Psalm 139

In our world where relative truth seems to reign supreme, many have turned to a belief called Deism, without really realizing that they have. See Deism is the belief that God created the world, but then took His seat in the heavens, leaving humanity to fend for themselves. It’s the belief that God exists, but He isn’t intimately involved in His creation. It’s a belief that allows people to have their truth, make their own choices, but still hold some semblance of faith and security in God. 

In one of the more well-known Psalms, David obliterates that false theology with one in which God is intimately involved in the deepest parts of our lives, often before we even know it. 

Read Psalm 139

Big Idea: Our God Is Not Distant, But Is Intimately Involved In All Areas Of Our Lives. 

We see in this Psalm God’s intimate connection with His creation. Specifically, we see 3 areas of intimacy.

1. Intimate Knowledge (Omniscient) – Vs. 1-6

If you are an under-liner, grab a pen and underline every phrase in these first 6 verses that speak to God’s intimate knowledge (Re-read vs. 1-6):

“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.” 

It’s full of language of intimate knowledge. And he begins with:

A. You have searched me and known me

This is a statement from which the rest of the Psalm springs. To “search,” here, implies a “boring or digging in the earth in search of water or metals.” God has bored to the deepest parts of David’s soul, to the point where He quite literally knows him more than he will ever know himself. How is this knowledge manifested practically? 

• God knows our physical movements – when we sit down and when we rise. The path that we walk and when we lie down to rest. He is acquainted with our daily lives. 

• God knows our thoughts, but not only does He know them, He sifts and discerns them. And the word here for “thoughts” isn’t just a random, spontaneous thought that pops into our head, it’s the idea that God sees our plans, our dreams, and what we intend to do. 

• God knows what we are going to say before we even say it. 

God bores to the very depth of our being and knows everything, everything about our lives. Think about verse 5 with this as context. You hem me in and lay your hand upon me. God knows us so well, that he knows what line of defense to establish in order to protect us. We all have weaknesses, and many are unique. God protects us in the precise way that we need him to. God comforts us by laying His hand on us, in the precise way that we need him to. 

David reflects on this and says in verse 6, “such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it’s too high for me to grasp, I can never understand, I can never attain it.” How can this be, God?! That you would desire to know me with such intimacy. A weak sinner like me, God! How can this be? I just cannot comprehend it.

But our lack of understanding doesn’t change the fact that it is so. And as with His intimate knowledge of David, so it is with every human being that has ever been, and ever will be. 

2. Intimate Presence (Omnipresent) – Vs. 7-12

This section is a primary defense for the doctrine of Omnipresence. It means that God is everywhere at all times. David uses some interesting language here, including some contrasting extremes, to really paint a picture for his readers. 

He begins with 2 rhetorical questions, upon which he will expound. “Where shall I go from your Spirit? (and) Where shall I flee from your presence?” 

A. Heaven/Sheol

And then he uses these 2 extremes of the highest of heights, and the lowest of lows. Heavens here isn’t heaven, but the heavens, the expanse of the universe above the earth, and the word “Sheol” here can be translated Hell, but the meaning isn’t literal Hell, and is meant to be a contrast to the heavens. So the highest point of God’s creation, to the absolute lowest, God is there. 

B. Wings of the Morning

The next phrase is really cool. “If I take the wings of the morning.” The imagery here is that of the sun rising. Have you ever been out in the early morning, early enough that the sun hasn’t yet come up? And then slowly the dark ground is painted by the light. David is bringing the reader’s attention to the speed at which the morning sun lights the earth. One commentator says, “The idea is, that if he could fly with the rapidity of light, and could be in an instant over the sea, even beyond its remotest border, still God would be there before him. He could not escape from the divine presence.”

C. Darkness/Light

 Another interesting idea here about darkness and light. The idea here isn’t one of physical darkness, but an allusion to the darkness of evil that can suddenly overtake us. The word cover means to overpower, or to fall upon. So even if the darkness tries to steal our joy, tries to pull us away from God, God still sees, and God is still there, even when the darkness seems to overwhelm. God is light, and if God is omnipresent, that means His light shines even into the darkest moments, and we are never out of His sight. 

I mean how reassuring is this?! 

3. Intimate Creator – Vs. 13-16

This is huge. As Christians who believe the truth of Scripture, this is huge. As followers of Jesus who believe in the sanctity of human life, this is really important. 

Formed my inward parts – a word used elsewhere in the Old Testament for “heart” and “reins.” Reins is a different way to say kidneys. So God formed my kidneys. Over time this term came to be understood as not just kidneys, but all “the inward parts; the mind, the soul, the seat of the desires, affections, and passions.”

And how did God form them? By “knitting them together in my mother’s womb.” As one who weaves together a basket, so God took the inward parts and weaved them together to make human life. David cannot even continue without praising God for this! And the way in which he does it is so profound. “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” In studying various commentaries this week, since I don’t know Hebrew, I found a literal translation and explanation of this. “I am distinguished by fearful things,” that is, by things in my creation which are suited to inspire awe. I am distinguished among thy works by things which tend to exalt my ideas of God, and to fill my soul with reverent and devout feelings. 

So God intimately creates us, but this doesn’t necessarily give us a timetable of human life. But let’s look at verses 15-16. (Read 15)

My “frame,” my bones, were intricately woven, which in Hebrew carries the idea of “embroidering with various colors on a cloth by a needle.” So detailed. So intricate. And God does this in the “depths of the earth.” David is directing the mind of the reader to a place that is so far from our ability to observe. We can’t possibly see where God is creating this life. It’s so deep and hidden, which implies a place beyond human comprehension. And this, this place is where God creates life. But that may not be enough for the skeptics. So, look at verse 16. It doesn’t get much more clear than this. (Read 16)

I know I’ve been throwing out a lot of Hebrew words today, but it’s really important that we get this. 

Unformed substance – the verb behind this is found in 2 Kings 2:8. There, Elijah took his mantle and “wrapped it together,” he rolled it up, or folded it. So take that verb and move it into noun form, and we have something that is rolled or wrapped together, that is undeveloped, unformed. To give credit to one theologian behind the explanation, he says “this most aptly denotes the embryo or the fetus, where all the members of the body are as yet folded up, or undeveloped; that is, before they have assumed their distinct form and proportions. BEFORE THE EMBRYO HAD ANY SUCH FORM THAT ITS FUTURE SIZE, SHAPE OR PROPORTIONS COULD BE MARKED BY THE EYE OF MAN, IT WAS CLEARLY AND DISTINCTLY KNOWN BY GOD.”

And to add to the argument, when our substance was yet unformed, God knew exactly how many days we would walk this earth. God looked at substance, saw life, and numbered the days. 

To say that life is not valuable at the point of conception goes contrary to the perfect, life-breathing, life-giving Word of God. And as a church, Family Church, we stand on this truth. We stand on the truth that human life begins at conception, and has value and worth and a God-given purpose that we don’t get to snuff out.

With that said, I want to make sure that you hear this. No decision we make in this life can affect God’s love for us. In other words, God loves us no matter what choices we make. His love is unconditional. There are no conditions to it. And I know the issue of abortion that is at the center of much division and debate right now has most likely touched each one of us in this room in some way. We are called to love. Perfect, Christ-like love fights for the unborn, and loves the mother who is struggling. We need to love like Jesus from the womb to the tomb.

One more note on this. We better make sure that as we fight for the unborn, we fight for all human life, but I think that’s a message for another day.

Alright, I want to make sure we get through the rest of this Psalm, so let’s summarize:

David again turns to praise in verse 17-18, admitting that the mind of God is far superior, far more extensive than we could even begin to grasp. Like the sand on this earth, impossible to count, are the thoughts of God. 

And then he get’s into this really different section about his enemies. It doesn’t seem to fit the rest of the Psalm, so much so that some believe this section was added later. It could be, though, that David spent the first part of this song reflecting on the intimacy of God to remind himself of the character of God, because his enemies were pressing in on every side. See sometimes when we feel spiritual oppression, when we feel under attack, the best remedy for that is a reminder of the character and nature of God. 

And in another surprising turn, David pleads with God to search him and make sure that he is clean. 

Jesus

Now, maybe lately you feel like God has been distant. Maybe you’ve been crying out to Him but it doesn’t seem like He’s been listening. Maybe you’ve been struggling to believe all of the truth that we saw in Psalm 139 this morning. But can I tell you, that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. That means, that as intimately as He was involved when David penned these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so is He intimately involved in our lives today.

And I know sometimes it’s really hard to believe that, especially when we walk through seasons of drought, of pain and sorrow, of struggle and affliction. It’s easy to miss the God moments when all we can see is the trial. But God is not a distant God! God isn’t sitting in heaven watching us struggle. God cares about us on a level so deep that we can’t even begin to comprehend its depth. 

1. God has an intimate knowledge of each of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what’s best for us. He knows our dreams and desires. He knows what we think even before the thought enters our minds. 

2. God is intimately present in each of our lives, guiding and directing our steps, walking with us as we go. 

3. Your life matters to God. The life of the unborn child matters to God. The life of the refugee matters to God. The life of the 40 million people who are trapped in modern day slavery. The life of the widow, the life of the orphan. Every single life that walks this earth matters to God, and we should be fighting for them, especially if they can’t fight for themselves. 

We pray. We give. We partner. We support. And as we fight, we rest in the fact that our God cares more than we ever could. He desires relationship. He desires intimacy. And He sent His Son to this earth to die for us, so that we could experience that intimacy. United with Christ.