Reflections on Psalm 139

This morning’s time in the Psalms brought me to two of my favorites…Psalm 19 and 139. Let’s spend some time in Psalm 139 this week.

Tozer said, “What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” He went on to say,

“Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech.”

Our Psalm today is not silent, and it makes us break out into doxology and it certainly helps guide our thoughts in regard to God. This week, I want to take you to one of the greatest statements, found in the Bible, of who God is. Let’s borrow from Derek Kidner and sum it all up into four points. What is interesting to me is that David makes three confessions about God in this Psalm and then goes on to explain each one.

The confessions are found in verses 1, 7, and 13 and then the last six verses speak to the character of God. I’ll show you what I mean as we walk through it, but the Psalm is broken up into four six verse stanzas, and each stanza opens with a confession that is not just a statement of doctrine—it is a confession given in adoration. And then each stanza closes with David’s reaction to the confession and explanation.

Let’s look at verse 1 and see the confession, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me.” This a confession that God is All-Seeing—in other words He is omniscient. What does God see? In verse 2-3 He sees our motions, “You know when I sit down and when I rise up.” He knows everything about us—when we are active, when are resting, verse 3, “You search out my path and my lying down,” when we are busy and when we are sleeping. From the moment we rise up until the moment we sit down or lie down…God sees everything we do. He knows our motions…, “He is acquainted with all our ways.” There is nothing that you have ever done that God did not see whether you are active or inactive.

That is comforting and frightening at the same time isn’t it! It should drive us toward repentance and toward holiness!