The Heavens Declare His Righteousness - initial thoughts

The heavens declare his righteousness,

for God himself is judge! Selah
Psalm 50:6

  I have been wondering about this verse a couple of years now. What does it mean that nature declares God's righteousness? How is it that nature can proclaim not only the greatness of God (Ps 19:1-6) but also the goodness of God? This is not a lone passage which speaks to this effect, but it certainly is not a theme that gets a whole lot of attention in the Scriptures so far as I can see. Other relevant passages may include Ps 97:6; 89:5; Rom 1:18-21; Acts 14:16-17; and Matt 5:43-48. I hope to post more thoughts on this in the coming days. But for now I would include a poem by Isaac Watts found in the Treasury of David which makes a good summary of the first verses of this chapter.

No more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day!
Behold! -- the Judge descends; his guards are nigh,
Tempests and fire attend him down the sky.
When God appears, all nature shall adore him.
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
Heaven, earth and hell, draw near; let all things come,
To hear my justice, and the sinner's doom;
But gather first my saints (the Judge commands),
Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands.
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion,
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
Isaac Watts

The Heavens Declare His Righteousness
The Heavens Declare His Righteousness - Final Thoughts