I guess if you were to ask me, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how familiar would you consider yourself with Psalm 19?” . . . I’d probably answer, “7 or 8” . . . mostly because of my familiarity with verses 7 through 11 . . . David’s great song concerning the Law of the Lord. The law being perfect, sure, right, pure clean, and true. The law which revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes. The law which endures forever, is righteous altogether and is to be desired more than gold . . . and which tastes so sweet, sweeter than honey.

I’d say that I’m also familiar with David’s affirmation that the heavens declare the glory of God and that the skies above proclaim God’s handiwork (19:1). A call to look up, look way up, and behold the evidence and the magnificence of the Creator. And too, I’d say that I recall David’s petition that, before this God of glory, and through his consideration of the sweeter-than-honeycomb Word of God, that the words of the psalmist’s mouth and the meditations of his heart would be acceptable in the sight of his rock and redeemer LORD (19:14).

But if you had asked me what David’s other petition was in Psalm 19, I wouldn’t have recalled there was even a second petition . . . much less what it was. Check this out . . .

“Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!” (Ps. 19:13)

See God’s glory? . . . embrace God’s word? . . . seek to offer acceptable words and meditation? . . . then guard against sin.

It is the great detractor in the equation . . . it blinds eyes to the glory . . . it plugs ears and hardens hearts to the Word . . . it creates interference for meditation . . . deal with it.

And David speaks of “hidden faults” and “presumptuous sins”. I take it that the hidden faults aren’t so much sins which we willfully determine to commit in secret . . . aware that it’s wrong and so wanting to keep them undercover. Instead, I’m thinking the hidden faults are those things of the flesh, those things of the fallen nature, that are embedded within the heart and soul which, apart from any intention on our part, manifest themselves in outward acts displeasing to God. I think they may be the “deceitfulness of the heart” which is hard to know that Jeremiah speaks of (Jer. 17:9) . . . that stuff that David would ask God to seek out and reveal to him such that it would not be an impediment in “the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). And so David asks God to search it out and clean it up.

And then, there’s the “presumptuous sins”. The sins sourced in pride and arrogance . . . the sins birthed from self-confidence and self-reliance on my own intellect and perceived ability . . . sins which come about from a “me first” rather than a “God first” or an “others first” sort of attitude. And these sins, says David, if not checked will dominate . . . will have dominion. Oh, how scary a thought is that? . . . for sin, birthed in pride, to have dominion over me . . . ugh!

And, it occurs to me, to think that I have the resources to fend it off myself is, in it itself, a presumptuous sin. David wisely looks to the Creator . . . meditatively calls upon the Author of the perfect law of Lord . . . “Keep back your servant from such sin.” Your servant . . . a humble title for a king to take . . . a lowly posturing for one who sits on a throne . . . a good start to battling presumptuous sin . . . a solid self-assessment from which to beseech Him who made you to also restrain you from going somewhere you don’t want to go . . . from entering into transgression, the cost of which is more than you can afford to pay.

Cleanse me from the underlying stuff . . . Keep from the arrogant stuff . . . Ok, so if this sticks, maybe my familiarity with Psalm 19 goes up to a “9” . . . more importantly though, if this becomes my prayer too, then, by His grace and the through the redemptive blood of Jesus, truly the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart will be acceptable in His sight . . . and declare too the glory of God . . . amen?