37. This Is My LORD, Psalm 139

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Hymns: RHC 399 I Am Thine, O Lord, 402 His Way with Thee, 404 Let Your Lower Lights Be Burning

PSALM 139

1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. 19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. 20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. 21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:1-24 (KJV)

 

THIS IS MY LORD

OUTLINE

(1) His Complete Care for Me (v1-18)

(2) His Cause, My Cause (v19-22)

(3) His Affection, My Consecration (v23-24)

 

INTRODUCTION

The psalmist reveals his LORD to us by way of a personal testimony. God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His Being, in His wisdom and power, in His goodness toward him (v1-18).

Surely, he encourages us, to be loyal and faithful to our LORD, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God for God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His holiness and justice (v19-22). He realizes that he needed God’s grace to live the victorious Christian life according to God’s everlasting ways. He pleaded for cleansing and renewal where he had fallen short (v23-24). If there is an appropriate bible verse to sum up psalm 139 it is this:

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

(1) His Complete Care for Me (v1-18)

Verse 1, O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me is the confession of the psalmist. He realizes that his life is as a transparent glass in the sight of his Master. Whatever he did, cannot escape the all-seeing eye of his LORD. Thinking of the many troubles of life and how God delivers him from them all, he cannot but acknowledge that there is indeed an infinitely higher Being that watches and cares for him. The realization of infinite God’s knowledge causes him to fall down into complete worship.

Verses 2-12, God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His Being. His presence is everywhere, there is no place that He cannot reach and is not present. It must cause him to marvel.

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

God knew his “downsitting”, his sitting down to rest in his weariness, his sickness, his troubles and his “uprising”, his challenges, his purposes, his life in action is all before Him.

Jesus told Nathanael what he did at the fig tree and commended his piety toward God which causes him realize that Jesus “knew his thoughts, his desires, his secret feelings and wishes” (Barnes) causing to acknowledge Jesus’ divinity.

John 1:47-49 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

Verses 13-18 Thou hast possessed my reins means Thou hast created me, God possessed or own every part of him for He has wonderful made him.

He acknowledges that he came into existence by the soul-breathing power and wisdom of God. God’s wisdom is described in the Bible together with His power. His power gives His wisdom authority that He is Creator. He is in charge of making all things. This knowledge was made known to David. The Apostle John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, learned this too of Jesus when he wrote:

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

 David and John knew their Creator and acknowledged Him, what about us?

 

(2) His Cause, My Cause (v19-22)

19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. 20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. 21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

 David acknowledged in his heart and in his writing that he will not have any other gods before him. He vouched his loyalty to His Lord!

Remember the first commandment given to Israel in Mount Sinai amidst thunder and lightning?

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

The phrase “before me” means “before my face”. It refers to God’s omnipresence and omniscience. It reminds us at the very beginning of the commandments that He, with whom we have to do, searches the heart.

If you have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god: shall not God search out? For He knows the secrets of our hearts. He knows out downsitting and uprising, He understands our thoughts afar off. He compasses our path and our lying down, and is acquainted with all our ways. He has beset us behind and before, and laid His hand upon us. We cannot flee from his presence. In heaven, in hell, in the uttermost parts of the sea, everywhere He is present.

The darkness hides not from Him; the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to Him. He possesses our reins. Every sin, therefore, and in particular every sin against this commandment, is committed in the immediate presence of God. For there is no “creature that is not manifested in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13). God’s understanding is infinite and concealment from Him is impossible.[1]

Plumer said well, “These commandments requires us to have a God…This precept requires us to have Jehovah for your God…whosoever takes Jehovah for His God must know Him, must confess God in all our ways…must love God…must worship God.”

He would not align himself with those who despised his LORD. He says “I hate them with perfect hatred”.

For God had indeed helped him to overcome the fiercest enemies of Israel. The giant Philistine Goliath challenged Israel to send a man to fight him. This was the kind of courage that led David to volunteer to fight “the uncircumcised Philistine”.

1 Samuel 17:4-11 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

 1 Samuel 17:20-29 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel. And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

 David had experienced God’s providential care upon him as a shepherd boy to the time when he volunteered to fight Israel’s enemy Goliath. Indeed, the Philistine army was ready to overtake Israel, the situation was tense and urgent.

1 Samuel 17:32-37 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

 Indeed, God’s enemies were his enemies. God’s cause, His cause!

(3) His Affection, My Consecration (v23-24)

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

 He has experienced the blessing of a close walk with God and he knew that it is the only way of blessing. He knew that he needed God’s power to enable him, God’s grace to live above the world, to put to death every sin his life. It is a prayer uttered with fear and trembling and yet boldness and confidence at the throne of grace.

 

CONCLUSION

Indeed, our God is great. He deserves our filial following. May we not take granted our great privilege. Amen.

[1] William S. Plumer, Law of God, Sprinkle Publications, 1996, 104-105.