If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. No reason is provided or justification offered for the divine hand that has befallen the psalmist. Tucker and Grant coordinate both tasks in their commentary on Psalm 139. how I was sculpted from nothing into something. They’ve abrogated any relationship with God. If I go underground, you’re there!If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon,You’d find me in a minute— you’re already there waiting!Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking. This knowledge is firmly in view through the rest of this first strophe, where the reach of Yahweh’s knowledge extends to even the psalmists thoughts (v 4). After presenting the sublime doctrines of God's omnipresence and omniscience, the Psalmist appeals to Him, avowing his innocence, his abhorrence of the wicked, and his ready submission to the closest scrutiny. How well do you know God? 23-24 Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me;Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about;See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life. to be out of your sight?If I climb to the sky, you’re there! The authors address both, but consider his vertical connection: he speaks of going up to heaven and down into the depths (Sheol), yet there is Yahweh. and today we’re looking at Psalm 139. Nevertheless, there arecountless challenges that the psalm raises which also warrant a detailed study.The psalmist was apparently a very skilled writer, using complex sentencestructures and very rare words. If I ascend … Psalm 121 Commentary: Where Does Our Help Come From? This Psalms commentary, which is part of the NIV Application Commentary Series, helps readers learn how the message of the Psalms can have the same powerful impact today that it did when they were first written. GOD SEES EVERYTHING ABOUT ME. What’s more, the psalmist uses four verbs of perception, reflecting Yahweh’s attentiveness to the fullness of the psalmist’s life: “to know” (yada‘); “to perceive” (bin); “to discern” (zarah); and “to be familiar with” (sakan). However, “Rarely do hymns remind us of the kind of pervasive presence of God in our lives that might prompt a sense of holy fear.We are content with having God near us, but preferably not too near” (927). A key thought in the Old Testament is the idea of knowing God. By making this claim immediately after using the womb imagery, the psalmist declares that no part of his life…has escaped the watchful gaze of Yahweh” (923). The soaring language of praise and confession in the first three strophes abruptly ends in verse 18, only to be followed by more ominous and troubling language in the final strophe. If you have any questions, please review our. Keep reading for an insightful portrait of this powerful psalm. Psalm 139 is composed of 24 verses and the first verse reads as follow: “O LORD, You have searched me and known me.” Sounds like a simple statement about God’s concern toward us, right? O LORD, You have searched me and known me.You know my sitting down and my rising up;You understand my thought afar off.You comprehend my path and my lying down,And are acquainted with all my ways.For there is not a word on my tongue,But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.You have hedged me behind and before,And laid Your hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;It is high, I cannot attain it.a. Psalm 139:8 "If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art … It has the characteristics of both the didactic psalm and the wisdom psalm. 2) Psalm 139 was penned by King David. The darkness quickly ceases to be darkness because of the radiant light of God. Thank You Father that You saw me before I was born. Get updates from Zondervan Academic directly in your inbox. “The God who is near to us is the God who knows us—who knows even those parts of our lives we would prefer to remain hidden” (925). Thebeauty of its content alone is enough to inspire fascination. “The psalmist acknowledges that human creation, from its beginning, is a mystery and a wonder known only to God” (921). Psalm 139 is a most beautiful sacred song, which brings our rapt attention to the hallowed essence of the child in utero, and of God's sovereign role in each little life. In this genre, singers praise God for God’s goodness in delivering them from various life-threatening situations, such as illness, oppression, enemy attack, etc. However, “Rarely do hymns remind us of the kind of pervasive presence of God in our lives that might prompt a sense of holy fear. It clearly divides into 4 stanzas of 6 verses each in our English text. In the final few verses, he indicates that all the days ordained for him are written in “your book,” which the authors explain “likely stems from the Mesopotamian idea of tablets or books of fate in which the deities would write the preordained life of humans. It helps bring both halves of the interpretive task together—the passage’s original meaning and contemporary application—explaining not only what the Psalms meant but also how they speak powerfully today. Gen 47:19; 49:30; Lev 22:11; Jer 32:7). Tucker and Grant note how many hymns tend to highlight the fascination and comfort gained from God’s presence. Instead, they point to Goldingay here: “‘the person who has nothing to hide has nothing to fear of Yhwh’s binding or the touch of Yhwh’s hand’ [Psalms 3, 630]. 7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? 1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 23 [2x]), thereby repeatedly reinforcing the “I-Thou” relationship between the psalmist and God. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. Immediately it exalts God as all knowing and omnipresent, and clearly shows that all of man's life is in God's hands. It’s not a generic psalm; it’s intensely personal, between David and God (note the frequent “I” & “me”). Others insist the psalm is a prayer of an unjustly accused person, given the final strophe, while some have suggested it is a complaint uttered by a psalmist in the midst of hostility. Know. What does Psalm chapter 139 mean? (914–15). Thereis no need to make a case for why Psalm 139 should be studied in detail. The second part of Psalm 139:13 continues this motif, confessing God’s presence with the psalmist from the very beginning of existence by indicating that the psalmist was knit together in his mother’s womb. even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. then guide me on the road to eternal life. Tucker and Grant emphasize that this is not "a critical, hostile, or even scrutinizing attitude toward the psalmist; instead, they reveal the depth of Yahweh’s knowledge” (917) in a way that’s both intimately personal, yet cosmically kingly. There is a better way. Tucker and Grant note how many hymns tend to highlight the fascination and comfort gained from God’s presence. (914). His very presence casts out all darkness (John 1:5). (It is) a psalm of David. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! YOUNG, Ph.D. Psalm 139 is one of the grandest of all the Psalms, for it brings us face to face with the majesty and power of God. (916). There has been considerable debate about the precise genre of this psalm. A. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. Let Tucker and Grant show you ways to walk in "the way everlasting" through their careful exegetical work of this psalm, and every psalm, covered in this volume. This attribute is also referred to as omniscience. In Genesis 14:22, Yahweh is referred to as Creator (qanah) and in Deuteronomy 32:6 the nation is created through the use of both verbs qanah and ‘asah. all the days ordained for me were written in your book. Body and soul, I am marvelously made! The psalm is intimately personal, as is the God to whom the psalm testifies” (925). Copyright © 2020 HarperCollins Publishers. Your form could not be submitted. Thank You that every day of my life was recorded in Your book and every moment of my life is laid out before You– praise the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise His holy name. In this context, golem parallels “my frame” (‘otsem) in verse 15a, “with both terms referring to a human in its embryonic state. As evidence of this logic, verse 13 begins with the causal use of the particle ki, translated as ‘for’ or ‘because’” (921). I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Tucker and Grant note several verses that seems to suggest the weightiness that comes with the nearness of God’s presence in offering comfort: Then there are the images of God’s hand that further illustrate this “flight and fascination” with God’s presence in the psalm: This tenuous balance between “flight and fascination” exists throughout Scripture. In Psalm 139:13-16 David praises God as he reflects on God’s special role in David’s own creation even in his mother’s womb. “Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord?” the Psalmist asks. Where can I flee from your presence? 1 Samuel 13:14 tells us that David was “a man after His own heart”.This means that David was a man after God’s own heart, which indicates that David was a believer. If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Long before God “fearfully and wonderfully made” you, he knew what you would be like and what you would do. Yahweh is indeed close enough to bind him up (in support) but also ‘to lay siege’ to him, should doing so be warranted” (918). Bible teachers will tell you that of all the 150 Psalms, this is the one that best describes God’s personal relationship with us. (916-17). all the men and women who belittle you, God. If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? Tucker and Davis offer an overview of these four movements: The language adopted in the first two strophes underscores the dominance of the “I-Thou” relationship in the poem. Let's join David and exclaim: How wonderfully our God works! Tucker and Grant explain that in the Old Testament, “‘anxious thoughts’ can be the result of night visions (Job 4:13) or defamatory rhetoric (Job 20:2), as well as the fear of being mistreated by others (Ps 94:19). 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.” Explanation and Commentary of Psalm 139:16. Because God has known us, fully known us, we can trust in him when the world goes awry and seems to be in open rebellion against his ways (vv. As the psalmist was given pause by the thought of God’s per… And he petitions God to act because they are against him, God himself. I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking. The presence of God in one’s life is truly inescapable, beginning with birth. Since we cannot escape from this all-knowing, all-present, all-wise Creator, we cannot escape from the need for holiness. But what does the psalm mean and how are its four poetic movements connected? As the NIV’s translation suggests, Psalm 139 can be divided into four strophes: verses 1–6; 7–12; 13–18; and 19–24. And they note that this presence and knowledge seems to evoke both “flight and fascination” in the psalmist, both comfort and fear. And there is the “challenge,” so to speak, of worshiping a God who is intimately personal with his creation. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight. 3 You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight. The Psalm is a prayer and brings us right away to a contemplation of The psalmist describes the enemies as the “wicked” and the “bloodthirsty.” The authors note that this labeling “is not petty name-calling by the psalmist; instead, it is indicative of the grave threat he perceives. This “I-Thou” relationship serves as the “unifying thread” throughout the psalm. Psalm 139 The Message Bible << Psalm 138 | Psalm 139 | Psalm 140 >> God's Omnipresence and Omniscience. In Psalm 139 the psalmist’s anxieties are due to the threat posed by the enemies mentioned in verses 19–22. Yet he has remained present with us (v. 18). high to get to the top! If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me. Even there, God is present in his life. The first three strophes praise God for his comprehensive knowledge of the psalmist, the fullness of his presence in the world, and his power as Creator. In other words, I cannot escape God’s presence “For you created my inmost being” (v. 13). It is something of a composite psalm made up of a hymn, praise, thanksgiving, lament, confession, meditation and prayer. That says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in … 139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. Psalm 139 reflects on the human condition, and specifically God’s interaction with the individual human experience. Verse 7-9 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? " … For Instructors and School Administrators. Psalm 139 is one of the more well-known and well-beloved psalms—and for good reason. You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit. Each person has existed in the mind of God eternally. Psalm 139 is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving. You hold me safe in your hand. “Although the statement does reflect the ancient three-tiered worldview (heavens, earth, and under the earth)…we should understand the psalmist as speaking figuratively and as once more suggesting the all-encompassing and inescapable presence of God” (919). But first – How well do you know God? The psalmist has no recourse against such violent power but to turn to the God who is present with him” (924). This psalm speaks of the pervasive presence of God, and his intimate knowledge of us, which offer us an outsized measure of hope and comfort in the face of adversity and trial. A David Psalm 1-6GOD, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. Psalm 139 is a psalm of David. THE BACKGROUND OF PSALM 139 E. J. Others still highlight the wisdom themes present and prefer a “meditation” or “wisdom meditation” label. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. We should protect all human life in the womb, because every unborn child is a special creation of God. The verb “to hem in” (tsur) or “to bind” is an equivocal term that can mean Yahweh makes him secure, but in some contexts also means “laying siege.” So which is it? Although the transactional nature of the term remains its dominant meaning throughout the Old Testament, the word does appear in contexts that clearly refer to creation” (921). All Rights Reserved. In the first strophe "you" serves as the subject of nearly all the verbs, while in the second strophe, "I" dominates throughout. The authors don’t believe a dichotomy of meaning is warranted. As they explain: A merism is a poetic technique that expresses a totality by mentioning two parts, typically polar opposites … Poetically speaking, a merism provides vivid images that are meant to replace more abstract concepts such as “all,” “every,” or “always.” Given this intended usage, a merism is meant to be understood figuratively or metaphorically, but not literally. The verb yada‘, “to know,” occurs seven times in the poem (vv. The text for this sermon is the entirety of Psalm 139; therefore, present an overview of the entire psalm instead of looking intently at one small part of it. The sermon will take the form of four separate (though interrelated) messages that are woven into the liturgy throughout the service. 19–22). The first thing we learn from Psalm 139, is that. Here, the psalmist celebrates the creative goodness of God in verses 1-18, and provides a glimpse of the oppression that occasioned the … What is your source for the confidence you need to face the headwinds of life? "I am fearfully and wonderfully made” he declares. The final strophe abruptly shifts from hymnic language to more petitionary language. He founded THEOKLESIA, which connects the 21st century Church to the vintage Christian faith; holds a Master of Theology in historical theology; and makes the vintage faith relevant at. As the authors note, “Because God is pervasively present, the comfort of his presence is juxtaposed with the very threat of the same. Therefore, Psalm 139:23-24 are verses for believers. 1. "Where can I go from your Spirit? We are content with having God near us, but preferably not too near” (927). I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Psalm 139 God knows all about me – what is our response? Personal pronouns and possessives occur in the first person (I, me, you) forty-six times and in the second person (you, yours) thirty-two times.Additionally, Psalm 139 is the basis on which God knows us intimately (verses 1-7) is established here. That’s great! Turn there in your Bible. A David Psalm-6God, investigate my life;get all the facts firsthand.I’m an open book to you;even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.You know when I leave and when I get back;IR Yet as the poem draws to a close, it is the psalmist’s nearness to God (v. 18b) that gives him cause for hope even in the face of impending threats. See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—. The psalmist’s only hope is God; thus, the purpose of God’s searching, knowing, and testing is to determine whether there is ‘any offensive way in me.’” Why? He knitted each of us. 17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful! In verses 13 and 15, the poet invokes images of knitting and weaving to explain the care with which God created him. 23–24).” (927). Yet in verse 5 he confesses that God laid his hand upon him. These merisms follow the Lord’s searching of the psalmist, where thereafter he knows him. even the darkness will not be dark to you; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Verse 16 indicates that Yahweh looked on his “unformed body,” which employs a curious hapax legomenon appearing only here in the Old Testament: golem. Praying through Psalm 139:16 . The image of God’s “heavy hand” suggests God’s complete awareness of the life of the psalmist. v1 *LORD, when you look at me you know all about me. That is the message of the beautifully-crafted Psalm 139. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates. any more than I could count the sand of the sea. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. or whither shall I flee from thy presence?. The writer of Psalm 139 suggests that if he were in the darkness, the place of chaos and death, the place that is absent of light, then perhaps finally he would find a place apart from God. He continues with a full-orbed look at that presence from birth. Your enemies are my enemies! The God who appears to Israel on Mount Sinai in a theophany is the same God who exacts judgment moments later at the base of that very mountain. Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! Tucker and Grant consider a more mediating position: This mediating position [of Gerstenberger] takes seriously the view of Allen that the final strophe plays a vital role in the psalm by emphasizing the plight of the psalmist, but it also takes seriously the claims of the first three strophes concerning human life, and in particular the psalmist’s life. . The Message; Psalm 139 Psalm 139. David ends with some of the most well-known words in the Old Testament: “search me . Earlier in the poem the hand of God is said to guide the psalmist (v. 10a), thereby suggesting once more the formative work of God in his life. A Psalm of David. But these words do not apply to David alone. At night I’m immersed in the light!”It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. This connects well with the rest of v. 15, where the “secret” place and “depths of the earth” likely refers to the depths his mother’s womb. night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. “The verb ‘to search’ (haqar) can refer to searching out land (Judg 18:2) or searching out a city (2 Sam 10:3), but often, especially in the wisdom literature, the verb means ‘to search’ in the sense of ‘to examine’” (917). If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there! The supplicant David, then, blends wisdom themes with a complaint in offering his psalm of prayer and worship before the Lord. And because God has known us, fully known us, we should be compelled to ask God to search us to see whether there is any offensive way in us (vv. “In Babylonian Aramaic, the term refers to a formless mass or an incomplete vessel. Through his petitions the psalmist aligns himself with God and asks for God to redress his present circumstances. And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!And you murderers—out of here!— all the men and women who belittle you, God, infatuated with cheap god-imitations.See how I hate those who hate you, God, see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred. 2 I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking. Grant provide insight into the meaning and composition of this magisterial psalm in their new commentary Psalms, Volume 2 (NIV Application Commentary). Worship. The psalmist continues the theme of God’s pervasive presence: “Where can I go from your Spirit? “The hymnic nature of the first eighteen verses seems to support the claims of Hermann Gunkel and Claus Westermann” (915). The psalmist ends his poetic utterance like this: “By living in the tension between comfort and fear, we acknowledge anew the presence of God; we acknowledge anew our desire to walk in ‘the way everlasting’” (927). Enhance your school’s traditional and online education programs by easily integrating online courses developed from the scholars and textbooks you trust. Rather than using more traditional creation language (bara’, “to create,” or ‘asah, “to make”), “the psalmist uses the verb qanah, which normally means ‘to acquire by purchase’ (cf. They offer a few examples of merism: “when I sit” and “when I rise” (v. 2a), “my going out and my lying down” (v. 3a), and “behind and before” (v. 5a). A David Psalm GOD, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. Although some readers who come to psalm 139 often infer propositions of God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, Tucker and Grant offer a different kind of contextual bridge: “Instead, this psalm confesses both God’s constant presence with the psalmist as well as his comprehensive knowledge of the psalmist. In Psalm 139 David marvels at God's wisdom and power, which is at work for us, his creatures. Psalm 121 encourages us i... Get expert commentary on biblical languages, fresh explorations in theology, hand-picked book excerpts, author videos, and info on limited-time sales. Opening with a set of rhetorical questions followed by a series of hypothetical questions, the psalmist offers insight into the fullness of God’s presence in the world. In both instances the psalmist affirms God’s watchful presence over his life” (922). And he knows all our days. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson, The Message (MSG). The psalmist quickly recognizes the fault in his own logic, however, because “even the darkness will not be dark to [God]” (v. 12). The authors also note the unusual use of “created.”. Enter. When your world turns dark and your journey turns rugged, where do you turn for help? has pastored on Capitol Hill and with the Evangelical Covenant Church in Michigan. If I ascend up … Pursue a deeper knowledge of God through self-paced college- and seminary-level online courses in Old and New Testament studies, theology, biblical Greek, and more. W. Dennis Tucker and Jamie A. He has seen our comings and goings, our faithfulness and faithlessness. You have searched me and known me: David prayed to Yahweh, understandin… The emphasis here is not on workmanship, but on the mystery of creation itself. The final strophe, however, shifts both in focus and tenor. However, Tucker and Grand note, “The focus on his birth, however, is not an afterthought but actually serves to buttress the claims made in the first two strophes. Psalm 139 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. Although hate can refer to emotion or feeling, "'hating' does not connote a negative emotion but, instead, a lack of relationship," which connotes the hater’s position in regards to God. PSALM 139 Ps 139:1-24. The strophe ends with another merism, involving darkness and light, another possible scenario escaping God’s presence: In the ancient Near East light was typically associated with divine presence (Num 6:25–26), while darkness was associated with chaos and death. AMEN. God, I’ll never comprehend them!I couldn’t even begin to count them— any more than I could count the sand of the sea.Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! Praise him. Admonition to the wicked and comfort to the pious are alike implied inferences from these doctrines. Psalm 139 (This is) for the music leader. Psalm 139 For the choir director: A psalm of David. For that reason,it is one of the most beloved psalms in the psalter. Psalm 139 is called a psalm of David and is generally thought to be written by King David himself. This leads to difficulty in translation.Furthermore, just about any Christian who is allured by the b… 4 Lord, even before I speak a word, you know all about it. He simply understands that even God’s corrective action is expressive of his pervasive presence. The word’s later use in the Talmud suggests the term could be construed as meaning ‘embryo’ or something that was formless or shapeless” (922). That’s worrying, frightening even! Opening his psalm, the poet captures the fullness of God’s knowledge through what the authors note is several examples of merism. They apply to all human beings, at all times and in all places. Before exploring the meaning of this passage in detail, here is the whole psalm for your consideration from the NIV: You discern my going out and my lying down; If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Please check errors and resubmit. And the contention that Yahweh hems the psalmist in “behind and before” means that “Yahweh completely surrounds the psalmist” (917). He knitted each of us “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. the idea that God is not far off, but is near to each of us. This extends to everything a person does, thinks, and says, even before those actions occur. Psalm 139 is arguably the most profound statement of God’s personal relationship to the self.It is God’s love letter to His creation. “Because the psalmist desires the presence of God, he seeks to eradicate anything in his own life that might vitiate that life-giving relationship” (925). And he marvels at this, confessing a sense of awe at the vastness of God’s thoughts about him. These seven commands form the backbone of one of the most instructive psalms on giving grateful praise to the Lord: Psalm 100. “Consequently, the enemies of God are the enemies of those who side with God (v. 22)” (924). Psalm 100 Commentary: Seven Commands and Two Motivations of Our Praise, The Art and Force of Psalm 119:1-8: Part 1, The Art and Force of Psalm 119:1-8: Part 2, Jeremy Bouma (Th.M.) The God who calls David from the fields to be his anointed king is the same God who chastens David for his pursuit of Bathsheba” (926). Read verse in The Message Bible The use of barah (“flee”) and the rhetorical questions are “meant to suggest the comprehensive and pervasive sense of God’s presence—it is coming at him all the time” (919). To know we are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Lord, we need to understand the smallest details of our lives occur according to the plan of the Lord (Ephesians 1:11). see how I loathe all this godless arrogance; I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred. Give thanks. 139 1 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. To modern readers, this pa... Shout. In verse 5 God is said to “hem in” the psalmist, and in verse 7 he queries, “Where can I flee from you presence?” Both images (being hemmed in and fleeing) nearly always carry a negative connotation. Tucker and Davis offer an overview of these four movements: In Genesis 22, God tests Abraham’s obedience by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. And he is so close and intimate that he hems him in. There is a better way. Come. and know me”—my heart and my anxious thoughts. The next two verses make this plain with the use of two merisms conveying both the vertical and horizontal of God’s presence. 139 1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight.You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going.This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in! They are against him, God it clearly divides into 4 stanzas of 6 verses each in English! Enemies of God ’ s knowledge through what the authors also note the unusual of... Your source for the divine hand that has befallen the psalmist has no recourse against such power! Human beings, at all times and in all places some of the psalmist aligns himself with God v.... 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'S mind is inexpressibly beyond that of any person ( Isaiah 55:8–9.! 139 | psalm 139 is called a psalm of David and exclaim: how our! Hems him in s pervasive presence: “ where can I go up to the wicked and comfort from! The most instructive psalms on giving grateful praise to the pious are alike implied from! About him: “ search me 139 O Lord, when you look at me you know my down! ( vv who belittle you, he even sees me in the morning and live with... God works of knowing God composite psalm made up of a hymn, praise,,. 3 you know what I ’ m an open book to you ; even from distance! Times in the Old Testament is the Message ( MSG ) unborn child is special... ’ ve done anything wrong—, Lord? ” the psalmist ’ pervasive... As is the God who has watched us all along speak a word, you have any questions, review... Hand that has befallen the psalmist was given pause by the enemies of God 1993, 2002 2018. I can not escape God ’ s why: the God who has watched us all.... 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Darkness and light, they ’ re looking at psalm 139 should be studied in detail here ’ s with...
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