Known By God
Notes
Transcript
What does it mean to be known by someone? I remember in January of 1986, while my wife and I were teaching at a Christian school in Winona, Minnesota, the administrator at the school informed me that he had met someone over Christmas break who knew me.
Apparently we had been classmates at the Moody Bible Institute, and when my name was mentioned to them they said they knew me.
They even said that I was a really talented musician. But when their name was mentioned to me, I had to confess that I did not know them. I didn’t even recognize their name or names — I think there was more than one.
Over my nearly seven years of ministry here in Britton, Michigan, I have met a lot of pastors, many of whom would claim to know me, at least at a certain level.
And yet there is a much smaller group by whom I am known. Beyond that, there is even a much smaller portion of those who really know me at an intimate level.
If you haven’t done so already, please take your Bible and turn to Psalm 139. This psalm, which was written by David, emphasizes the personal intimate relationship that this godly king had with the Lord.
When David states the Lord has known him, he is referring to the most intimate of relationships a human can have with God. We, who are believers in Jesus Christ, enjoy this same type of personal relationship with God because we are in His blessed Son.
Let’s read this psalm together:
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, 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 cover me, and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
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.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.
Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain.
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 complete hatred; I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
The Setting (vs. 19-24)
The Setting (vs. 19-24)
Often the setting for a particular psalm is given to us in the inscription of that psalm, which is part of the inspired Hebrew text. But we do not find anything in the inscription that would lead us to understand the setting of the intimate Psalm of David.
That being said, I’m going to argue that verses 19-24 provide the backdrop of this psalm. It appears that some situation of moral conflict has caused David to take a stand and side with God, and has caused him to reflect and reconsider his shelter and security in God. Let’s look again at these verses:
Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain.
The first thing we see is that:
a. God wants me to be in agreement with Him regarding the wicked
i. The wicked are men of bloodshed
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 5: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs IV. Prayer for Vindication (139:19–24)
The ascription “bloodthirsty men” denotes a lack of respect for life and regard for justice and righteousness
Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.
ii. They speak against God with malicious intent
We see this in Romans 1 where those who hate God suppress the truth in unrighteousness, refuse to honor God as God, exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and other created things, and exchanged the truth about God for a lie.
iii. They malign God’s name
b. Because God hates them, I hate them
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 complete hatred; I count them my enemies.
We should understand this as being holy zeal rather than malicious spite
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
We should understand this as conforming our minds to God’s mind
May His will become my will — may His desires become my desires
c. Search me to see if I resemble them in any way
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
i. If I do bring correction
This is David making himself an open-book for God to continually search and correct those areas of his life that are found to be lacking in God’s sight
With this ending of the psalm as the setting in mind, let’s look at the beginning of this wonderful psalm. Look again at
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
I am Known by God Because He Knows Everything About me (vs. 1-6)
I am Known by God Because He Knows Everything About me (vs. 1-6)
David’s statement that he is known by God is much more intimate than a casual knowing. Because God is omniscient or all-knowing, He knows everyone and everything. He has all knowledge in all subject matters.
But here David is referring to an intimacy that only occurs between the closets of friends or family members. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus said this:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Those who do the will of the Father are those who have placed their faith in Jesus as the way and the truth and the life — as the only way to come to the Father.
In other words, they have been obedient to the gospel. Those who are workers of lawlessness are those who have not been obedient to the gospel.
As we look at the intimacy of being known by God we need to keep in mind that this is referring to believers in Jesus Christ. The first thing we see in our text is that:
a. He knows my actions and my thoughts – vs. 2:
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
b. He knows where we are going and when we are resting – vs. 3:
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
c. He knows my speech – even before I do – vs. 4:
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
d. He is my protector – vs. 5:
You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
e. I cannot comprehend His knowledge of me – vs. 6:
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
I am Known by God Because He is Always With me (vs. 7-12)
I am Known by God Because He is Always With me (vs. 7-12)
a. I cannot go anywhere without His being with me – vs. 7
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
i. Not to heaven – not in the grave vs. 8
If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
ii. Not to the east – nor to the west – vs. 9-10
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.
iii. Not in a cave – vs. 11-12:
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
1. It is possible that this is referring to the darkness of depression
2. It is possible this is a reference to spiritual darkness which the believer has no part in
I am Known by God Because He Created me (vs. 13-18)
I am Known by God Because He Created me (vs. 13-18)
a. He created me in my mother’s womb
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
i. Therefore, I praise Him for His wondrous creation (vs. 14)
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
b. He knew what I would be like – vs. 15:
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
c. He knew me in my embryonic state – vs. 16: Psa 139.16
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.
d. His thoughts regarding me are vast and precious – vs. 17-18:
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.
Believer, we should find great comfort in God’s precious thoughts toward us. We are so precious in His eyes that He put forward His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be born as a man so that He could absorb God’s wrath for our sin.
Make no mistake, God’s wrath regarding our sin will be poured out, but it was Christ who received the wrath that we should have received. In the words of Paul:
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 gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Paul goes on to state that nothing, absolutely nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
My friend, if you recognize that you are not one who is at this present time known by God, I invited to consider the gospel. Understand that God is the creator and owner of this whole world. Understand that you and I were created to serve Him and obey Him.
And yet we rebelled against His rule in our lives. Whether in ignorance or rank rebellion we have chosen to live our way instead of God’s way. Because of sin their is a wide gulf which separates man from God — it is so wide that we cannot cross it. But God sent His Son, Jesus, to be born as a man, to fulfill all the righteous demands of God, and to die on the cross.
As He hung on the cross He absorbed God’s wrath for all who rely on Him for their salvation. I invited to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to ask Him to be your sin-bearer. I invite you to embrace the message of the gospel and then you too will be known by God.
As we close, I want to tell you about the song I’m going to sing.
Closing Song: Where Can I Go for His Spirit?
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.