Psalm 139 Sermon Final

Scripture: (Whole Chapter)

God's knowledge, presence and power are always intimately acquainted with His people.

Psalm 139 NASB95

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. 1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. 13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. 19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. 20 For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

Psalm 139:

Introduction

This Psalm is a psalm about an all knowing, ever present and all-powerful God.

Question: Has the reality of God’s attributes brought fear, conviction or comfort to you?

More specifically, it is about a God who’s knowledge, presence and power towards the believer is expressed in a way that shows favor, discipline and absolute understanding.

Question: Why should we fear the attributes of God?

Which reveals to us, His love and faithfulness.

The reality of God knowing all things, God being omnipresent, meaning that God is ever present and God having incomprehensible power should make the unbeliever terrified.

Answer: We should fear if we are unbelievers.

"The incommunicable attributes of God are those that belong to God alone (omniscience, transcendence, etc.,) where the communicable attributes of God are those that we can also possess (knowledge, love, mercy, etc.,).

In our text we are talking about the attributes that God does not share.

We do see that though He cannot share this with His creation. He is immanent in creation through the attributes. Meaning that God is involved in creation according to who He is.

Definition of Omniscience: The doctrine that God fully knows Himself in all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.

Definition of Omniscience: The doctrine that God fully knows Himself in all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.

Definition of Omnipresence: The doctrine that God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being, yet God acts differently in different places.

Definition of Omnipotence: The doctrine that God is able to do all his holy will.

An unbeliever standing before God with their sin exposed and with no faith in Jesus Christ, stands accused on the day of judgement.

So, justice will be brought because of the sin that has not been paid for. And because God is all-knowing, there will be no excuse for the wicked.

We should be convicted and comforted if we are believers in Jesus Christ.

The believer in Jesus Christ stands innocent of any accusation on the day of judgement. This brings conviction when we sin here today, because the Holy Spirit is at work in us and it brings comfort because we will not stand guilty before an all-knowing God. We have been forgiven.

God is all-knowing of our sins and faults but God’s presence is favorable to us and though He has the right to extend His hand of judgement against those who sin, He extends mercy through the power of the gospel to those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

The unbeliever should be afraid and fearful of the judgement of God. But the believer should convicted when they fall short, when they sin and they should comforted because condemnation has been removed.

So when speaking of God and His attributes, the believer today should be comforted and convicted but the unbeliever should know that their works are clearly seen and none can hide from God’s judgement.

Yet, for us who have come to saving faith, it is the most comforting of all truths.

Question: Has the reality of God’s attributes brought fear, conviction or comfort to you?

All the attributes of God explained here are not just things that God are or does. They are the realities of God that should terrify and bring comfort. They make people tremble and they make people feel loved.

Background

This Psalm is about a God who by His own nature, brings glory to Himself and with absolute care and scrutiny care about His own people!

David is listed as the author in 73 instances but there are other authors.

Two of the psalms (72) and (127) are attributed to Solomon.

is a prayer assigned to Moses.

Another group of 12 psalms (50) and (73—83) is ascribed to the family of Asaph.

The sons of Korah wrote 11 psalms (42, 44-49, 84-85,87-88).

is attributed to Heman, while (89) is assigned to Ethan the Ezrahite.

Other than Solomon and Moses, the authors were priests or Levites who were to provide music for sanctuary worship during the reign of David.

But there are fifty of the psalms that have no specific person as the author.

The oldest psalm most likely is the prayer of Moses (90).

I want to highlight some miracles in this Psalm that I think would encourage us today.

The latest psalm is most likely is (137). Which was a lamentation written during the Babylonian captivity.

1: The Psalmist would be guided by the Holy Spirit to write an inspired word from God!

The psalms were written by many different people across centuries in Israel's history.

They must have been collected by some unknown editor after the captivity ended.

Bible Fellowship Church Article on The Holy Scriptures states:

Purpose of Writing: The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, with 150 individual psalms. It is also one of the most diverse, since the psalms deal with such subjects as God and His creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah.

The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible

Topics include God and His creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah.

“Inspiration is a special act of the Holy Spirit by which He guided the writers of the Scriptures so that their words would convey the thoughts He wished conveyed, would bear a proper relationship to the thoughts of the other inspired books, and would be kept free from error of fact, doctrine, and judgment.”

The themes in Psalms are themes of Lament, Praise, Hymn, Royalty , Wisdom, Thanksgiving and Trust.

The Psalm we are covering today would be considered a psalm of lament. But also I would consider it a Psalm of trust.

The fact that God would be favorable to David here is a miracle.

Outline

The writer was guided to write this Psalm that has no error about who God is. It is the absolute, direct message from God about Himself!

1: The Omniscience of God (1-6)

2: The Omnipresence of God (7-12)

3: The Omnipotence of God (13-18)

4: David’s plea to slay the wicked and need for God to search Him (19-24)

1: The Omniscience of God (1-6)

Psalm 139:1–6 NASB95

1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Definition of Omniscience: The doctrine that God fully knows Himself in all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.

David begins with the Lord searching and knowing him.

Psalm 139:1 NASB95

1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

This is past tense which is different than what he said later on in verse 23.

Verse 1: O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

He recognizes that the Lord has already searched and known Him. He then continues to describe how this looks like.

2: The Psalmist could worship the Lord favorably.

Psalm 139:2–5 NASB95

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.

Psalm 139:2

We see three things here.

1: You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

2: You understand my thought from afar.

3: You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

1: Notice what God knows.

He knows when he sits down and when he rises up.

Question: When was the last time you noticed with great detail, your sitting down and rising up?

This reveals how detailed God is.

The psalmist didn’t write of significant things but he wrote of something insignificant.

Question: What does this say about God’s knowledge?

2: Notice what God understands.

He understands what others cannot understand absolutely.

God can understand with no mistake or guesses what we think.

Question: What does this say about God’s understanding?

3: Notice what God scrutinizes.

He scrutinizes his path and his lying down.

Which reveals how God is intimately acquainted with of his ways.

The psalmist recognizes that God knows, understands and He scrutinizes everything. To the point that He is acquainted with all of his ways.

Question: What does this say about God’s scrutiny?

Questio

Question: How does this comfort to us?

Answer: It should comfort us because it shows how involved God is in our lives!

Question: How does this bring conviction to us?

Answer: It should bring conviction because it shows we could never hide our sin from Him.

Example: Can you imagine the worst sin you’ve committed being out on display at a stadium? Or what about Youtube? What if your most egregious sin was put on public display?

With God it is worse. Because not only does He see it when it is happening, He sees the heart behind the sin.

This should bring sobriety to us today.

God has knowledge of things before they happen.

Psalm 139:4 NASB95

4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.

This would include the ones we shouldn’t have said.

Even though God knows everything there is to know about him we still see God’s favor.

Psalm 139:5 NASB95

5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.

Yes God knows everything there is to know about us in great detail but still He remains faithful and present.

5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.

David would acknowledge God’s attributes in such a way that this writing, inspired by the Holy Spirit, would be given to the choir master.

2: The Omnipresence (7-12)

So that the choir master could lead God’s people in corporate worship!

Definition of Omnipresence: The doctrine that God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being, yet God acts differently in different places.

This is a Psalm, a hymn to be sung in the courts of His covenant people!

Psalm 139:7–12 NASB95

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

3: The Psalmist could lament before the presence of God!

In verses 1-6 we see the psalmist recognizing God’s knowledge of all things.

59 Chapters are themed as Psalms of lament.

In verses 7-12 we see the admission of his inability to go and flee to where God is not.

They are full with petitions, prayers, laments over persecution and pleas for the Lord’s salvation.

In verse 7 David asks two questions.

1: Where can I go from Your Spirit?

In this particular Psalm we see, blasphemy, killing, death and evil. All worth lamenting over. Which many have categorized this Psalm as a psalm of lament.

2: Where can I flee from Your presence?

When speaking of His Spirit it is speaking specifically of His person and power.

When speaking of His presence it is literally speaking of His face.

So he is admitting that he cannot find a place in creation where God’s face, person and power are absent.

spirit (God) n. — the spirit of the God of Israel that is associated with his power and also closely associated with his person; for example, can be grieved.

In verse 8 - 10 he gives examples of how God is ever present.

Psalm 139:8–10 NASB95

8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

Psalm 139:8

David points to the highest place (heaven) and the lowest place (the grave) and God is there.

David points to the holiest place (heaven) to an unclean place (the grave) and God is there.

The miracle here is that someone who has committed these acts himself was able to be heard from the Lord favorably!

If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

David was a murderer and adulterer. But the Lord was gracious. So much that he was used to write an inspired work of God! Inspired straight from the third person of the Trinity Himself.

God not only heard the psalmist, He used Him favorably to give us this Psalm today.

Then David brings out that even if he would go to the furthest place west from where he is, which would be across the Mediterranean sea, even there God would lead him!

There are miracles in this Psalm.

And God would still be favorable in sustaining Him with His right hand.

The point here is that God will always sustain Him because God is ever present! Because that’s who He is!

is true!

Psalm 46:1 NASB95

1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Not only is it impossible to find a place where God is not. There is no where one can hide. Even in the darkness.

Psalm 139:11–12 NASB95

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

1: Where can we go from His Spirit?

2: Where can we flee from His presence?

3: What darkness is too dark for God to see in?

But the greatest of them is the revelation given to us about God and how he is intimately acquainted with His people.

The point is clear. God is there and sees and knows everything. And yet knowing us as we are He is still faithful!

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

God's knowledge, presence and power are always intimately acquainted with His people.

There can be times where we grieve the Holy Spirit of God. But it is impossible for us to be separated from God.

And this is worth to be shouted and celebrated by His people!

I think this is what the psalmist is alluding to. That no matter where he finds himself, God is there.

David speaks from experience!

Not only is He there, He will sustain. In fact, He always had been from the very beginning!

By His power

3: The Omnipotence (13-18)

3: The Omnipotence of God (13-18)

1: The Omniscience of God (1-6)

Definition of Omnipotence: The doctrine that God is able to do all his holy will.

Psalm 139:13–18 NASB95

13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

NASB95

1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

David’s points out two things that caused him to give thanks.

1: You formed my inward parts.

2: You wove me in my mother’s womb.

The inwards parts literally meant kidneys. But figuratively could have meant the innermost self.

God formed, meaning God created and God wove meaning God knit together his body in the womb.

David gives thanks which is found in verse 14.

Psalm 139:14 NASB95

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

Some ancient translations read “You are fearfully wonderful.”

In either case the emphasis was not that he (the created) was wonderful. But that the One who created man in a way that was wonderful.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

God has searched and known David

That is why David would continue with saying, “Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.”

He goes from giving thanks for being formed and woven in his mother’s womb to highlighting God’

David again highlights God’s knowledge of his frame not being hidden.

Then David uses a term that is only found here in all of Scripture.

My frame was not hidden from You

:16

Psalm 139:15 ESV

15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Psalm 139:16 ESV

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.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance.

This is a term that speaks of an embryo. Found only here in all of Scripture.

When I was made in secret,

So David here goes from the smallest stage of his existence into the days that were formed for him which points to his last day.

Psalm 139:16 NASB95

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

God not only has the power to create, form and knit together your being. He has the power to ordain the amount of days you will live.

Question: What exactly should you be afraid of?

Question: Shouldn’t this be a precious truth to you today?

The psalmist responds with praise!

Psalm 139:17–18 NASB95

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

David concludes that God’s thoughts are innumerable.

God has inexhaustible knowledge and power!

God’s presence cannot be avoided.

And yet, God somehow finds a way to be loving towards us even while knowing everything about us. Even from the beginning!

When we remember how much God loves, it is a wonder how someone can hate him.

unformed substance n. — the body at the stage of life roughly corresponding to a modern “embryo”.

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. 16a Your eyes have seen my unformed substance.

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David, after being struck by God’s knowledge, presence and power, goes into what is often called an imprecatory prayer.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

4: David’s plea to slay the wicked and need for God to search Him (19-24)

Here we see where David recognizes that God has known and searched him already.

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

Psalm 139:19–24 NASB95

19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. 20 For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

The Lord knowing and testing the heart is a common theme in the book of Psalms.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

An imprecatory prayer is the act of invoking God’s judgement.

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It is often in the Psalms where the psalmist pleads with God for the misfortune and disaster of his enemies.

2 Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.

Many Christians often struggle with this since Jesus tells us to love our enemies.

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But in Matthew chapter 5 Jesus is speaking of a hatred that would lead into retaliation and revenge for personal reasons.

9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.

Here it is talking about God implementing justice because of their taking His name in vain. So this is not talking about personal vengeance but the divine right of God to bring about His judgement on them who sin against Him.

But the Psalmist not only acknowledges that God knows him. He goes through a list of how this knowledge of him looks like.

We have to remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord.

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Romans 12:19 NASB95

19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Romans

God’s righteousness demands justice for transgression.

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.

God’s intervention in the Old Testament often meant judgement against the wicked for bringing harm to God’s people.

God knew when he sat down and when he rose up.

So it was God who brought vengeance against His enemies who were also the enemies of His own people.

Imprecatory prayers were done in the context of brutality and killing.

Question: when was the last time you thought deeply about your sitting down?

David’s loathing wasn’t because they were attacking him personally but it was that they were men of bloodshed.

Question: When was the last time you arose from sleep and wondered how much of a miracle it was to do so?

Men who hated and blasphemed the Lord. That is what is causing Him angst in his soul.

David concluded by going back to where he started in verse 23.

Notice that the psalmist doesn’t choose something that would be considered significant like a war won. A battle fought. Anything we would deem significant.

Psalm 139:23 NASB95

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

The psalmist noticed that God knew about things that we would consider insignificant.

David isn’t asking this of God so that God could know. But it was so that David himself could see what God had already seen in his heart.

God scrutinized his path and his lying down.

Psalm 139:24 NASB95

24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

The Psalmist ends the way he began. Lord search me and lead me to the way everlasting.

This is David simply saying, “search my heart and lead me to eternal life.”

Question: How could God be so close to us knowing how prone we are to wander from Him?

Question: Why does He continue to sustain us, even when we have treated Him less than what He deserves?

Well, we have to ask then “how does God know our hearts and our thoughts and yet remains faithful in leading us into eternal life?”

I believe that the way God knows and searches our hearts and thoughts is to see them as redeemed.

Meaning that God has to see us

Which is found in the greatest display of His knowledge, presence and power.

The greatest display of His knowledge, presence and power happened in the incarnation of Christ Jesus.

The psalmist asked the Lord to lead him into the way everlasting.

Question: So, what is the way everlasting? What is eternal life?

John 17:3 NASB95

3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

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3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

God was known most in the life of His Son.

God’s own presence was in the life of His Son.

The greatest display of God’s power was in the life, death, burial and resurrection of His own Son.

God knew our hearts and He knew He needed to replace them with covenant hearts.

Hearts that would no longer reject and hate Him. But hearts that have been sealed with His commandments engraved on them.

Hearts that He has searched and found favor in.

This is cause for us to rejoice!

Question: Has the reality of God’s knowledge, presence and power brought fear, conviction or comfort to you?

God not only sees and knows everything. His knowledge of things seems to count everything as significant.

The other question is will the reality of God’s attributes cause worship anf praise to come forward?

It’s as if God sees everything as a single event in detail. (example)

God understood his thought from afar.

Not only does God know everything but He understands everything.

God’s omniscience is not only about knowing everything but it’s His understanding of everything. Even our wrong doing.

Question: Ever wonder why you continue the things that you know to be wrong?

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5 O God, it is You who knows my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You.

Even our wrongs are not hidden from Him. He understands them and has scrutinized them.

Question: What does this say about God?

Answer in the next part of verse 3.

God is intimately acquainted with all of his ways.

God is so acquainted with David that (verse 4)

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4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.

Question: Do you remember when Jesus was teaching about prayer when He said in

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8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

God knows what you need before you ask and He knows what you are going to say before you say it.

God knows the hidden things and He knows what will come out of our mouth before we say them.

The Holman translation speaks of God encircling us.

HCSB

5 You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me.

Which means that God is before and behind him. God is present and close.

Question: So, what is the reaction of the psalmist to God’s intimate knowledge of him?

• Is it fear?

• Is it a feeling of condemnation since God knows perfectly his sin and the wrongs of his own heart?

• Is it the feeling of worthlessness because of how tainted motives are with sin?

No. His response is verse 6!

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6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

It is the same response Paul had when understanding the mystery of the gospel in

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33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

God’s knowledge is not meant only to be acknowledged, I would say that it demands worship and awe.

Because though He knows everything in perfect detail, He is favorable, merciful, patient, and abounding in steadfast love towards us!

God not only knows David but He’s with David and for David.

God's knowledge is about being intimately acquainted with His people. Meaning that not only does God know David and the people of God, He is with the people of God.

Which leads us into the Omnipresence of God.

2: The Omnipresence of God (7-12)

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7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

God cannot be absent from David.

Notice the two questions.

First: Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Second: Where can I flee from Your presence?

Both questions are actually making the point that it is impossible for anyone to go from God and to flee from God in a way where He is not there.

The psalmist is not talking about wanting to leave His presence but he is admitting that it is impossible to hide from His face.

When he was talking about His presence he literally meant “before His face.”

This is not meant to only be a comforting reality but it is also a warning.

No one can flee from the Lord. Which should comfort and convict the believer.

Not only does God have knowledge of everything, but His presence, His face is everywhere.

This doesn’t mean that God is favorable of everyone and everything going on.

What it does mean is that when God’s presence is favorable, people should rejoice.

But if God’s presence is unfavorable, people should mourn and repent.

The psalmist goes into more detail in the verses following.

If he would ascend to heaven, God is there.

This is obvious of course because this is where God is.

But even when He is in heaven, He is also everywhere else.

Even if He made his bed in Sheol, behold, He is there

Sheol was known as the grave. Which was the place of the dead.

It was also considered an unclean place. But God would also be there.

The psalmist continues in verses 9-10.

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9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

Even when the sun rose which started east to then go to the remotest part of the sea, which was west. Not only would God be there, He would lead Him.

And He would lay hold of Him with His right hand.

Which speaks of the Lord sustaining him. Making him strong. It is a favorable. positive term towards the writer.

This is exactly what is happening right now with His church!

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19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The psalmist is just revealing what has always been.

That God is not only present but is here sustaining us no matter where we go!

God is with the psalmist even when the darkness is overwhelming (verses 11-12)

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11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

The psalmist here concludes that there is no such thing as not being able to see with God.

God clearly and absolutely sees all and knows all.

God knows with inexhaustible knowledge when he sat down and when he rose up.

God knows with inexhaustible knowledge his path and his lying down.

God knows with inexhaustible knowledge his thoughts.

God knows with inexhaustible knowledge all of his ways and yet remains intimately acquainted with him.

Question: Where could the psalmist go from His presence?

Heaven?

The grave?

The remotest part of the sea?

No. God is there. And not only is He there, He sustains Him with His right hand.

The conclusion here is that even when darkness covers everything and no man can see. God sees with absolute clarity and inexhaustible knowledge!

It is the character of God that there is no darkness at all!

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5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Thus, the reason that darkness is as light to Him.

Everything is exposed. Even our faults and yet He remains faithful to sustain!

If we only remembered how powerful God is we would remember that He can sustain anyone no matter the corcumstances!

3: The Omnipotence of God (13-18)

God created and sustains Him.

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13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

God formed his inward parts and He had woven him in his mother’s womb.

Which is where no one could see.

Not only could no one see him in his mother’s womb but no one could have ever hoped to see his inward parts even while in his mother’s womb. But God could!

David would go on the give thanks because of this in verse 14.

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14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.

Many have used this verse to feel special about themselves.

But the reason for this being said was thanksgiving not a note to self about self.

It was a recognition of the wonderful work of God.

Yes, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. But do not leave it at the work. The work is meant to give thanks to the Creator. The one who made the frame!

His frame was not hidden from Him, when he was being made in secret.

This could literally read, “my skeleton was not hidden from You.”

God skillfully wrought him in the “depths of the earth.”

Most commentators noted that “depths of the earth” was figurative of the mother’s womb.

Being skillfully wrought him was translated by a term that was used only eight other times, in Exodus, of the decorated embroidery of the various items in the Tent of the Lord’s Presence.

This highlights the detail of God’s design in the womb and His favor!

That is why we should note the great evil of abortion.

I am not saying this offend anyone involved in an abortion before.

But to just say that we are pro-life would not be enough.

What we should actually mean is that we are for the Creator who made man in His image.

As an example with homosexual unions. This is not an attack on traditional marriage. It is an attack on God.

David is seeing the amazing truths of God when highlighting His work in His creation.

David is highlighting the wonder of God!

It was God who skillfully put him together which demands thanksgiving and worship!

His eyes have seen his unformed substance.

Unformed substance in the Hebrew uses a term only used once in the Old Testament.

Which is an embryonic term.

God has seen us even at the most minute detail of our existence.

Which again highlights God’s amazing knowledge of him.

In His book were all written the days that were ordained for him, when as yet there was not one of them.

The psalmist goes from God knowing him and working in him in the most minute detail, to knowing the amount of days that the psalmist would live.

The amount of days that David had to live were predetermined by God.

Question: What was David’s response?

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17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

David responded with worship!

And he goes from God being with him to him being with God!

The psalmist loves the Lord. So much that he begins to feel the ache in his heart towards those who would speak evil of God!

4: David's plea to slay the wicked and need for God to search Him (19-24)

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19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. 20 For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

Verse 19a O that You would slay the wicked, O God.

David transitions into praying what is called an imprecatory prayer.

An imprecatory prayer is the act of invoking a curse.

It is often in the Psalms where the psalmist pleads with God for the misfortune and disaster of his enemies.

Many Christians often struggle with this since Jesus tells us to love our enemies.

But in Matthew chapter 5 Jesus is speaking of a hatred that could lead into retaliation and revenge for personal reasons and personal gain.

Here it is talking about God implementing justice because of their taking His name in vain. So, this is not talking about personal vengeance but the divine right to bring about judgement.

• We have to remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord.

• God’s righteousness demands justice.

• God’s intervention in the Old Testament often meant judgement against the wicked for bringing harm to God’s people.

• Imprecatory prayers were done in the context of brutality and killing by the enemies of God’s people.

Verse 19b Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.

David was asking for God to slay men who were men killing the people of God.

The motive for his imprecatory prayer is found in verse 20.

Verse 20 For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Which is a direct violation of the third commandment ().

Then David turns to how he feels in verses 21-22

Verse 21 -22 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.

The ISB Encyclopedia

“Punishment of the enemies is to come from God and not from those whom the enemies hate. In the Song of Moses () the hate of the enemies remains until the day of vengeance and requital (v 35) when Yahweh will repay His foes and requite those who hate Him (v 41). Because of their sin and rebellion, the just man hates those who hate his God; nevertheless, the righteous man maintains an attitude of non-retaliation. He refrains from usurping what is God’s prerogative. He hates evil and loves good (), while the wicked man hates good and loves evil (). The prophetic message shows that the act of decision between hate and love over against good and evil is not a matter based on the emotions of the human heart. To the contrary, it is a decisive choice of the will, for it is a choice for life or death.”

The psalmist is asking for God’s justice, not because of personal harm done to Him, but because of their desire to kill and for taking the Lord’s name in vain.

There is debate of whether the believer can pray this today.

Our starting point when thinking of and praying for God’s justice starts at the cross.

Jesus is the starting point when thinking of and praying for God’s judgement.

When thinking of God’s judgement remember that He is holy and we all are deserving of wrath.

Remember, that when you say you long for the Lord to come that it isn’t just a rescue but it is the Lamb coming a Lion.

So, in saying for instance, Maranatha Lord come, you are also asking for the judgement to come not just rescue.

So along with David here, when thinking of hating the things that God hates. Like the hatred over the wicked we should ask what he asks for in closing.

Verses 23 -24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

The Psalmist ends the way he began. Lord search me and lead me to the way everlasting.

How could God be so close to us knowing how prone we are to wander from Him? And why does He continue to sustain us, even when we have treated Him less than what He deserves?

Well, we have to ask then how does God know our hearts and our thoughts and yet He remains faithful to lead us into eternal life.

I believe that the way God knows and searches our hearts and thoughts is to see them as redeemed.

The greatest display of His knowledge, presence and power happened in the life of Christ Jesus.

The psalmist is asking the Lord to lead him into the way everlasting.

Question: So, what is the way everlasting? What is eternal life?

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3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

God was known most in the life of His Son.

God’s own presence was in the life of His Son.

The greatest display of God’s power was in the life, death, burial and resurrection of His Own Son.

God knew our hearts and He knew He needed to replace them with covenant hearts.

Hearts that would no longer reject and hate Him. But hearts that have been sealed with His commandments engraved on them.

Hearts that He has searched and found favor in.

This is cause for us to rejoice!