Silent Sounds
J. Reid Howett. Psalm 19:2 Day to day utters speech, and night to night shows knowledge. It sounds rather curious, does it not, to hear about one day speaking to another? Though you have listened ever so hard, yet you have not been able to hear a day speaking. That is true; and David, who wrote this Psalm, knew that also, for he says in the very next verse, "No speech, no language, their voice is not heard" — and yet, "day unto day uttereth speech"! How can theft be? Because there are more ways of speaking than one. There is the way the deaf and dumb speak — on their fingers. Their voice is not heard, yet they speak. Then a book speaks. The moment it is open, and you see the words, you understand what they mean — they speak to you. There is a tribe of savage people tar away, and what do you think is the name they give to a book? They call it "the whisperer." But it does not whisper; it has no voice nor sound, and yet it speaks. Now, how do you come to understand what people say — when they speak on their fingers? or how do you ever come to know what a book says? Isn't it by first learning how to understand? And you carry the way to understand inside yourself. So is it that we understand thousands of things round about us, and that tells us of God, The way, then, to understand what the days speak is to get much of God's spirit into our hearts. The days say — I. THERE'S NOTHING NEW! Today is just like yesterday. Yesterday came up beautiful, became brighter, had clouds and sunshine, and then faded away. So it will be with today. Yesterday carried away on its white wings the spirits of thousands of men and women, and wee, wee children too; and the night came, and covered their bodies, and they were seen no more. So it will be today. There's nothing new. But as you listen again you hear the days say — II. EVERYTHING IS NEW! There is nothing new about the day, but everything is new about you. The temptations you will have today won't be the same that you had yesterday; the night has come like a black wall between you and yesterday, and today you get a fair start again; and today you may do better than yesterday, or today you may do worse, but you can't blame yesterday. It is gone; this is a new day, but, take care! you will be tempted today in another way. So, you can t afford to forget Jesus: a new day means a new way, and only Jesus can guide you rightly upon it. But this also the days say — III. TIME TELLS OF ETERNITY! As the days pass away, we pass away with them — passing away, out into eternity. When you are in a train or a tramcar you notice that all the people do not go to the journey's end. Some go only a little way, others go farther, new ones come in; perhaps you yourself get out before the whole journey is done. Anyway, they are very few who go all the way. It is just the same with our lives. Some only go a short distance through the days — God calls them away when they are young. Some go a little farther, others a little farther still; but they are very few indeed who come to be very old. Shouldn't every day, then, make us think of what is to be the end of all? (J. Reid Howett.) Parallel Verses KJV: Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. WEB: Day after day they pour forth speech, and night after night they display knowledge.