Psalm 18

Psalms 18:1 To the choir director. A psalm of David.

Psalms 18:2 The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the work of his hands proclaims the firmament.

Psalms 18:3 Day to day pours forth speech

and night to night conveys its message.

Psalms 18:4 There is no speech, nor are there words

whose voice is not heard.

Psalms 18:5 Their voice goes out into all the earth

and their words to the ends of the world.

Psalms 18:6 He has set a tent for the sun

which comes forth as a bridegroom from his chamber,

and rejoices like a young man running his course.

Psalms 18:7 He rises from one end of the heavens

and his way reaches to the ends of the earth;

nothing is hidden from his heat.

This psalm has been divided by the liturgy into 18 A and 18 B. The first part of the psalm (vv. 2-7) is a song to the Creator of the universe. In the second part (vv. 8-15), there is a hymn to the Torah, that is, to the divine law, to the word of the Lord. The two parts of the psalm deal with how man can attain knowledge of God; first by deduction, observing the visible heavens, and then through the teaching of the Torah, the Word of God. These are respectively the material and spiritual spheres. The unity between the two parts is achieved through the symbolism of the sun: without the physical light of the sun and the spiritual light of the Word of God, there would be no life on earth. God reveals himself to all by illuminating the universe with the splendour of the sun and enlightens the faithful with the radiance of his Word contained in his revealed law. It is significant, in fact, that the law, in the second part of the Psalm, is outlined with solar attributes: As the sun gives physical light to the earth (vv. 6-7), so the law is the lamp that gives spiritual light to man (vv. 8-9).

The order, beauty and harmony of the universe proclaim the glory of God. The firmament proclaims itself to be the work of God's hands. The existence of the heavens is a song to the glory of God. Those who look at the firmament cannot but confess that it is the work of the Lord's hands. The majesty of creation provides proof of a Creator God even more majestic than creation itself. Those who do not see the infinite beauty of their Creator in the beauty of creation are fools. But those who are not fools raise a great hymn of praise to the Creator.

The day that passes on conveys the news that there is a Creator to the day that comes, entrusting it to it so that it may pass it on in turn. Even the night that passes on conveys the news to the night that comes, so that it too may proclaim this truth and pass it on in turn to the night that follows it. No day wants the other day to forget its Lord, and so no night wants the other night to stop telling of God's wonders. The truth of God must remain stable forever.

Day and night silently pass on the news to each other. No one hears them speak. They pass on the news naturally, by the fact of succeeding each other, of being. It is enough for the night to rise and the starry sky to shine in all its splendour, and immediately the hymn of praise to its Creator and Lord begins. It is enough for the day to dawn and the contemplation of God's works becomes a song of praise and blessing to its Author. This truth should also apply to man. All it takes is for a man to come into the world for a hymn of thanksgiving to be sung to his Maker and God. There is no greater miracle in nature than the birth of a new human life. Yet man is the only being who does not pass on this news.

There is no place on earth where day and night do not sing the glory of the Lord. From every corner of the universe, the extraordinary greatness of God appears. From every corner of the universe, the hymn of glory and blessing rises to God. The message of creation concerning the glory of God reaches all nations and is understandable to all.

In the sky there is something extraordinarily beautiful, great and luminous. God has set the sun in the sky (v. 6). It is as if the sun were at the centre of God's works. It is as if it were the most excellent work. Its light and warmth reflect God's power. The sun is also compared to a bridegroom coming out of his chamber. It is the image of the bridegroom who loves his bride and is loved by her. The sun rises to give joy and warmth to the whole earth. It rises to awaken it from its night-time slumber. It rises to bring it back to life. The sun is the material life of the earth. That is why it is a symbol of God. The sun rises and completes its cycle to give life to the whole earth. So is God. He rises and comes to bring his light of truth to all men.

The sun passes and the earth is warmed. God is the eternal light that gives life and warmth. But above all, he gives the life of truth to every man. The sun is a symbol of God, but above all it is a symbol of the Word of God. It is the Word of God that is the true light that enlightens every man. Just as plants and animals and even human beings draw their life from the warmth of the sun, so the Word of God must generate life in every human being. It is enough to listen to it, to live it. It is enough to let ourselves be warmed by its light and life will blossom within us. Nothing else needs to be done. It is enough just to live it, to absorb it. The light of the sun is absorbed. The light of the Word of God must also be absorbed. 

 Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Apocalypse – exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers – Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ, true God and true Man in the mystery of the Trinity

The Prophetic Discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

 Catholics and Protestants in comparison – In defence of the faith

 The Church and Israel according to St. Paul – Romans 9-11

(Available on Amazon)