ETB Psalm 139:1-4,7-16

Session 12: God’s Greatness - p.104

Loneliness strikes people everywhere. We expect folks who live in remote corners of the world to say that they get lonely; but the truth is, individuals who live in crowded apartment complexes struggle with loneliness as well. Even though we have people all around us, we can still suffer with the ache of feeling alone. [LifeWay Adults (2025). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Summer 2025]

I do not know if you have ever experienced it or not, but I have been lonely in the middle of a crowd. It is a weird and disorienting phenomenon. I will admit though this was before I knew Christ as Savior and it cannot happen to me anymore. The Holy Spirit’s presence is almost tangible when such thoughts begin to creep back into my mind, and He gloriously dispels them.

I admit that this was also at a younger time in my life. The book starts with teenagers often questioning the reasons for doing things as they try to discover what God’s design and will for their life is. Without a purpose or a reason people will wander aimlessly. This is true for physical, emotional, and spiritual lives.

Why is it important to know your purpose in life?

When we can, or help others to, connect our purposes in life to the things of God and spiritual pursuits, then we have an inexhaustible source. David’s psalm today shows us some of those “omni” traits of God.

Understand the Context

Psalm 139 provides us with a robust testimony of gratitude to the Lord. The testimony highlights the phenomenal blessing of His intimate presence and hands-on involvement in the lives of believers. For that reason, it belongs in the category of thanksgiving psalms.

The psalm has been credited to David, whose poetry served the kingdom well. With Psalm 139, he contributed a valuable resource for both public and personal worship. The introduction—or superscription—of the psalm indicates that he wanted the worship leader to put it to music for the choir. The theme of celebrating God’s greatness made it an excellent choice for a worship song. 

David then connected the Lord’s faithful presence with His intimate involvement in preparing him for God’s mission, even before he was born. He asserted that the Lord formed him into infancy during his mother’s pregnancy. In the seclusion of her womb, the Lord worked meticulously and lovingly to fashion his body and to bring him into the world (139:13-16). [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Although our study today will end after this portion of the psalm, David continues to seek God’s presence and guidance in his life in regard to his enemies. The people were not only against David, but against the things of God.

The king opposed evildoers because they detested the Lord, and their behavior proved it. Their disdain for God came out in what they said about Him and how they rebelled against Him. David also despised them because of their murderous hatred. For that reason, he asked the Lord to do away with them for good.

However, David didn’t ask for the Lord’s help in retaliating against them. Instead, he asked Him to keep looking into his heart and revealing anything that would put him on the path of wickedness. In particular, he asked the Lord to scrutinize his thoughts. [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

David knew that if it was not for God’s gracious hand upon him that he could have been one of those wicked people as well. The king’s wonder at this blessing comes through in the first part of the psalm.

Explore the Text

Psalm 139:1–4 ESV

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

Verse 1 is our memory verse for the week. It is one of the verses that we can use as a prayer by shifting to the present tense in English.

you have searched me and known me!

I think the book goes into a little of the meaning behind the words “search” and “know” but any definition will fall short of describing the fullness of the words that the Lord - Yahweh - can accomplish.

David’s friends may have known him personally, and his enemies may have considered themselves experts at discerning his plans. However, only God could look into the deepest recesses of his soul and know him absolutely.  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes Chapter 139

Here David says, “You have searched me as if you were looking for contraband goods. You have ransacked me. You have gone down into my heart and have spread out every secret part of my being. The most intricate labyrinths of my spirit are all observed by you. Your search has been an effective one. You have read the secrets of my soul.”

There is nothing that He does not know about us. He knows that which we deny or refuse to admit about ourselves. He knows those things that we have yet to discover are true. He knows how those things in the past really affected us and not what we say they did. He has seen further into our hearts than we have ever delved.

Jeremiah 17:9–10 “9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.””

I am grateful that this verse is still true for us today, but that One deed in our past makes us righteous enough to stand before Him in awe and receive the blessings of His Son.

You know

David moved from past tense to present tense as he continued to write this psalm. The track record of God’s intimate involvement in his life gave way to a testimony of His ongoing devotion that never wavers. As growing believers, we can identify with this part of David’s testimony because we can attest to the reality of God’s non-stop watchfulness over us. [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Is “God’s non-stop watchfulness” a comforting or a convicting thought to you?

When might it be the other one?

My thoughts

Along with perfect eyesight, God has faultless insight. The public as well as the private features of our day get His attention. Even more astonishing, He understands what we’re thinking. The ministry of Jesus toward His critics and even His disciples validates that He perceives our thoughts (Matt. 9:4; Luke 9:47). Even though He has a heavenly perspective that appears to be remote, He knows us well enough to discern our undisclosed intentions (John 2:24-25).  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Hebrews 4:12 “12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

This is the reason the God’s Word affects us differently every time we read it. It continues to show us where true thoughts and intentions do not align or can align better with God’s thoughts and intentions.

My ways

The Hebrew for ways suggests a road being traveled or a journey being made. 

The Bible provides examples of God’s awareness of what we’re doing even when we think we’re concealing them from everyone. According to 2 Samuel 12:9-12, He knew that David tried to cover up his adultery with Bathsheba. Similarly, Jesus knew perfectly the secret steps that Judas had taken to betray Him (John 13:2). [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes Chapter 139

You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways.” David says, “You have put a ring around me both in my staying and my going. I go to sleep, but you do not sleep. I cannot think of you while I slumber, but you think of me.”

If God knows us inner being and our deepest thoughts, then the actions we are taking are even more obvious comparatively from our perspective. Yet it seems even this concept seems to be forgotten.

Why do you think we tend to forget these things so quickly?

before a word is on my tongue

Most of us in the class are old enough now what we actually verbalize has been “filtered” before we say it.

Matthew 12:35–37 “35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.””

James gives us even more caution about our words.

James 1:26 “26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”

Paul reminds us of the purpose for our words.

Ephesians 4:29 “29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Not only does God know the words we are “going to say” but He knows our heart or motivation behind them. The words are audible evidence of the heart, and this is the place that God wants to work to resolve any issues with our words. It is the reason we must trust His assessment of our life because He has “searched and known” us so thoroughly.

Ask: What do these verses reveal about God’s care for us?

The book skips over verse 5 and 6 so we will only look at them briefly as that relate to the other verses and give context to the next.

Psalm 139:5–6 ESV

5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

lay your hand upon

When we “lay hands” on someone in church it is to be a blessing to them.

When we “lay hands” on someone outside of church, what is the intent?

This laying of hands from God appears to be combination of these two. It is a form of punishment but also a blessing as nothing will get through His hands that is not expressly permitted. David is acknowledged both God’s protective and punitive actions in his life.

Such knowledge

It is difficult for me to definitively tell which knowledge David is referring to.

Is it just the last verse, or is it all the last five?

An attempt to understand all the truths about God involved in any single verse is too vast for the human mind to grasp. I only wonder about this question as it affects context and perspective.

Romans 11:33 “33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

Psalm 139:7 ESV

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?

David asked the same question in two separate but similar ways: Where shall I go? and Where shall I flee? The parallelism emphasized the fact that it is impossible to escape God’s presence. God’s Spirit, as well as His presence, represented His intensely personal involvement in the lives of His people.

The prophet Jonah learned the only appropriate answer to the questions raised in this verse. He tried to run away from God, but his attempt failed completely (Jonah 1:3-10).  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

Ask: Would your answer be the same for both questions? Where do you think people today go to escape God’s presence?

Psalm 139:8–12 ESV

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Ascend to heaven... my bed in Sheol

David speculated on where he possibly could go to escape the Lord’s presence. The use of if suggests two extreme destinations. Going to heaven meant traveling to God’s dwelling place. Jesus also referred to heaven as His Father’s home (John 14:2), while the writer of Hebrews associated it with the priestly ministry of Jesus (Heb. 4:13).

In contrast, making one’s bed in Sheol implied entering the dwelling place of the dead. The Hebrew word can be translated “hell” and typically refers to the final state of the wicked. [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible Psalm 139:1–24

A merism is a poetic technique that expresses a totality by mentioning two parts, typically polar opposites. For example,

Heaven and Sheol are not places that an ancient person or even someone today could willfully travel to on their own, so we must take this as the poetic language - a merism - describing the vastness and impossibility of the concept.

Proverbs 15:11 “11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of man!”

David vividly describes the futility and impossibility of removing oneself from the presence of God. To those that love Him, it is a comforting thought most days.

Ask: When has God’s presence provided comfort or peace for you?

Psalm 139:13–16 ESV

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

you formed my inward parts... in my mother’s womb

Layers upon layers of God’s creative work. David realizes that all the “guts” within him, (and he probably had seen them all spilled on various battlefields), all we hand crafted by God. Yet he also knew that somehow all of that was started infinitely smaller when he was inside his mother’s “inward parts.” Today we know of the fertilization process and cellular growth that starts a conception, but it does not take away from the wonder of the works.

fearfully and wonderfully made

As David reflected on the miracle of his conception and birth, he responded with sincere worship rooted in humble adoration. He recognized that he was fearfully and wonderfully created by the powerful hand of God; and the artistic, as well as technical, precision that went into his formation filled his heart with wonder. David’s reflection on the mysterious perfection of the Lord’s work gave way to wholehearted praise.  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

I like how some of the cross-reference materials I have, and the book’s “Key Doctrine”, linked this phrase back to Genesis.

Genesis 1:26–27 “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

We are fearful of Him and He is our Wonderful Counselor, yet He has deemed us worthy to become His Temple while here on earth when He deemed that glorious structure made in His honor was not able to contain Him.

These are thoughts that are too high for me to understand and comprehend. I just take them on faith that since He said it and wrote it down for us, it is true whether I can grasp it or not.

Ask: What do these verses say about the value of human life? How should we respond to that truth?

In your book were written

As David continued to reflect on the mysteries that swirled around the formation of a baby’s body, he noted that the Lord had a book. In this book, God has details of each person’s life that have been written down. Before a baby comes into the world, the Lord knows how long that individual will live and everything he or she will experience. Job also echoed David’s observation, explaining that God numbers our days (Job 14:5).  [ETB:ALG Sum'25]

The Bible speaks of God having books like this in several places. The Bible also talks about God having hands, feet, and eyes but we know that it is anthropomorphic language as God is spirit and not corporeal.

Do you think these are literal books?

Why would it be important to us as humans to have these things “written down?”

As our life is an “open book” before God, all of our past can be used by Him too guide us in the future. Every skill and talent that we have He has gifted us with and enhanced through life and training so that we may use them for His glory.

2 Timothy 2:20–21 “20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”

Ask: How can you allow God to use your gifts and abilities for His kingdom this week?

Apply the Text

“How Great is Our God” video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBD18rsVJHk

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for knowing us and still loving us. Having the assurance that we cannot change that truth brings us comfort. Lord, Your presence in our life also brings us comfort and conviction. We pray David’s words back to You, if there is any grievous or sinful way in our lives that needs to change, show us and guide us to Your way that leads to everlasting peace and joy. God, You purposely created each of us to serve You in some way. Holy Spirit, guide and lead us this week in how we can fulfill that purpose in a way that glorifies You best.