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The God Who Knows Us Perfectly

Psalm 139:1-24

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.


The God Who Knows Us Perfectly

Commentary

by

Clyde M. Miller

Text: Psalm 139:1-24, O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in−behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.



See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. NIV Introduction: I. The Greek title has prefixed the strange phrase "for the end", and the Alexandrinus text has appended the phrase "of Zechariah in the dispersion".

A. Nothing in the text of the psalm gives any insight into the date of composition.

B. There are several Aramaisms in the psalm ("my thoughts", Ps. 139:2; "go up", Ps. 139:8; "your adversaries", Ps. 139:20b, KJV).

1. Psalms 139:2, You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. NIV 2. Psalms 139:8, If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. NIV

3. Psalms 139:20, They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. NIV

4. However, the presence of Aramaisms is not necessarily an indication of a late date of composition.

II. The psalm is poetically balanced with four paragraphs of six verses each. A. In the first paragraph (Ps. 139:1-6), the psalmist praises God for his

minute knowledge of Him, the contemplation of which fills the psalmist with awe (Ps. 139:6).

1. Psalm 139:1-6, O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in−behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. NIV



B. In the second paragraph (Ps. 139:7-12), the psalmist states that God is everywhere the psalmist might go, and God is there to lead and hold

him (Ps. 139:10).

1. Psalm 139:7-12, Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. NIV

C. In the third paragraph (Ps. 139:13-18, the psalmist combines the idea of God's omniscience (Ps. 139:1-6) and omnipresence (Ps.139:7-12) and applies these divine qualities to God's knowledge of the psalmist's embryonic development (Ps. 139:13-15) and God's planning of the psalmist's life (Ps. 139:16-18).

1. Psalm 139:13-18, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them? Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of san. When I awake, I am still with you. NIV

2. All this contemplation fills the psalmist with a feeling of intimate closeness to God (Ps. 139:18).

D. In the fourth paragraph (Ps. 139:19-24), the psalmist thinks of God as the judge of all the earth and in complete confidence asks God to



judge him with a view to His correcting his life to please God (Ps. 139:23-24).

1. Psalm 139:19-24, If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. NIV

III. There are three key ideas set forth in the psalm.

A. The first is God's intimate knowledge of the psalmist (Ps. 139:1,2,4,6,14,23 (twice)).

1. Psalm 139:1,2,4,6,14,23, O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. NIV

B. Second, God searches man's ways as a judge scrutinizes evidence that is brought into court (Ps. 139:1,3,23-24).

1. Psalm 139:1,3,23,24, O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. NIV 2. It is this perfect judgment of God that gives the psalmist the confidence to entrust his soul to his creator.



C. Third, God is a personal God who is interested in individuals (Passim). God is not discussed here with academic detachment, but as one who acts on behalf of the psalmist.

God's Awesome Scrutiny

Psalm 139:1-6, O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in−behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. NIV Psalm 139:1, O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. NIV I. "Searched" is from a verb that sometimes means to dig for precious metals (cf. Job 28:3).

A. Job 28:3, Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. NIV B. In the context here, it refers to the fact that God discerns the thoughts of man (Ps. 139:2b).

1. Psalm 139:2, You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. NIV

C. The verb, "have searched", is used in Ps. 139:23, where God is requested to search the heart of the psalmist.

1. Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. NIV

II. In the phrase "and you know me", there is no word for "me" in the Hebrew, although it is found in the Greek text. A. The sense seems to justify it.



Psalm 139:2, You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. NIV I. "When I sit" describes man's passive moments or his resting places, and "when I rise" suggests his active moments or his travels.

A. The two phrases declare that God knows all about the psalmist's daily activities. B. "From afar" can mean from God's vantage point in the heavens (cf. Ps. 138:6), but here the phrase likely means that God knows our thoughts before we become fully conscious of them.

1. Psalm 136:6, Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. NIV

Psalm 139:3, You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. I. "Discern" is from a word that means "to winnow" (cf. Ruth 3:2; Isa. 30:24).

A. Ruth 3:2, Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. NIV

B. Isaiah 30:24, The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. NIV C. Sometimes it is used in a negative sense of scattering or dispersing as a chastisement (cf. Jer. 4:11; 15:7; Os. 44:11), but here it means to trace out carefully.

1. Jeremiah 4:11, At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, "A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse;" NIV 2. Jeremiah 15:7, I will winnow them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I will bring bereavement



and destruction on my people, for they have not changed their ways. NIV 3. Psalm 44:11, You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations. NIV

D. God know us better than we know ourselves (cf. Amos 4:13).

II. "My going out and my lying down" have the same meaning as "when I sit and when I rise" in Ps. 139:2. A. "All my ways" is a literal summary of both verses.

B. Anthropomorphic language is used to communicate the concept of God's constant knowledge of man. C. God does not have to search out anything to know it any more than he has to look down from heaven to see what we are doing (cf. Ps. 14:2; 80:14; 102:19).

1. Psalm 14:2, The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who see God. NIV 2. Psalm 80:14, Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine. NIV 3. Psalm 102:19, The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth. NIV

Psalm 139:4, Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. NIV I. This verse might be a protestation of innocence in an effort to vindicate himself before his enemies who have falsely accused him (Ps. 139:19-20), but this is not clear.

A. Psalm 139:19, 20, If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. NIV



B. In all likelihood, the psalmist has a much larger purpose in mind. C. He is again saying that God knows him better than he knows himself (cf. Ps. 139:2b).

1. Psalm 139:2, You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. NIV

Psalm 139:5, You hem me in−behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. NIV I. God encompasses (literally "fences in" or besieges") him and lays His hand upon him in loving care (cf. Ps. 139:10).

A. Psalm 139:10, Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. NIV

Psalm 139:6, Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. NIV I. Contemplation of God's perfect knowledge of him does not frighten the psalmist, but fills him with awe.

God's Guiding Hand

Psalm 139:7-12, Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. NIV Psalm 139:7, Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? NIV I. Synonymous parallelism is employed here.



A. In these perfectly balanced lines, "go" and "flee" are to be taken as synonyms, as are "Spirit" and "presence". B. "Spirit" here does not refer to the third person in the godhead and, should not be capitalized (cf. the KJV, NIV). C. "Flee" in this passage means no more than "go".

Psalm 139:8, If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. NIV I. This psalm is fond of opposites and these contrasts vivify its salient points (cf. Ps. 139:2a,3a,5a, 9,12).

A. Psalm 139:2,3,5,9,12, You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. You hem me in−behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. NIV B. "Heavens" and "depths", literally Sheol, are spatial opposites here, "heavens" representing the highest heights and "Sheol" the lowest depths of which the psalmist is capable of contemplating (cf. Amos 9:2).

1. Amos 9:2, Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Thought they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down. NIV 2. The psalmist is aware of God's presence even in "Sheol", which is an advance on the thought of most Olf Testament writers (cf. Ps. 6:5; 30:9; 88:4-6, 10-12).

a. Psalm 6:5, No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave? NIV



b. Psalm 30:9, "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? NIV c. Psalm 88:4-6; 10-12, I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength, I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? NIV

3. However, the psalmist does not express any awareness of man's state in Sheol beyond that of his contemporaries, and eschatological theological presuppositions based on this passage are unwarranted.

Psalm 139:9, If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, NIV I. "The wings of the dawn" is the spatial opposite of "the far side of the sea".

A. The Mediterranean, being to the west of Palestine, came to stand for the direction west. B. The direction of the sunrise is, of course, east.

1. It is not likely that the psalmist meant to imply any more than this in his phraseology.

C. He may have borrowed mythological language that describes the goddess of the dawn as riding on "the wings of the dawn", as God is said to ride "on the wings of the wind" (cf. Ps. 104:3).



1. Psalm 104:3, and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. NIV

D. If such language is intended here, there is no reason to assume that the psalmist accepts the mythological idea in either passage.

1. This would simply be understood as accommodative language employed for the poetic effect of vivid description. 2. It is also possible that the psalmist is reflecting upon the rapidity with which the early morning light reaches from its source in the eastern sky to its destination in the far reaches of the western sky.

Psalm 139:10, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. NIV

A. this verse shows that the primary intent of Ps. 139:8 and Ps. 139:9 is to say that god is everywhere, whether vertical (Ps. 139:8) or horizontal (Ps. 139:9) space is contemplated.

1. Psalm 139:8-9, If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, NIV

2. God's omnipresence is a source of comfort, not terror.

Psalm 139:11-12, If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. NIV I. The poet is not trying to hide from God in the "darkness".

A. He may have been so accused by his enemies (cf. Ps. 139:4, 19-20), although one should not insist on this interpretation.



1. Psalm 139:4, 19-20, Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. NIV

B. The psalmist is likely reflecting upon God's presence day and night in order to add a temporal idea to the spatial ideas expressed in Ps. 139:8-10.

1. Psalm 139:8-10, If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. NIV

God's Creative Power

Psalm 139:13-18, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed boy. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. NIV Psalm 139:13, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb, NIV I. "Inmost being" is from a word which means the "reins" (KJV) or "Kidneys", often used to indicate the lower viscera and the vital organs found there. II. "Knit….together" describes the workmanship of a weaver who weaves together a basket or garment (cf. Job 10:11).



A. Job 10:11, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? NIV

B. Here the psalmist describes the intricate handiwork of God. Psalm 139:14, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. NIV I. The Hebrew of Ps. 139:14a can be read literally, "I am awesomely wonderful" (cf. Job 37:5).

A. Job 37:5, God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. NIV

B. This thought may be paraphrased, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (KJV, NASB). C. The Hebrew of Ps. 139:14c literally reads, "And that my soul knows right well" (cf. the KJV and NASB).

Psalm 139:15, My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, NIV I. The phrase, "woven together", literally means to embroider and can refer to the colorful picture of the handiwork of a skillful weaver (Ps. 139:13b).

A. Psalm 139:13, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. NIV

1. "Curiously wrought" (KJV) is a phrase that draws its idea from "made in secret".

B. "The depths of the earth" is an idiom for the darkness of the womb and does not carry with it here any mythological idea, although the language may stem from a superstitious belief that the fetus was first formed in the earth and then placed in the womb.

1. There is no clear connection here with the forming of the first man from the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7).



a. Genesis 2:7, And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. NIV

Psalm 139:16, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. NIV I. It is not clear whether "my unformed body" refers to the various parts of the body that became formed substance, or the days that were formed for the psalmist.

A. "Which in continuance were fashioned" (KJV) and "day by day they were fashioned" (NEB) are unwarranted paraphrases. B. The Greek here is more confusing than helpful. C. The Bible clearly teaches that God can, and at least at times does, plan a person's life to fulfill the divine purpose (cf. Job 14:5; Jer. 1:5; Acts 9:15; Gal. 1:15-16).

1. Job 14:5, Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. NIV

2. Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." NIV

3. Acts 9:15, But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. NIV

4. Galatians 1:15-16, But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man. NIV



D. However, it is equally clear that man can alter the length of his life by his conduct (cf. Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:2-3; Prov. 3:1-2, 13-16; 4:10; 9:10-11; 10:27).

1. Deuteronomy 5:16, "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. NIV

2. Ephesians 6:2-3, "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise−"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." NIV

3. Proverbs 3:1-2; 13-16, My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. NIV

4. Proverbs 4:10, Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. NIV

5. Proverbs 9:10-11, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. NIV

6. Proverbs 10:27, The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. NIV

E. God may add length of days to one's life (cf. Ps. 21:4; Isa. 38:1-5).

1. Psalm 21:4, He asked you for life, and you gave it to him− length of days, forever and ever.



2. Isaiah 38:1-5, In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, "Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, "Go and tell Hezekiah, "This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says; I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life". NIV 3. The rigid view of fatalism that robs man of responsibility is Biblically untenable.

III. That God has a symbolical "book" of remembrance in which he records the deeds of men and other matters is clear (cf. Ex. 32:32-33; Ps. 56:8; 69:28; Mal. 3:16), but that he has there recorded a definitely fixed number of days for each person to live is not clear.

A. Exodus 32:32-33, "But now, please forgive their sin−but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." The Lord replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book." NIV

B. Psalm 56:8, Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll− are they not in your record? NIV

C. Psalm 69:28, May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. NIV

D. Malachi 3:16, then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. NIV E. The New Testament speaks of the book of life as a record of those who are God's faithful people (Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 21:27; etc.; cf. Isa. 4:3).



1. Phillippians 4:3, Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. NIV 2. Revelations 3:5, He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. NIV 3. Revelations 21:27, He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. NIV 4. Isaiah 4:3, Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. NIV

Psalm 139:17-18, How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. NIV I. The psalmist breaks forth in exuberant praise as he contemplates the incomprehensibility of God (cf. Job 5:8-9; 26:14; 37:5, Ps. 40:5; Rom. 11:33-36).

A. Job 5:8-9, But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. NIV

B. Job 26:14, And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power? NIV

C. Job 37:5, God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. NIV

D. Psalm 40:5, Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;



were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. NIV

E. Romans 11:33-36, Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. NIV

II. It is not clear whether Ps. 139:18b means to "awake" from sleep or musing (cf. the KJV and NASB; Ps. 17:15; Jer. 31:26), or that it refers to the end of his life (cf. NEB).

A. Psalm 17:15, And I−in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. NIV B. Jeremiah 31:26, At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me. NIV C. It is not certain that the verb was ever used in Biblical Hebrew in the latter sense, although noun forms are used scores of times.

God's Just Judgments

Psalm 139:19-24, If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. NIV

Psalm 139:19-20, If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. NIV I. These verses seem to imply that the psalmist is presently confronted by enemies, although this is not certain.



A. It is not clear whether Ps. 139:20b refers to taking god's name in vain (cf. the KJV, NASB, and the present vocalization of the Hebrew text) or to maliciously defying God (RSV, NEB). B. The Greek translation mistakes the Aramaic word for "your adversaries" for the Hebrew word for "your cities", and renders, "They shall take your cities in vain".

Psalm 139:21-22, Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. NIV I. The "hatred" expressed here need not be taken to mean personal vengeance or malice, but should be understood to mean that one hates the evil and withstands it (cf. Prov. 6:16-19; Hos. 9:15; Rom. 12:9; Heb 1:9).

A. Proverbs 6:16-19, There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. NIV

B. Hosea 9:15, "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious. NIV

C. Romans 12:9, Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. NIV

D. Hebrews 1:9, You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. NIV

Psalm 139:23-24, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. NIV



I. This sincere petition results from an earnest desire to be right with God, and it expresses complete confidence in the righteousness of God's judgment. A. "Offensive" is an excellent rendering of "wicked" in this context.

B. The Hebrew word translated "everlasting" could be rendered "ancient" (NEB), but the eternal constancy of God's ways is the preferable concept.

Application:

I. It is wonderful for faithful children of God to contemplate the awesomeness of God and His nearness to them.

A. It is comforting, not frightening, to realize that God knows us intimately, and that His intimacy is being expressed in loving helpfulness.

Note: The realization that God knew our embryonic development and designated the embryos as persons dispels the concept that the embryo is impersonal and can be destroyed with impunity. Rampant abortion has lowered the sacredness of human life in the minds of many people. All kinds of crimes against humanity result from this callousness.



Questions

Psalm 139:1-24

(Questions based on NIV text.)

1. "O___________, you have____________me and you____________me. You _________when I__________and when I__________; you__________ my__________from____________. You__________my____________and ___________ ___________; you are_____________with____________my _____________. Before a __________is on my ___________you________ it___________, O ___________." 2. "You______________me in ________ __________and __________; you have _________your__________upon me. Such ____________is________ _____________for__________, too ___________for me to____________." 3. "Where can I__________from your ___________? Where can I_______ from your____________? If I___________ __________to the__________, you are____________; if I make my _________in the ___________, you are __________. If I____________on the __________of the ___________, if I ___________on the ___________ ___________of the ____________, even there your ___________will________________, your _________ ________ will ________ __________ ___________." 4. "If I say, '_______________the____________will__________me and the __________ __________ __________ __________me,' even the _________ will not be_________to you; the__________will________like the________, for__________is as__________to you." 5. "For you____________my____________ ___________; you__________ me together in my___________'s___________. I___________you because I am_______________and___________ _____________; your__________ are_______________, I______________that___________ _________. My ___________was not_____________from you when I was__________in the ___________ ______________. When I was ____________ __________in the__________of the _____________, your____________ ___________my _______________ ____________. All the ____________ ___________for me were ______________in your________________before___________of



them__________ _________ _________." 6. "How_________________to me are your_____________, O _________! How________________is the____________of______________! Were I to ______________them, they would_________________the____________of ___________. When I____________, I am____________ ______________ ______________." 7. "If only you would____________ the______________, O___________! ______________from me, you____________________ __________! They _______________of you with_______________ ________________; Your __________________ ________________your______________. Do I not ________________those who____________you, O __________________, and ________________those who____________ __________ ___________ you? I have________________but__________________for ___________; I________________them my__________________." 8. "________________me, O_______________, and__________________ my________________;_________________me and_________________my _________________ _______________. See if there is any_____________ ______________in______________, and____________________me in the _______________ ________________________." 9. When, by whom and under what circumstances was Psalm 139 written? _____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 10. Psalm 139 is__________________________ ____________________ with__________________ _____________________of________________ ______________________ _______________________. 11. In the first paragraph (Psalm 139:_______________- _____________), the psalmist____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. In the second paragraph (Psalm 139:______________ -____________ ), the psalmist____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 13. In the third paragraph (Psalm 139:______________-______________), the psalmist____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 14. In the fourth paragraph (Psalm 139:_____________-______________), the psalmist___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 15. What three key ideas are set forth in Psalm 139?___________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16. God knew all about the_____________________'s ________________ _____________________. God knows our__________________________ before we become_______________________of them. 17. _____________________ ________________us__________________



than we__________________________ ____________________________. 18. Define anthropormorphism.___________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. The psalmist realized that_________________ ____________________ ___________________better than he_______________________________. ____________________. ________________of_____________________'s ___________________ _________________of him does not____________ the_________________, but_________________him with______________. 20. List opportunities found in Psalm 139 and specify what these contrasts depict. _______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 21. What did the psalmist know of God's and man's presence in Sheol? What is Sheol? Where is Sheol?___________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 22. What is the primary intent of Psalm 139:8-9?______________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. What are the meanings of "inmost being" and "knit together" as used in Psalm 139?____________________________________________________



_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 24. In what respects can you say, "I am awesomely wonderful" or "I am fearfully and wonderfully made"?__________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 25. What is the meaning of "the depths of the earth" as used in Psalm 139:15 and "my unformed body" in verse 16?_________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 26. Give biblical evidence that God can and sometimes does plan a person's life to fulfill a divine purpose._____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 27. Give biblical evidence that man can alter the length of his life by his conduct.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 28. The ____________________ __________________of______________



that _________________ _________________of______________________ is_______________________ ______________________. 29. Exactly what records does God keep? What is contained in these books?________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30. What does the Bible say about the incomprehensibility of God?_______ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 31. Of whom did the psalmist write in verses 19-24?___________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 32. What was the psalmist's attitude toward those who hated the Lord? What is your attitude toward those who rebel against God? What is Jesus' attitude toward these people?______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 33. How did the psalmist think he would fare when God scrutinized him? How do you think you will fare?___________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



_____________________________________________________________ 34. What is "the way everlasting"? Be specific._______________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 35. Is abortion sinful or optional? …..Under all or certain circumstances? Give biblical reasons for your answer?______________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________


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