Bible Study Psalm 139

1. Background and Framework

Author & Context: David is the author. Psalm 139 is deeply personal, reflecting God’s intimate knowledge of and presence with His people. It’s often divided into four strophes (sections).

God’s Knowledge (vv. 1–6) – He knows everything about us.

God’s Presence (vv. 7–12) – He is everywhere with us.

God’s Power (vv. 13–18) – He created and formed us.

God’s Purity (vv. 19–24) – He calls us to holiness and examination.

Purpose: To remind us of God’s omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, and holiness—and to invite us into humility, worship, and personal surrender.

2. Study Flow (with Questions to Guide Conversation)

Opening Engagement

Ask: “When was the last time you felt truly known and understood by someone? How did that feel?”

Transition: “Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows us even more deeply than that.”

Section 1: God’s Knowledge (vv. 1–6)

Read aloud.

Psalm 139:1–6 “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.”

Discussion:

How many times is Dive name mentioned? 10 x

How many times am self mentioned? 11 x

Major theme-knowing yada 7 x, 4 x vv. 1-6

What does it mean that God knows our sitting, rising, and even our thoughts?

Psalm 17:3 “3 You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”

“searched me”

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 2713. חָקַר

2713. חָקַר châqar, khaw-kar´; a prim. root; prop. to penetrate; hence to examine

intimately:—find out, (make) search (out), seek (out), sound, try.

“Known” me

A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 3045. יָדַע

3045. יָדַע yâdaʿ, yaw-dah´; a prim. root; to know (prop. to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, fig., lit., euphem. and infer. (including

Does God’s total knowledge of us bring you comfort, fear, or both? Why?

2 Kings 19:27 “27 ‘But I know your dwelling place, Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me.”

Clarify: This isn’t just information—God’s knowledge is relational and caring.

V. 2b Matthew 9:4 “4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” v. 4 He knows what we will say

V.5 hemmed in-negative?

Job 1:10 “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”

Section 2: God’s Presence (vv. 7–12)

Read aloud.

Psalm 139:7–12 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.”

God is all encompassing and all present. Omniscience and omnipresent

Questions:

Why might someone want to “flee” from God’s presence (v. 7)?

God is in the east (the wings of the dawn, where the sun rises) and in the west (the far side of the sea, referring to the Mediterranean) and everywhere in between

Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 15–16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 453.

Jeremiah 23:24 “24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.”

Amos 9:2–4 “2 “Though they dig into hell, From there My hand shall take them; Though they climb up to heaven, From there I will bring them down; 3 And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, From there I will search and take them; Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them; 4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword, And it shall slay them. I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good.””

Story of King David, Bathsheba, and Uriah the Hittite-Nathan-your sins will find you out. 2 Samuel 12:1–7 “Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.”

Which image stands out most—heaven, Sheol, wings of the morning, or darkness?

How is this comforting for someone going through suffering or grief?

Application: Encourage them to recall a time they felt alone, yet God was truly with them.

Section 3: God’s Power (vv. 13–18)

Psalm 139:13–18 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.”

Read aloud.

Questions:

What does this teach us about the value of human life?

How might these verses shape our view of ourselves when we feel inadequate or overlooked?

In what ways do these verses apply to issues like abortion or dignity of life?

Application: God doesn’t just make us—He made us with purpose. Invite testimonies about times when people saw God’s handiwork in their own lives.

Section 4: God’s Purity (vv. 19–24)

Psalm 139:19–24 “Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

Read aloud.

Questions:

Why does David shift suddenly from worship to praying against the wicked (vv. 19–22)?

How do we reconcile his strong words with Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies?

Romans 8:31–39 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What does David’s prayer in vv. 23–24 show about the right posture before God?

Application: Lead the group in silent reflection, asking God to “search me and know my heart.”

3. Practical Discussion Starters

“Which section of this Psalm do you find most comforting? Which is most convicting?”

“How does this Psalm change the way we think about God’s involvement in our everyday lives?”

“If you could summarize the heart of this Psalm in one sentence, what would it be?”

4. Closing Application

Invite the group to pray Psalm 139:23–24 personally this week: “Search me, O God…”

Psalm 139:23–24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

Encourage journaling or prayer reflection on how God’s knowledge, presence, and power impact their daily walk.

5. Facilitator Tips

Let silence do some work—give people space to reflect before moving on.

Redirect if discussion gets stuck on side topics by asking, “How does this connect with what David is saying about God here?”

Use stories from members’ lives—seasoned believers often have deep testimony of God’s presence.