The Heavens Declare

          The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.  Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. (Psalm 19:1-6)

 

            First, let’s deal with the nonsense some nay-sayers are likely to raise. No, the sun does not go from one end of the heavens to the other. It doesn’t even orbit the earth. The earth orbits the sun, which orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. But, this song wasn’t written by an astronomer. It was written by a shepherd, soldier, and king. And we still commonly refer to sunrise and sunset, and the sun being high and low in the sky even though it’s the earth that has rotated, not the sun that has moved. It’s a song, a poem. Imagery doesn’t have to represent scientific reality to convey emotional or ideational reality.

            And I’ll point out that scientists don’t always speaking in scientifically accurate terms either. Now and again, I read a headline about an “earthlike planet” being found orbiting another star. When I read the story (the small print, as it were,) I discover that the planet is thought to be a rocky planet with an iron core. So far so good. Then they say that it’s ten times the size of Earth, or that it has no atmosphere, or something else that makes it quite unlike Earth and thus could not support humanoid life. Yeah, “like Earth.” That word is used with too little definition, for its emotional effect, not its accuracy. So, the whining about “scientific inaccuracy” can just stop.

            Now, let’s deal with what is said in these first six verses. If someone hired you to oversee the authentication of a painting reputed to be a Van Gogh, you could take it to a variety of experts who could determine whether or not it was a Van Gogh. There would be things about it that would “speak” and identify it as an original, or as a forgery. The paint and canvas would be tested, the paint colors and strokes would be examined, and the overall painting would be considered.

            People who really look at the universe tend to marvel at it. As someone who has had a small interest in astronomy for a long time, I can tell you that it’s awe-inspiring but that means you don’t have to be an astrophysicist to feel its soul-deep appeal. All you need are eyes and a soul that aren’t blind. Some folks would say that differently. They’d say that you need eyes and a heart that aren’t blind. Other might express it as eyes and imagination. Since I know someone who has no imagination (that’s not an exaggeration,) I can agree with that one, too.

            Put simply, the universe inspires awe in addition to meeting needs. The fact that we can see it (remarkably clear atmosphere, positioned in just the right spot in the solar system, which is in just the right spot in the galaxy, which is in just the right spot in the local group, etc.) and that we can appreciate and understand something of it (which I submit is as rare as the clear atmosphere and right location) should make us thankful, and stir us to listen and look more carefully, and notice that coincidence doesn’t explain it – can’t explain it – but that something should. Nothing explains it so well as God.