Reflections on Psalms 139

 Psalms 139(Contemporary English Version)

1. (A psalm by David for the music leader.) You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me.
   
2. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts.
   
3. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go.
   
4. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say,
   
5. and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side.
   
6. I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.
   
7. Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight?
   
8. If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there.
   
9. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean.
   
10. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.
    
11. Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over."
    
12. But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.
    
13. You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body,
    
14. and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.
    
15. Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below,
    
16. but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do.
    
17. Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine.
    
18. I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby.
    
19. How I wish that you would kill all cruel and heartless people and protect me from them!
    
20. They are always rebelling and speaking evil of you.
    
21. You know I hate anyone who hates you, LORD, and refuses to obey.
    
22. They are my enemies too, and I truly hate them.
    
23. Look deep into my heart, God, and find out everything I am thinking.
    
24. Don't let me follow evil ways, but lead me in the way that time has proven true.

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This psalm by David is a wonderful description of God's greatness and His involvement in our lives. As I view life from the perspective of this psalm it brings to mind an analogy. We embark upon life without any understanding of where it will take us or what we will encounter, much as embarking on a journey that takes us across uncharted territory. In setting out on the journey across uncharted territory we have no idea where it will take us or what we will encounter or even whether we will make our way through it. Such is life. We have no idea where it will take us or what we will encounter or even if we will make it through to a ripe old age.

But there is One who knows this uncharted territory well who offers to serve as our guide through it. Most of us would likely be happy to accept this offer though there may be some adventurous individuals that would refuse it. With the help of this guide we are not only shown the way through this uncharted territory but have the hazards pointed out to us with instructions of how to get around them or through them. Having the guide does not assure that the journey will be easy, but it does assure we will make our way safely through the uncharted territory, which, in our analogy, is life.

David points out in this psalm that our guide for life, who is the Lord, knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows everything we do even before we do it because He knows our thoughts and even what we will say before we say it. But it goes beyond this. The Lord even knew us when we were first conceived and while we were forming in our mother's womb. He knew us, not as an inanimate object, but as an individual for whom He had already mapped out a life: "all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began." (139:16)

David considered the possibility of escaping the Lord's scrutiny and realized the folly of trying to do so. After all, where would he go to escape the Lord's Spirit? There is no where in heaven or earth where he could flee from the Lord's presence. Nor could he hide from the Lord in the darkness for to God, "even the darkness is not dark . . . darkness and light are alike" to Him. (139:12)

So what are we to say, then. Do we foolishly ignore the One who knows us intimately and has our life mapped out? There is an alternative and that is to stick their heads in the sand and say, "there is no God." After all, if we acknowledge there is a God and all the attributes that must be attributed to Him, we must also acknowledge that He is wiser and more knowledgeable that are we. Another alternative is to presume to know better than God. Thus when God doesn't do things as we think He should we become angry and push Him away from us feeling justified in going our own way and doing our own thing.

David chose instead to submit himself to the Lord's scrutiny and His care, saying, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way." (139:23-24)