there is nothing to suggest the shape of a woman. They must have been drawn around

and connected with certain stars so that they might be identified and associated with them

and their meaning and thus be handed down to posterity.

It seems clear that in these signs we have the truth preserved of Gen. 3: 15, the

Coming One, He Who was to suffer and redeem and afterwards come into His glory as

universal King. Jewish tradition asserts that the Bible astronomy was invented by Adam,

Seth and Enoch who were, in their turn, taught by God. Thus for some 2,500 years,

before the written Scriptures came into being, God's truth was enshrined in the heavens

where no human hand could touch it. After the writing of the Scriptures there was no

more need of this heavenly testimony, and its original teaching gradually faded away,

finally degenerating into the mythologies and perverted ideas of the heathen.

Those who want to go into this subject with greater detail are referred to The Witness

of the Stars by Dr. E. W. Bullinger and Appendix 12 of The Companion Bible.

In the 19th Psalm then, David extols the `speech' or message of God which the

heavens constantly declare to all the world. One must add to this the impressive wonder

of the universe which bears eloquent testimony to overwhelming greatness of the Creator.

The sun is represented as a bridegroom full of joy like a runner full of strength (19: 5, 6).

Here the Psalm abruptly changes to the law of the Lord, the written Word. This has

always baffled commentators, for, on the surface, this next section has nothing to do with

the former one. But once we see that the heavens declared the truth of God, we can

appreciate the transition to the written Word which now enshrines the same glorious

truth, but with greater detail. Verses 7-9 give six titles of the Word with 6 attributes and

6 effects. The One Who is its Author, Jehovah, occurs 7 times in the second half of the

The 6 Titles are, the Law, the Testimony, the Statutes, the Commandment, the Fear,

and the Judgments. The Law gives divine instruction as to character and conduct. The

Testimony tells of the witness to what God is and what we should be. The Statutes are

God's directions to secure obedience. The Commandments speaks of divine decrees

which guide us. The Fear tells of the habit of mind which is informed by the Word or

Law of God. The Judgments reveal the judicial decisions and sentences of Jehovah.

The 6 Attributes are perfect, without flaw or mistake, sure, utterly reliable and worthy

of trust, right or righteous, exhibiting perfect justice, pure, like the sun giving light and

making things plain, clean, that is, it cleanses and removes corruption and guilt, true, it is

ever faithful and free from deception. These wonderful characteristics of the Word of

God should lead us to a deeper appreciation of its worth and the spiritual treasures

contained therein.

The 6 Effects of the Word are: It restores or turns the person God-ward, refreshing the

inner life. It makes wise the simple, giving practical guidance to the inexperienced. It

rejoices the heart or mind, giving satisfying joy, and pleasure to those who believe and