Glory are shown on pages 2 and 3.  Access those pages by clicking the link shown above.

PSALM 19 — Commentary for Verses 1 -- 6

  By:  George Nielsen

“A Powerful God”  

God’s Power and Love are shown in the glory and majesty of creation.  

(We will briefly cover definitions of the words glory and majesty in class; these are new words to many 5th graders, so parents should go over the definitions with their child.)   

Our Focus for the students is

• that they recognize God’s power and love, as seen in creation, and particularly when they consider the stars in the sky, and the sun.
• Also, we declare, just like David did when writing this Psalm, that it is impossible for the order and the systematic astronomical flow and motion of the stars in the heavens (the appearance of motion, as the earth is moving around the sun) to be the result of some random, uncontrolled event -- the explosion of matter, referred to as  “the Big Bang.”
• We have explained briefly, in earlier classes, how the moon and the stars were used to mark the passage of time, and for the development of a calendar:  
• the sighting of the first sliver of the new moon was the indication that a new month had begun.
• each month had a different formation of stars that appeared overhead, and the pattern formed in a particular month would re-appear every thirteenth new moon - resulting in naming of months and in a 12-month annual calendar.
• God gave mankind this astronomical system to help us to have order in our lives, and also to have special “appointed times” (in Hebrew: ‘moedim’) for worship and giving special offerings to God.   These “appointed times” - known as Feasts of the Lord are still important for Christian people today.