Psalm 19

John Fortner on the prayer that concludes Psalm 19:

The psalmist’s prayer, (vss.12-14), is that his life, thought, speech, and actions “make known the glory of God.” Ironically, the sky-canopy and the cosmos cannot help doing so. Only humans have the capacity to generate both the great obedience and the “great rebellion.” Consequently, only humans must seek the face of the one who made them in order to fullfil that for which they have been created. Only when the human heart is ordered according to the word of Yahveh, can there truly exist a κοσμος.

The ontological, epistemological, and ethical foundation for such a κοσμος is constituted in the truth that the heavens, the Torah, and the human heart are woven by the same pair of hands from a single thread. Each is created in the image and likeness of God.

When I took Dr. Fortner for a class several years ago, he presented Psalm 19 as the expression of the ancient Hebrew worldview. Three divisions in the psalm: world (cosmos), Torah (teaching), and the human heart. Each is created in God's image. Each has the ability to honor the Creator. When all three reflect God, the creation is complete.