SUNDAY PSALMS PART 44 OF 48 - PSALM 139

Swamp trail boardwalk, Ritchie Woods Nature Preserves, Fishers, IN

 1     O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2     You know my sitting down and my rising up; 

       You understand my thought afar off.

3     You comprehend my path and my lying down, 

       And are acquainted with all my ways.

4     For there is not a word on my tongue, 

       But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

5     You have hedged me behind and before, 

       And laid Your hand upon me.

6     Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; 

       It is high, I cannot attain it.

7     Where can I go from Your Spirit? 

       Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8     If I ascend into heaven, You are there; 

       If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9     If I take the wings of the morning, 

       And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10   Even there Your hand shall lead me, 

       And Your right hand shall hold me.

11    If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," 

       Even the night shall be light about me;

12   Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, 

       But the night shines as the day; 

        The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13     For You formed my inward parts; 

        You covered me in my mother's womb.

14     I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

        Marvelous are Your works, 

        And that my soul knows very well.

15     My frame was not hidden from You, 

        When I was made in secret, 

        And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16     Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. 

        And in Your book they all were written, 

        The days fashioned for me, 

        When as yet there were none of them.

17     How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! 

        How great is the sum of them!

18    If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; 

       When I awake, I am still with You.

19    Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! 

        Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20   For they speak against You wickedly; 

        Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21    Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? 

       And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22   I hate them with perfect hatred; 

       I count them my enemies.

23   Search me, O God, and know my heart; 

       Try me, and know my anxieties;

24   And see if there is any wicked way in me, 

       And lead me in the way everlasting.

                            Psalm 139:1-24, New King James Version

No, you're not imagining things. Yes, this is the largest Psalm I've quoted in its entirety. Yes, I'll be a nice guy and give you a short comment. 

It's obvious that this Psalm talks about God's greatness, His omnipotence, His omniscience, and His omnipresence. This Psalm is so full of God's praise. 

But am I the only one who notices most focus either on the first 18 verses or the final two? 

It is interesting me the sharp turn this Psalm takes in verse 19, moving the focus from a great and good God to the depraved enemies of Our Sovereign. And whoever sent the message that we're supposed to love everbody? Apparently King David, who wrote this Psalm, didn't get the memo. By the way, doesn't "perfect hatred" sound like an oxymoron? "Complete" would be a better word, or as the NIV puts it, "I have nothing but hatred for them."

And right after that, we have the awesome prayer for God to search our hearts in verses 23 and 24. We often remove it from the context as a godly prayer, but let's look at it in context. We get angry when we see and hear those opposed to our Lord and Savior, and we should. But that is when David asks God to search our hearts. "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him." (Prov. 26:4) We should respond to God's (and our) enemies with a heart purified by the Holy Spirit.