Psalm 139 "Weird and Wonderful Knowledge of God"
Sometimes the more you get to know someone, the more you love them. Other times you start to notice how often they click their pen, or tap on the table, or suck their teeth, or eat crunchy snacks with their mouth open and crinkle the bag like they’re trying to create a hellish soundtrack for your personal apocalypse. Or, you love your uncle but the more time you spend with him the more predictable his jokes get until the lines get blurred between what’s supposed to be funny and some imaginary event where it’s his job to roast everyone in the room—like a dad joke generator stuck in jab mode.
Sometimes familiarity breeds contempt. Sometimes the more we know someone, the more likely we are to notice faults or be annoyed with them. Sometimes it leads to a loss of admiration or respect. There are times when the better we know someone, the less we like them.
Well, today we’re looking at Psalm 139, it’s one of my favorites. I like to read it when I visit people in the hospital or hospice—I think it’s really encouraging. Mainly because it talks about how even though God knows us through and through, He still loves us. It’s a great meditation on God’s three most powerful attributes: Omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence—that He’s all knowing, everywhere all at once, and all powerful. But I also like it because it has a twist ending that’s kind of on the dark side.
Let’s walk through it…
Psalm 139, VERSE 1:
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.
So, God has searched you and He knows you. He knows everything about you, even your thoughts. He knows your thoughts before you think them. You ever pray silently, like just think the prayer to God—and then wonder if you’re really praying or if you’re just a crazy person? Well, God knows your thoughts, so—yeah, He hears your silent prayers. And even when you pray out loud, He already knows what you were going to say.
But how does it make you feel that God knows so much about you? Is it comforting that He knows all your thoughts? How would you like your friends or your husband or wife to know ALL your thoughts? Ha. No thank you. I don’t want to know all of theirs, either! I like the saying, “What other people think of me is none of my business!”
But we’re not just talking about what other people think about us. We’re talking about God—who actually knows. He’s not guessing. He knows what you think about—and why you thought it. He knows your temptations, your fantasies, the things you think you’re getting away with, your secrets, your regrets.
Isn’t that just wonderful? I don’t know how comforting that’s supposed to be.
VERSE 5:
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. Psalm 139:5-6
Yeah, “wonderful.” The line, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for” isn’t as sweet as it sounds. When we use the word “wonderful” we mean something is delightful and full of wonder. But the Hebrew word used here isn’t always quite so positive. The same word can be translated as “unusual, weird, too difficult, too hard to comprehend.”
“Hem me in” is the idea of the LORD building a hedge of protection around us—which is a nice thought. It’s definitely positive that God “hems you in” and personally lays His hand on you to protect you. But the idea that God knows all our thoughts—it’s pretty weird, kind of hard to get our head around. How “wonderful” it is depends on what kind of relationship we have with Him.
Which helps make the next line in the Psalm make sense. Because my reaction to God knowing all my secrets might be more like when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and then heard God walking toward them in the garden. They wanted to run away and hide, but it’s hard to hide from God.
VERSE 7:
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! Psalm 139:7-8
There’s nowhere to run. God not only knows everything, He’s also everywhere. He’s in heaven, in glorious light with the righteous dead that He brought up there with Him. He’s in the darkness and gloom of Sheol, with the unrighteous dead. Notice it says people make their own bed in Sheol—in hell—mostly by running away from God.
We’re starting to get some clues to what this Psalm is actually about.
This is a prayer for when you’re facing darkness. This is a prayer for when you have to go through something unbelievably difficult and devastating. Times when we all feel the most fragile and vulnerable. Times when we make big plans and try really hard but everything comes crashing down…
VERSE 9:
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. Psalm 139:9-10
Taking “the wings of the morning” is optimistic hope—trying to fly away on the first golden rays of dawn, the fresh possibilities of a new day with new opportunities—but this is one of those times when you barely get off the ground and immediately come crashing down. He takes off on the wings of the morning and plunges into the deep dark waters of the ocean.
You ever see the video of the outdoor wedding where they release a dove and immediately a hawk swoops down and grabs it? That’s the kind of thing this Psalm is talking about.
When for all your big plans and good intentions, everything just sinks. But this is a word of comfort because when it all goes bad and you can no longer see the way forward—God will be there with His hand outstretched to lead you and hold you. You can’t see the way forward, everything is too dark but God promises to be there and He can see just fine.
VERSE 11:
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. Psalm 139:11-12
It might seem dark to you, with your puny little gelatinous eyes, but God is light and there is no darkness where He can’t see. He’s completely outside of all darkness—it might seem dark to you but God can perfectly see where He’s going and where He’s taking you. He planned your journey from the start—He created you with this moment in mind.
VERSE 13:
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. Psalm 139:13-14
You. With everything you know about yourself. Warts and all. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. You were crafted with great care and attention. It’s breathtaking to consider the intricate and marvelous complexity of human existence. You are not an accident. God made you to be you—but not in the “Baby you’re a firework,” “Born This Way” sense. The idea that God created you isn’t a license to excuse your sin. God knows your strengths but He also knows your weaknesses. He created you to struggle against your temptations, so that in your weakness He would be made strong. We all have darkness but we’re supposed to fight against that darkness and come into the light—that’s how we grow in our faith. God created you so you’d have to trust Him—so you’d have to repent, turn away from your sin, believe in Jesus and pray every day that you would turn away from temptation and be delivered from evil. This is the work of God in your life—how God is sanctifying you. And realize what this is saying: God had these things in mind for you all along, since you were in your mother’s womb.
God had the things you would do in your life in mind when He created you.
VERSE 14:
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. Psalm 139:14-16
God really does have a plan for your life. Never doubt it. Remember this, “in God’s book He wrote down all of your days.” He’s the author of history and He wrote your story long before you ever existed. Think about that when you’re going through a tight spot. We sang it this morning, “If it’s not good then He’s not done—there will be joy in the morning.” If you find yourself in a situation that’s not good then you know your story isn’t over. Hold on to those wings of the morning.
God not only knows all your thoughts and all your days and everything about you, He’s also interested in you. He thinks about you—He thinks about you more than you think about yourself.
VERSE 17:
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. Psalm 139:17-18
I’ve been applying everything in this Psalm to you, and that’s fine. But when we read the Psalms, because they’re in the Old Testament, sometimes we forget they’re really all about Jesus. And that’s a tragic mistake.
Because here’s how it works: Jesus, the Son of God came to earth and lived and died for us, all of us who believe in Him, all who trust in Him, all who are baptized into His life and death—we’re connected to Him. So, when the Psalms point to Him, they also point to the hope we have when we trust in Him. We’re in Christ. And if you’re “in Christ” then all of God’s thoughts about you are the same as His thoughts about Jesus. He knows your thoughts but He doesn’t judge you or condemn you for them. Your doubts don’t hurt His feelings. Your anger and frustration don’t make Him reject you. All of your thoughts, words, and deeds are covered in Jesus’ prayer when He said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” It’s all about context.
One time when my son Angel was very young, he had to have dental surgery on his baby teeth. These were new teeth but they were bad and they had to have root canals—very unusual situation. We had a hard time finding a dentist who would even do it. We finally found one but she was a little unorthodox. Normally, to do this kind of operation, they would strap the baby to a plastic gurney that would completely lock them down, so they couldn’t wiggle and get hurt during the procedure. She didn’t want to do that because of how terrifying it is for a little child who doesn’t understand what’s going on. So she wanted me to lay on her table and hold him on top of me while she did the operation.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. I still don’t understand why it was less confusing for Angel to be held by his dad, holding his head, his flailing arms—looking at his mother right in front of his face holding his kicking legs—while he screamed and wiggled as he was being tortured by a mad scientist.
If we could have known his thoughts, I’m pretty sure they’d be something like, “Why are my mom and dad trying to kill me?”
But if we could read his mind, we wouldn’t have been offended or insulted. It wouldn’t have hurt our feelings to know his thoughts. It’s the same with God knowing our thoughts when we face all the trials and troubles in our lives.
Your heavenly Father holds you with His hand and doesn’t take your wiggling and screaming personally—He doesn’t hold your angry thoughts against you. Because you’re His child, because He knows what you’re going through, because He wants what’s good for you—this is His promise to you because you believe and trust and are baptized into Jesus.
Okay, you got that? God knows everything about you and He’s still for you—still loves you. Got it? Because, this Psalm is about to take a weird turn.
VERSE 19:
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. Psalm 139:19-22
Sounds like what Angel might have been thinking while the dentist was drilling holes in his teeth.
This is the real reason for the prayer. David wrote this Psalm, and there’s a lot of beautiful ideas, but he didn’t just wake up one morning contemplating the amazing attributes of God’s knowledge, presence and power. He was in some big trouble. We don’t know exactly what was going on—the specifics don’t matter. All the Psalms are written so they can apply to our situations no matter what we’re facing. But David was facing some enemies who were doing terrible things to him. David was not pleased, he wanted them dead. Slain. He considers them God’s enemies, too. He not only hates them, he says he “hates them with complete hatred!”
People don’t know what to do with Bible verses like this. Sometimes Christians don’t know what to do with them either. Aren’t we supposed to love our enemies? Pray for them? How can we love them with the love of the Lord and hate them with complete hatred at the same time? Is that even what you’re supposed to do? How are you supposed to do both things at once?
Well, who are your enemies?
You’re not going to get very far in the Psalms before you have to deal with the idea of enemies. Some people are like, “I don’t really have any enemies.”
Oh but you do. And you need to understand who they are and what God wants you to do with them and how He wants you to pray for them.
Your enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. Your enemies are sin, death, and hell.
I mean, sure, Sometimes people do wicked things and become your enemies, too. But when they do, Jesus says to pray for them. Which is something none of us want to do. But I like how Kemper puts it—pray for them like this, “Save them, Lord, or slay them dead.” That’s a perfectly legit way to pray for your enemies. Because sometimes the way to get rid of an enemy is to make them your friend, and sometimes we need to just trust God when He says, “vengeance is mine thus saith the Lord.” “Save them, or slay them dead.”
But you need to take this to heart: The main enemies you’re going to face in this life are the spiritual ones. And you’ll face them over and over and over until one day you face the last enemy to be conquered—which is death.
When you do, remember who you are in Christ, remember your baptism—remember that all your thoughts, words, and deeds have been removed from you—forgiven. Remember you stand before God with Jesus and then you can pray the last lines of this Psalm with all the boldness of a Christian…
VERSE 23:
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! Psalm 139:23
That’s pretty bold. It’s only possible if you trust that Jesus has done for you what He said He was going to do for you. It’s only possible if you’re ready to repent of anything wicked He’s going to find. That’s the only way you’re going to be able to stand in the presence of God—now or later—and dare Him to find any fault in your heart or your thoughts. Because of your connection with Jesus and the forgiveness He offers, He won’t find anything wrong. Now, that is truly wonderful! In the good way.
That’s why no matter what you’re facing, you have hope. Almighty God, who knows everything about you, God who you can’t run or hide from because He’s already there—but you also don’t need to because His mercy is already there, too. You can’t surprise Him. He factored in your weakness and stupidity when He chose you. He’s not disappointed in you. Sometimes with people familiarity breeds contempt but because of Jesus, the more God knows you, the more He loves you—and that should always fill you with hope.
He has all your days written in His book, He created you for this life you’re living, no matter how dark the future might seem, God can see where you’re going, and it’s good, He will protect you.
No matter what you’re facing—and I know many of us are facing some big, scary enemies—He’s got this. He’s got you. He will deliver you from your enemies. He will lead you in the way of everlasting life. Take the wings of the morning, every day is a new beginning, trust Him—His hand shall lead you and His right hand shall hold you. AMEN