◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 19 (The commandments give light to the eyes); Exodus 19:9b-15 (Preparation for the giving of the commandments); Acts 7:30-40 (God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai) (New Catholic Bible)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 19

Psalm 19^[a]

God’s Glory in Creation

¹For the director.^[b] A psalm of David.

²^[c]The heavens proclaim the glory of God;
    the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
³One day imparts that message to the next,
    and night conveys that knowledge to night.
⁴All this occurs without speech or utterance;
    no voice can be heard.
⁵^[d]Yet their message goes forth throughout the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.
^[e]In the heavens he has placed a tent for the sun,
⁶    which comes forth like a bridegroom from his wedding chamber,
    rejoicing like an athlete who runs his course.
⁷It rises from one end of the heavens,
    and its circuit is completed at the other;
    nothing can be hidden from its heat.
⁸The law of the Lord is perfect,
    affording refreshment to the soul.
The decree of the Lord is worthy of trust,
    imparting wisdom to the simple.^[f]
⁹The precepts of the Lord are right,
    causing the heart^[g] to rejoice.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
    giving light to the eyes.
¹⁰The fear of the Lord^[h] is pure,
    destined to endure forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are true,
    and all of them are just.
¹¹They are even more precious than gold,
    than an abundance of the purest gold;
they are also sweeter than honey
    that drips from the comb.^[i]
¹²^[j]By these your servant is instructed;
    obedience in following them will ensure a great reward.
¹³But who can fully recognize his shortcomings?
    Cleanse me of my hidden faults.
¹⁴From willful sins preserve your servant;
    never let them gain power over me.
Then I will be blameless
    and innocent of serious sin.
¹⁵Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart^[k]
    find favor in your sight,
    O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Footnotes

Psalm 19:1 The universe is a hymn to the glory of the Lord, but this is even more true of the Mosaic Law. The silent revelation of creation is offered to all human beings, but the law, privilege of Israel, reveals to the hearts of believers God’s perfection, justice, truth, and goodness and challenges them to imitate the divine life.
The ode to the sun in this psalm (vv. 5b-7) seems to be an imitation of a fragmentary Assyrian text in which the sun-god rises from the ocean and passes through the gates of the east to meet the goddess. The Christmas Liturgy uses this image to recall, in poetic language, the coming to earth of the Son of God.
By its splendor and vastness, the star-studded heavens teach us the glory, the splendor and infinite power, the prodigious artistry of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who work together in its continuous creation. The Law, perfect as far as its epoch and its place in the divine economy of salvation are concerned, was brought to its absolute perfection by Christ (see Mt 5:17).
Psalm 19:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
Psalm 19:2 The heavens show forth the glory of their Creator to all peoples (see Ps 148:3).
Psalm 19:5 Paul interprets this proclamation of the heavens as referring also to the proclamation of the Gospel (see Rom 10:18).
Psalm 19:5 The heavens are the divinely pitched tent for the lordly sun—widely worshiped in the ancient Near East (see Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Ki 23:5, 11; Jer 8:2; Ezek 8:16), but here a mere creature of God (as in Ps 136:8f; Gen 1:16). Of the created realm, the sun is the supreme metaphor of the glory of God (see Ps 84:12; Isa 60:19f), as it makes its daily triumphant sweep across the whole extent of the heavens and pours out its heat (felt presence) on every creature. The literature of the time applied to the sun the six synonyms for God’s revelation in verses 8-11.
Psalm 19:8 The simple: those who are inexperienced and hence childlike (see Ps 119:98-100; Prov 1:4); the New Testament shows that heavenly wisdom is a gift to “children,” hidden from the worldly-wise (see Lk 10:21; 1 Cor 1:18ff; 2:8-10; 2 Tim 3:15).
Psalm 19:9 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
Psalm 19:10 Fear of the Lord: see note on Ps 15:2-5. In this case, some exegetes believe that the term “fear” should really be “word.”
Psalm 19:11 See Ps 119:103, 127. This entire hymn to the law is closely connected to the long Psalm 119.
Psalm 19:12 The psalmist knows that God’s commandments lead to life (see Deut 5:33). Yet he is also aware that like all human beings he is weak and imperfect. He may err unknowingly and need to seek forgiveness of hidden faults (v. 13; see Lev 5:2-4). However, willful sins (v. 14) are another matter; they cut one off from God and his people (see Num 15:30f). He prays to be preserved from them.
Psalm 19:15 This meditation is presented to the Lord as a praise offering (see notes on Pss 7:18; 9:2; see also Pss 50:14; 104:33). Heart: see note on Ps 4:8. Rock: see note on Ps 18:3.

Exodus 19:9-15

⁹The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to approach you in a thick cloud so that the people will hear when I speak to you and always believe in you.”

The Lord Descends on Sinai.

¹⁰The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes ¹¹and have them ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai to visit all the people.

¹²“You shall establish a boundary around it, saying, ‘Take heed not to climb up the mountain or even touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain will be put to death.’

¹³“No hand must touch that person, however, for he must be stoned or shot with an arrow. Whether it be a human or an animal, he is not to live. They can come up the mountain only when you blow the trumpet.”

¹⁴Moses went down the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people and had them wash their clothes. ¹⁵Then he said to the people, “Be ready in three days’ time. Abstain from sexual relations.”

Acts 7:30-40

³⁰“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert near Mount Sinai in the flame of a burning bush. ³¹When Moses saw it, he was amazed, and as he approached to examine it, the voice of the Lord said to him, ³²‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’

“Moses was terrified and did not dare to look. ³³Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. ³⁴I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt and have heard their sighs, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come! I will send you to Egypt.’

³⁵“This Moses whom they rejected by saying ‘Who appointed you to be our ruler and judge?’ God now sent forth as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the desert. ³⁷It was this Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you, from your own people, a prophet like me.’ ³⁸It was he who was in the assembly in the desert with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our ancestors, and who received words of life to hand on to us.

³⁹“This is the man whom our ancestors refused to obey. Instead they thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, ⁴⁰saying to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will lead us on the way. As for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

New Catholic Bible (NCB)