As I stepped out of my front door to take my morning walk in the pre-dawn darkness I noticed the brightly shining stars—brighter than I had seen them for a long, long time—and thought of David’s words: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2). Many believe that the heavens, and specifically the stars, are foretelling their future, both immediate and remote, but God’s word tells us they have a higher purpose—to tell us of the glory of God.

It’s a mind-boggling experience to look through even a moderately powerful telescope and discover the complexity of the universe. As our vision is extended by the telescope there seem to be an infinite number of stars and planets held together in galaxies stretching over billions of miles. There are many messages that spring to mind from such simple observations as these. Job says that God “alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea; Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades” (Job 9:8-9). As I looked up at the early morning sky I could see Orion and the Pleiades and glory in the wonderful creation of my God.

This week a re-run of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos begins on TV. This show, which was last seen twenty five years ago, tried to popularize the concept of a godless universe which evolved at the impulse of an unknown, unexplained, and unknowing force. It seemed as if every gap in knowledge about the universe was bridged by “billions and billions of years” of time during which time the spontaneous appearance of new worlds took place. The series will vigorously push the theory of evolution on a new generation of Americans, just as it did in the eighties. “The heavens,” though, are still “telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” The Psalmist would be dubbed a “creationist” today and he would be barred from telling his story in our schools. But it is the heavens which tell the truth, if we’ll just listen.

David, having praised the Creator’s handiwork, turns our minds to His law. You have to recognize that One with the power to create our majestic heavens by the work of His hands, must have the power to communicate His will to mankind whom He created. “The Law of the LORD,” writes David “is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (Psalm 19:7-8). The law, the testimony, the precepts, and the commandments of the LORD are all made a blessing for us and “In keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:11)