Ana

Q2. (Psalm 19) Verses 1 to 6 seem very different from verses 7 to 13, but there is a common thread that relates the first part to the second part. What is it? In what way does the psalmist seem to bask in God's Word? Have you ever felt that way? How does the psalmist's wonder in creation seem to affect him in this psalm? In the classic prayer of verse 14, what is David asking God to do? The first six verses describe the Law of the Lord as it relates to the whole of creation. Then he focuses specifically on how the Law of the Lord appeals to him, as a human. This is much like the order in Genesis 1: first all of creation is described, and then the story "zooms in" on man. It is amazing to him, just like it is to me, that the same God which made the universe to work in such a beautiful and quirky way has a law that guards the life of my soul as well. This brings the psalmist into a sublime adoration of God's handiwork, inside and out. The prayer he prays grows from that spirit of worship. The psalmist wants his heart to be as God would have it, for after seeing the sheer beauty and majesty of the Lord, he knows that what He wants, in His infinie wisdom, is the thing that is best. He asks God to keep him from sin, whether it be intentional or unintentional.

Sorry this is so late. I had some issues the first week. But I'm here! God-- Is the ultimate artist. He is praiseworthy beyond what we can fathom, for the depths of His wisdom, the power of His hand, and the beauty of His love all contribute to the "works of [His] fingers," which is all that we know. He breathed the breath of life into us and speaks intimately to our souls, so that none of us can help but to give Him glory: even "infants" who speak in gibberish. If that is not what any artist aspires to do, I don't know what they're doing! Christ-- The fact that the "Son of Man" is listed along with man himself indicates that He really was one of us. At the same time, I believe we are "crowned with glory and honor" simply because of what he did for us on the cross. Christ is our crown; without him we are dirty and unholy, but with him we are Kings and Queens. Christ is also the King of Kings, the ruler over our hearts alone-- after all, we are a work of God's hand ourselves. Humans-- We have value simply because the God of the universe thought us worth it. He gave us dominion over his creation, something which he labored over and called good. We hardly deserve it, but He proves that he loves us by giving us things we don't deserve. Responsibilities-- Our role as stewards is to take care of the earth... and from my point of view, this means looking for fair trade items to buy, fighting against slavery, recycling, reducing our energy needs, and doing our part to help conservation. I'm gonna need help with that one.