Psalm 19:3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. The Psalmist, like a true poet, had a keen eye and ear. He saw in the firmament the glory of God, and he heard, around him and beneath, a chorus of praise to the Most High. Two interpretations have been put upon this verse. The first, that there is no country or clime, "no speech or language," where the voice of the firmament, etc., is not heard, seeing their "line" or instruction "is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." The other is, that there is no audible voice, no sound that falls upon the ear. Addison writes, "What though in solemn silence," etc. I. SILENT VOICES HAVE OFTEN A MOST POWERFUL INFLUENCE. 1. They may move a man more than uttered words. The voices of nature, the music of the spheres, as it is called, is silence. Lectures have their place, but audible voices are not so soul-stirring as voices inaudible. 2. The spring, and every season of the year, brings many lessons, and yet "there is no speech or language, its voice is not heard." No man ever heard, with his bodily ear, the language of either day or night, yet every day speaks of God's infinite resources — of His goodness, of His power and glory — more articulate than any man could speak. 3. Solitude speaks to the soul. The mountain top, the dense forest, the restless sea; but their "voice is not heard." The expression of human feeling is often more powerful when inarticulate. II. IN ORDER TO APPREHEND SILENT VOICES WE MUST OURSELVES BE SILENT. Put away distracting thoughts, and humbly listen only to God as He speaks to the soul and conscience. Men cannot even hear music unless they are still, silent, and undistracted. With the soul men hear God, and not with the physical ear, unless they are still and undistracted. It is very desirable that men should commune with God in their work, and be still before Him with their souls, and not with their intellects only. The active intellect is more often used against God than for Him. But God cannot be reached by intellectual processes any more than love, or than the beauties of a landscape can be explained by argument, or than music can be brought home to the soul by logical syllogism. (James S. Swan.) Parallel Verses KJV: There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.WEB: There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. |
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