Psalm 139
The LORD God knows everything. He is everywhere. He can do anything. David will be loyal to the LORD God.
THE LORD IS OMNISCIENT
NOTE: The word “Omniscient” means God knows everything.
VERSE 1. LORD, you have searched me, and you know me.
you have searched me. The LORD knows everything about us.
Sirach 23:20. All things were known to him or ever they were created; And in like manner also after they were perfected.
VERSE 2. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
you know. Nothing is hidden from the LORD God. He perceives it all, including our thoughts and feelings.
But some people have a very limited concept of the LORD God. They imagine they can hide things from him.
Sirach 23:20. All things were known to him or ever they were created; And in like manner also after they were perfected.
VERSE 3. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
my path. Whether we are traveling or at home, the LORD God is there with us.
VERSE 4. For there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, LORD, you know it altogether.
a word in my tongue. The LORD knows what we are going to say, even before we say it.
VERSE 5. You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me.
laid your hand on me. The LORD God places his hand of blessing upon our head.
VERSE 6. This knowledge is beyond me. It’s lofty. I can’t attain it.
THE LORD IS OMNIPRESENT
NOTE: The word “Omnipresent” means God is everywhere.
VERSE 7. Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence?
The New Testament describes heaven and eternal life. But what does the Old Testament say about life after death? Read more »
Nothing can separate us from the love of God. No location or person. No spirit or power. Not even death itself. Read more »
VERSE 8. If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!
heaven … Sheol. The New Testament describes heaven and eternal life. But what does the Old Testament say about life after death? Read more »
Nothing can separate us from the love of God. No location or person. No spirit or power. Not even death itself. Read more »
VERSE 9. If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;
VERSE 10. Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.
your hand will lead me. God’s “hand” is there to lead us, if we desire it.
right hand. The Bible often mentions “the right hand” of God. That is a position of power and honor. We believe it refers to Jesus Christ. More verses about the right hand.
hold me. That is, make me feel secure.
VERSE 11. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night;”
VERSE 12. even the darkness doesn’t hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.
the darkness doesn’t hide from you. Even if we are in a very dark time of life, that darkness does not conceal us from the LORD God.
the night shines as the day. To the LORD God, the darkest night is the same as the brightest day.
John of the Cross wrote about a spiritual realm where the darkest night is the same as the brightest day. This book is called The Dark Night.
To the person, this Dark Night is a terrible period of spiritual darkness and deprivation. It feels as if God has abandoned them.
But The Dark Night is a time of very special favor from God. He is “weaning” the soul of its spiritually juvenile relationship with him.
He does this by temporarily sequestering the soul into the Dark Night. The individual does not know it, but this Dark Night shines as the noon day.
The darkness is like light to you. To the LORD God, darkness and light are the same.
THE LORD IS OMNIPOTENT
NOTE: The word “Omnipotent” means God can do anything.
VERSE 13. For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
VERSE 14. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. David is not hesitant to say this aloud. He has a very healthy self-image.
Do you see yourself as awesomely made?
VERSE 15. My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth.
I was made in secret. The LORD God watched as we were formed.
VERSE 16. Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them.
they were all written. The LORD God “foreknew” our destiny, even before it took place.
VERSE 17. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is their sum!
your thoughts. The thoughts of God are precious indeed!
How vast is their sum. How could we possibly tally up the number of thoughts of God?
VERSE 18. If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.
more in number than the sands. We can’t begin to “count” the number of God’s thoughts.
DAVID WILL BE LOYAL TO THE LORD
VERSE 19. If only you, God, would kill the wicked. Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
VERSE 20. For they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.
VERSE 21. LORD, don’t I hate those who hate you? Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you?
VERSE 22. I hate them with perfect hatred. They have become my enemies.
VERSE 23. Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.
try me. David is asking the LORD God to test him.
In our own lives, we already have enough trials and hardships. We probably don’t need to ask for more.
VERSE 24. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
lead me in the everlasting way. David wants to grow. He wants to grow in his relationship with the LORD.
David’s relationship with the LORD is not stagnant. He is not stuck at the same point as he was decades ago.
But in our day, many Christians have stagnated in their relationship with the Most High God.
PSALMS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150
Deuterocanonical chapter: 151
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, David’s Fasting
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.