Psalm 19 - The Importance of Preaching
- Joshua Carpenter
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Good News of the Gospel is found only in God’s Word, and it must be proclaimed!
Psalm 19 (ESV)
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Canons of Dordt
Point 2 - Limited Atonement
Article 5: The Mandate to Proclaim the Gospel to All
Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel
that whoever believes in Christ crucified
shall not perish but have eternal life.
This promise, together with the command to repent and believe,
ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination
to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel.
Summary
I love this time of the year for a number of reasons: it’s getting warmer after the cold of winter, plants are beginning to bud and blossom, and one reason in particular is looking forward to camping. My wife and I love to go camping over the course of the summer, and are already planning our summer camping trips for this year. It’s a great opportunity to get out and spend time in God’s beautiful creation.
There’s nothing like sitting around your campfire at night, soaking up the warmth, looking up at the darkened sky, and taking in the breathtaking beauty of it all, praising the Lord for all that He has made and how it points us back to Him. Creation does that, it points us to the Lord. It’s one of the ways God reveals Himself to us - one of two mentioned in Psalm 19: General revelation in creation (vv. 1-6), and Special revelation in God’s Word (vv. 7-11).
General revelation is enough to make mankind aware of God and so leave us without excuse (Romans 1:19-20), but insufficient for salvation. Only Special revelation reveals the Good News of the Gospel; It's through Special revelation that we can better interpret General revelation.
And this Good News of the Gospel in Special revelation goes out by the preaching of God’s Word. As we’re reminded in Romans 10:14-15, How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'
It's not that people can’t come to know the Good News of the Gospel from reading the Bible themselves, but there’s an importance to the preaching, the proclamation of the Word.
Dig Deeper
The Canons highlight this importance of the proclamation of the Gospel when it says: This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel.
This is why the preached Word of God every Sunday is so important! It is one of the marks of the true Church (see Belgic Confession Article 29). Theologian Louis Berkhof states that "God’s Word is the most important means of grace.”
As God’s Word is faithfully preached Sunday after Sunday, the proclamation of the Good News of the Gospel goes out to all! And God’s Word does not return void, it accomplishes the purposes God has for it (Isaiah 55:11), whether it be molding and shaping us to be more like Christ, or planting/watering the seed of the Gospel.
So, as you gather for worship this Sunday, and every Sunday after, may you see in the faithful handling and preaching of God’s Word the undifferentiated, indiscriminate proclamation of the Gospel to all.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose glory is declared in the heavens;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your activities and decisions will be guided by God's revealed Word;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 7
