Psalms 139:1

The Bible says in Psalm 139:1-6, “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.[2] Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.[3] Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.[4] For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.[5] Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” These verses are about the omniscience of God. God knows everything. He knows everything and every detail about you. That is part of the manifestation of God and His love for you. When you fall in love with someone, you want to know everything you can about them. God loves you. Your existence is not just you living your life and thinking your thoughts. Your existence involves God with His infinite mind observing and being a part of everything that you do, everything that you say, and everywhere that you go. God wants to develop you. He wants to take you from where you are and make something much better out of you. That is one of the benefits of being a Christian. As you follow Christ, that is exactly what will be taking place in your life: you will grow in Christ, and you will be transformed into His image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord (Second Corinthians 3:18). The Psalmist said in verse six, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” The Psalmist was thinking about one of God’s attributes, omniscience, and it was too much for him. He could not fathom it. That is true of everything about God. That is true about experiencing the Lord Jesus Christ. There is always more, and it is wonderful.

The Bible says in Psalm 139:7-12, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?[8] If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.[9] If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;[10] Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.[11] If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.[12] Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” These verses are about the omnipresence of God. It is very simple: wherever you go in life, God is there; and He goes with you until you get there. Jesus said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Paul said to the people in Athens, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” One implication of this great truth is that you do not need to go anywhere else to experience God. There is no such thing as a holy place. God is everywhere. If you cannot experience the Lord Jesus and serve the Lord Jesus where you are now, what makes you think that you will be able to somewhere else? He is right where you are. Another implication of the truth of the omnipresence of God is that you cannot run away from Him or hide from Him. Jonah learned this the hard way. It seems that there are a lot of people running away from God. If they are fortunate, they will run right into the arms of the Savior. If they are not so fortunate, they will run until they come to the judgment and bow at the feet of Jesus the Judge.

The Bible says in Psalm 139:13-16, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.[14] I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.[15] My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.[16] Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” Verse fourteen speaks about pregnancy in a way that makes it clear that a child in the womb is a child that God knows and that God is watching. When the Psalmist says in verse fourteen, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works,” he is talking about God’s work of forming him in the womb. He marvels that a baby grows in the womb of its mother. He thinks about the miracle of conception and pregnancy: God using a woman to make a human being. Still talking about the woman’s womb, the Psalmist says in verse fifteen, “I was made in secret.” In verse sixteen it says, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect.” Once again he is talking about being formed in the womb. In verse sixteen he says, “in thy book all my members were written.” God has a plan for each person, and He is following the plan. God made you just the way He wants you to be, and God does not make mistakes. That is an important truth to know to accept yourself just as you are. It is also a truth to help us remember that God has a plan, and that plan started when he was forming you in the womb. One of the benefits of being a Christian is that you can see God’s plan further unfold in you as He develops you spiritually. We are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (II Cor. 3:18).

The Bible says in Psalm 139:17-18, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them![18] If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” The Psalmist is thinking about the omniscience of God. God knows everything. Try to describe just how much God knows. God know every thought of every human being simultaneously. God knows every corner of the vast universe in detail. God knows all the mysteries of science that have yet to be known to man. God knows every atom and where it is located in every molecule. God knows the future. God knows everything. It is impossible to even think about what God knows. No wonder we can safely trust in the Lord. He knows the beginning from the end. He knows what is best. He knows everything that we do not know.

The Bible says in Psalm 139:19-22, “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.[20] For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.[21] Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?[22] I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.” The Judgment is coming. Life is temporary. Everyone needs to get saved by faith in Christ before it is too late. Here is the destiny of anyone who rejects Christ: God “wilt slay the wicked.” That is talking about eternal death. Sadly, such people will be rejected from heaven. They will not be allowed into heaven. They will be banished to hell. What makes these people so wicked? They are called “bloody” men. That means that are violent. Verse twenty says that they “speak against” God. And at the end of verse twenty we are told one of the worse things that anyone can do: they take God’s name “in vain.” The word “hate” in verses twenty-one and twenty-two ion this context refers to strong dislike and rejection. Reject those who reject God. This is the doctrine of separation. Make your close friends among those who love the Lord. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ and want to serve Him, those who hate the Lord are your enemies.

The Bible says in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:[24] And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Since it is so terrible to be a wicked person, make sure that you are not wicked. How will you know if you are wicked? Analyze your heart and your thoughts. That is where wickedness comes from. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18-19, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.[19] For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” Judge yourself, confess your sins, and then realize that you may have something spiritually wrong that you are not aware of. Do what the Psalmist did: pray and ask the Lord to show you more things that you need to repent of. Only then will you be led “in the way everlasting.”

___________________________________________________