Psalm 19 – Stop and smell the roses – then love their creator

Stop and smell the roses. Then love their creator. We usually hear "stop and smell the roses". But there's so much more to life than "just" doing that. So much we miss out on if that's "all" we do.

Here's the long version of stop and smell the roses:

1. Go to where the roses are, generally
2. See the roses
3. Get right up to the roses
4. Get a good look at the roses
5. Smell the roses
6. Think about the beauty and aroma of the roses
7. Decide what, if anything, to do as a result of steps 1-6

With that thought, let's read Psalm 19.

<span class="wgs-Bible"><strong>Psalm 19 
</strong>
For the director of music. A psalm of David. 

Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; 
the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Ps 19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech; 
night after night they display knowledge. 

Ps 19:3 There is no speech or language 
where their voice is not heard. 

Ps 19:4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, 
their words to the ends of the world. 

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 

Ps 19:5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, 
like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 

Ps 19:6 It rises at one end of the heavens 
and makes its circuit to the other; 
nothing is hidden from its heat. 

Ps 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, 
reviving the soul. 
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, 
making wise the simple. 

Ps 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, 
giving joy to the heart. 
The commands of the LORD are radiant, 
giving light to the eyes. 

Ps 19:9 The fear of the LORD is pure, 
enduring forever. 
The ordinances of the LORD are sure 
and altogether righteous. 

Ps 19:10 They are more precious than gold, 
than much pure gold; 
they are sweeter than honey, 
than honey from the comb. 

Ps 19:11 By them is your servant warned; 
in keeping them there is great reward. 

Ps 19:12 Who can discern his errors? 
Forgive my hidden faults. 

Ps 19:13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; 
may they not rule over me. 
Then will I be blameless, 
innocent of great transgression. 

Ps 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 
be pleasing in your sight, 
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. </span>

Some background on Psalm 19

General Revelation

General revelation is the term theologians most often use to refer to the revelation of God in nature, which is where Psalm 19 begins.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands (v. 1).

Here the psalmist is thinking of the stars, which are visible by night, and the sun, which he will introduce specifically in verses 4b–6. His teaching is that the heavens, which contain these created objects, witness to the existence of their Creator. But more than that, they also witness to his “glory.” The stars and the sun are so glorious that the one who made them must be more glorious still.  ¹Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary (p. 162). Baker Books.

Yes, it's a pretty short background. But then, it says what needs to be said. At least for my purposes today. The author of that excerpt actually went on for two entire chapters to discuss this Psalm.

But I'm only looking at the concept of stop and smell the roses. Not a scientific look at all the things that go into growing a rose. Although, I will at least say that the reality is, we don't exactly know every single little thing required to create a rose. Sure, we can grow one. A really nice one. But can we create one from scratch? No. That's something we haven't mastered. Just see the fictional event below.

A scientist told God, “We no longer need you. We have advanced to the point that we can create anything we need with our own ingenuity.”

God said, “You want to put that to a test?”

The scientist said, “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

God said, “Let’s each make a man, just like I did with Adam. I’ll go first.”

Then God created man from the dirt. The scientist leaned down to pick up a handful of dirt, so he could replicate the work of God.

“Wait a minute!” said God. “Go get your own dirt!”

Paul said, “By him [God] all things were created” (Colossians 1:16).