Psalms 139 Study Notes: God's Complete Knowledge and Presence
David marvels that God knows his every thought and word and that no place, not even darkness, is beyond His presence. He praises God for forming him before birth and planning all his days, sides with God against the wicked, and asks God to search his own heart.
General
True or False: In 139:11-12 David concludes that darkness can hide a person from God during the night.
Answer: False
This is false. David considers whether the darkness might cover him, but concludes that to God the dark is not dark at all; night shines as bright as day to Him (139:11-12). There is no hiding place from God. Daniel praises God, who sees what is hidden in the dark (Daniel 2:22). Job's friend Elihu says there is no deep shadow where evildoers can hide (Job 34:22), and Isaiah warns those who try to conceal their schemes from God under cover of night (Isaiah 29:15).
- Psalm 139:11-12 (BSB)“If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”— even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.”David considers hiding in darkness and confesses that darkness is as light to God.
- Daniel 2:22 (BSB)“He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.”Daniel praises God, who knows what lies in darkness.
- Job 34:22 (BSB)“There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide.”There is no darkness where evildoers can hide from God.
- Isaiah 29:15 (BSB)“Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?””Isaiah warns those who try to hide their plans from the LORD in darkness.
Theological
True or False: 139:11-12 concludes that night can conceal a person from God's sight.
Answer: False
This is false. The psalmist tests the idea that darkness could hide him, only to confess that for God darkness and light are alike (139:11-12). Daniel 2:22 affirms that God knows what is in darkness, Job 34:22 denies any hiding place for evildoers, and Isaiah 29:15 pronounces woe on those who plot in darkness as though unseen.
- Psalm 139:11-12 (BSB)“If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”— even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.”David considers hiding in darkness and confesses that darkness is as light to God.
- Daniel 2:22 (BSB)“He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.”Daniel praises God, who knows what lies in darkness.
- Job 34:22 (BSB)“There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide.”There is no darkness where evildoers can hide from God.
- Isaiah 29:15 (BSB)“Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?””Isaiah warns those who try to hide their plans from the LORD in darkness.
General
According to 139:16, when were David's days written in God's book?
Answer: Before a single one of them existed
David says his body was never concealed from God while it was being made in secret (139:15). God's eyes saw his body while it was still unformed, and every one of his days was written in God's book and ordained before a single one of them had happened (139:16). God's plan for David's life came before his life itself. Job says the number of a person's days is set by God (Job 14:5), David elsewhere says his times are in God's hands (Psalm 31:15), and Paul says God works out all things by the purpose of His own will (Ephesians 1:11). This is God's providence: His wise and loving plan over every life.
- Psalm 139:15-16 (BSB)“My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.”God saw David's unformed body, and all his days were written in God's book before any came to be.
- Job 14:5 (BSB)“Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,”Job says a person's days are determined and their number is with God.
- Psalm 31:15 (BSB)“My times are in Your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.”David says his times are in God's hands.
- Ephesians 1:11 (BSB)“In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”God works out everything according to the counsel of His will.
Theological
What does 139:16 affirm about the timing of the writing of David's days?
Answer: Before a single one of them existed
God saw David's body while it was still unformed (139:15-16), and the whole span of his life was recorded in God's book and ordained before any of it existed (139:16). This is an explicit statement of God's sovereign decree over the whole course of a human life. Job 14:5 and Psalm 31:15 affirm that the span and times of a life are in God's hand, and Ephesians 1:11 grounds all things in God's purposeful will.
- Psalm 139:15-16 (BSB)“My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.”God saw David's unformed body, and all his days were written in God's book before any came to be.
- Job 14:5 (BSB)“Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,”Job says a person's days are determined and their number is with God.
- Psalm 31:15 (BSB)“My times are in Your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.”David says his times are in God's hands.
- Ephesians 1:11 (BSB)“In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”God works out everything according to the counsel of His will.
General
What leads David to praise God in 139:13-14?
Answer: God formed him while he was in the womb
David praises God because God made his inner being and wove him together while he was still in his mother's womb (139:13). The way he was made fills him with awe and wonder, and he knows well how marvelous God's works are (139:14). God was at work in David's life before his birth. Job likewise says God's hands shaped him and joined his bones and sinews (Job 10:8-11), the LORD calls Himself the one who formed His people from the womb (Isaiah 44:24), and God told Jeremiah He knew him before forming him in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5).
- Psalm 139:13-14 (BSB)“For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.”David praises God for forming him in his mother's womb.
- Job 10:8-11 (BSB)“Your hands shaped me and altogether formed me. Would You now turn and destroy me? Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust? Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews.”Job describes God shaping him and knitting him together with bones and sinews.
- Isaiah 44:24 (BSB)“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,”The LORD calls Himself the Redeemer who formed His people from the womb.
- Jeremiah 1:5 (BSB)““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.””God knew Jeremiah before forming him in the womb.
Theological
What ground for praise does David give in 139:13-14?
Answer: God formed him while he was in the womb
David's praise is grounded in God's creative work before birth: God formed his inmost being and wove him together in the womb (139:13), so that his very making calls for awe and wonder (139:14). God is presented as the personal Maker of each human life from its beginning. Job 10:8-11, Isaiah 44:24, and Jeremiah 1:5 all describe God's forming and knowing of a person in the womb.
- Psalm 139:13-14 (BSB)“For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.”David praises God for forming him in his mother's womb.
- Job 10:8-11 (BSB)“Your hands shaped me and altogether formed me. Would You now turn and destroy me? Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust? Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews.”Job describes God shaping him and knitting him together with bones and sinews.
- Isaiah 44:24 (BSB)“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,”The LORD calls Himself the Redeemer who formed His people from the womb.
- Jeremiah 1:5 (BSB)““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.””God knew Jeremiah before forming him in the womb.
General
How thoroughly does David say God knows him in 139:1-4?
Answer: God knows his acts, his thoughts, and his unspoken words
The heading attributes this psalm to David. He begins by confessing that the LORD has searched him and knows him completely (139:1). God knows his ordinary movements, understands his thoughts from far away, and is familiar with all his ways (139:2-3). Even before David speaks a word, God already knows it fully (139:4). Scripture teaches that no creature can be concealed from God (Hebrews 4:13), that the Father knows His children's needs before they ask (Matthew 6:8), and that the LORD looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
- Psalm 139:1-4 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.”David confesses that the LORD knows his actions, his thoughts, his ways, and his words before he speaks.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing in creation is hidden from God's sight.
- Matthew 6:8 (BSB)“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”Jesus says the Father knows what His children need before they ask.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.””The LORD looks on the heart, not the outward appearance.
Theological
What scope does 139:1-4 give to God's knowledge of David?
Answer: God knows his acts, his thoughts, and his unspoken words
The psalm opens with God's exhaustive knowledge of the psalmist, named in the heading as David. God has searched and known him (139:1), His knowledge extends to David's movements, thoughts, and ways (139:2-3), and it precedes even his speech (139:4). This is divine omniscience applied personally. Hebrews 4:13 states it universally, Jesus applies it to prayer (Matthew 6:8), and 1 Samuel 16:7 shows that God's knowledge reaches the heart.
- Psalm 139:1-4 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.”David confesses that the LORD knows his actions, his thoughts, his ways, and his words before he speaks.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing in creation is hidden from God's sight.
- Matthew 6:8 (BSB)“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”Jesus says the Father knows what His children need before they ask.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.””The LORD looks on the heart, not the outward appearance.
General
Whom does David count as his enemies in 139:19-22?
Answer: People who hate God and rise up against Him
After his praise, David asks God to slay the wicked, violent men who talk about God deceitfully and misuse His name (139:19-20). He asks whether he should not hate God's haters, and says he counts them as his own enemies (139:21-22). His hostility is loyalty to God: he stands with God against persistent, violent wickedness, and he asks God to act rather than taking vengeance himself. God Himself takes no delight in wickedness and abhors those who shed blood and deceive (Psalm 5:4-6), and a prophet rebuked King Jehoshaphat for loving God's haters (2 Chronicles 19:2). Paul tells believers to leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19), and Jesus calls His followers to love and pray for their enemies (Matthew 5:44). Christians have understood how these words relate to Jesus' command in different ways.
- Psalm 139:19-22 (BSB)“O God, that You would slay the wicked—away from me, you bloodthirsty men— who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them as my enemies.”David asks God to slay the wicked and declares his hatred for those who hate God.
- 2 Chronicles 19:2 (BSB)“Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.”A prophet rebukes King Jehoshaphat for helping the wicked and loving those who hate the LORD.
- Psalm 5:4-6 (BSB)“For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You. The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all workers of iniquity. You destroy those who tell lies; the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.”God takes no delight in wickedness and abhors men of bloodshed and deceit.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers to leave vengeance to God, who will repay.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
Theological
What identifies the objects of David's hatred in 139:19-22?
Answer: People who hate God and rise up against Him
David's imprecation targets the bloodthirsty and deceitful who speak against God and take His name in vain (139:19-20), and his hatred is defined by theirs: he hates God's haters and counts God's enemies as his own (139:21-22). It is covenant loyalty, not personal vendetta, and it asks God to act. God's own hatred of evildoers (Psalm 5:4-6) and the rebuke of Jehoshaphat's alliance with the wicked (2 Chronicles 19:2) share this frame. Paul commits vengeance to God (Romans 12:19), and Christ commands love and prayer for enemies (Matthew 5:44); Christians have related these teachings to such prayers in different ways.
- Psalm 139:19-22 (BSB)“O God, that You would slay the wicked—away from me, you bloodthirsty men— who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them as my enemies.”David asks God to slay the wicked and declares his hatred for those who hate God.
- 2 Chronicles 19:2 (BSB)“Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.”A prophet rebukes King Jehoshaphat for helping the wicked and loving those who hate the LORD.
- Psalm 5:4-6 (BSB)“For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You. The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all workers of iniquity. You destroy those who tell lies; the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.”God takes no delight in wickedness and abhors men of bloodshed and deceit.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers to leave vengeance to God, who will repay.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
General
What point do the journeys imagined in 139:7-10 make?
Answer: No place lies beyond God, whose hand guides and holds David there
David asks where he could go to get away from God's Spirit and presence (139:7). He imagines rising to the heavens or lying down in Sheol, the realm of the dead, and finds God in both (139:8). Even if he flew with the dawn to the farthest sea, God's hand would guide him and His right hand would hold him (139:9-10). For David this is comfort, not threat: God's presence means God's care. Jeremiah says no one can hide from the God who fills heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:23-24), Solomon confessed that not even the heavens above the heavens can hold Him (1 Kings 8:27), and another psalmist rejoices that God holds his right hand (Psalm 73:23).
- Psalm 139:7-10 (BSB)“Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast.”David imagines going to the heights, the depths, and the farthest sea, and finds God's hand there to guide and hold him.
- Jeremiah 23:23-24 (BSB)““Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?” “Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”God asks whether anyone can hide from Him, since He fills heaven and earth.
- 1 Kings 8:27 (BSB)“But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.”Solomon confesses that even the highest heavens cannot contain God.
- Psalm 73:23 (BSB)“Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand.”Another psalmist rejoices that he is always with God, who holds his right hand.
Theological
What is the thrust of the hypothetical journeys in 139:7-10?
Answer: No place lies beyond God, whose hand guides and holds David there
The rhetorical questions of 139:7 are answered by a series of extremes: heaven and Sheol, the dawn and the farthest sea (139:8-9). In every one God is present, and His hand guides and grips the psalmist (139:10). Divine omnipresence is here a source of security. Jeremiah 23:23-24 and 1 Kings 8:27 teach that God fills heaven and earth and cannot be contained, and Psalm 73:23 expresses the same comfort of being held by God.
- Psalm 139:7-10 (BSB)“Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast.”David imagines going to the heights, the depths, and the farthest sea, and finds God's hand there to guide and hold him.
- Jeremiah 23:23-24 (BSB)““Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?” “Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”God asks whether anyone can hide from Him, since He fills heaven and earth.
- 1 Kings 8:27 (BSB)“But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.”Solomon confesses that even the highest heavens cannot contain God.
- Psalm 73:23 (BSB)“Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand.”Another psalmist rejoices that he is always with God, who holds his right hand.
General
True or False: The request David makes in 139:23 echoes what he confessed about God in 139:1.
Answer: True
This is true. The psalm begins by saying that God has searched and known David (139:1), and it ends by asking God to search him and know his heart (139:23). What David first confessed as a fact he finally welcomes as a request. The LORD says He is the one who searches hearts (Jeremiah 17:10), and David elsewhere invites God to test him and examine his heart and mind (Psalm 26:2).
- Psalm 139:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.”The psalm opens by confessing that God has already searched and known David.
- Psalm 139:23 (BSB)“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.”The psalm closes by asking God to search and know David's heart.
- Jeremiah 17:10 (BSB)“I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.”The LORD says He searches the heart and examines the mind.
- Psalm 26:2 (BSB)“Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.”David elsewhere invites God to test him and examine his heart and mind.
Theological
True or False: The petition of 139:23 takes up the language of the psalm's opening confession in 139:1.
Answer: True
This is true. The psalm is framed by the same verbs: God has searched and known the psalmist (139:1), and the psalmist asks God to search and know his heart (139:23). The confession of God's omniscience becomes a prayer for His scrutiny. Jeremiah 17:10 identifies the LORD as the searcher of hearts, and Psalm 26:2 shows David inviting such testing elsewhere.
- Psalm 139:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.”The psalm opens by confessing that God has already searched and known David.
- Psalm 139:23 (BSB)“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.”The psalm closes by asking God to search and know David's heart.
- Jeremiah 17:10 (BSB)“I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.”The LORD says He searches the heart and examines the mind.
- Psalm 26:2 (BSB)“Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.”David elsewhere invites God to test him and examine his heart and mind.
General
What does David conclude about God's thoughts in 139:17-18?
Answer: They are precious and too many to count
David finds God's thoughts precious, and their total is so vast that he could sooner count grains of sand (139:17-18). When he wakes, he is still with God. David says elsewhere that God's wonders and plans are more than he can count (Psalm 40:5), another psalm praises the depth of God's thoughts (Psalm 92:5), and Isaiah says God's thoughts are as high above ours as the sky is above the ground (Isaiah 55:8-9).
- Psalm 139:17-18 (BSB)“How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum! If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with You.”David finds God's thoughts precious and too many to count, and wakes to find himself still with God.
- Psalm 40:5 (BSB)“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us—none can compare to You—if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count.”David says God's wonders and plans are more than he can count.
- Psalm 92:5 (BSB)“How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!”Another psalm praises how deep God's thoughts are.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 (BSB)““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”God's thoughts are as far above ours as the heavens are above the earth.
Theological
What does David affirm about God's thoughts in 139:17-18?
Answer: They are precious and too many to count
The psalmist finds God's thoughts precious and innumerable, exceeding the sand in number (139:17-18), and he wakes to find himself still in God's presence. The immeasurable greatness of God's thoughts is also celebrated in Psalm 40:5 and Psalm 92:5, and their transcendence over human thought is declared in Isaiah 55:8-9.
- Psalm 139:17-18 (BSB)“How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum! If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with You.”David finds God's thoughts precious and too many to count, and wakes to find himself still with God.
- Psalm 40:5 (BSB)“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us—none can compare to You—if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count.”David says God's wonders and plans are more than he can count.
- Psalm 92:5 (BSB)“How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!”Another psalm praises how deep God's thoughts are.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 (BSB)““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”God's thoughts are as far above ours as the heavens are above the earth.
General
What does David ask right after speaking of the wicked in 139:23-24?
Answer: That God would examine his own heart
Having spoken about the wicked, David turns the searchlight on himself. He asks God to search him, know his heart, test him, and know his concerns (139:23), to see whether anything in his conduct offends, and to lead him on the everlasting path (139:24). He does not assume his own heart is clean. David elsewhere prays to be cleansed from hidden faults he cannot detect (Psalm 19:12) and asks God to teach him and lead him (Psalm 143:10), and Paul says a clear conscience does not acquit him, because the Lord is his judge (1 Corinthians 4:4).
- Psalm 139:23-24 (BSB)“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.”David asks God to search and test his own heart and lead him in the everlasting way.
- Psalm 19:12 (BSB)“Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.”David prays to be cleansed from hidden faults he cannot see himself.
- 1 Corinthians 4:4 (BSB)“My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.”Paul says a clear conscience does not acquit him; the Lord is his judge.
- Psalm 143:10 (BSB)“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”David asks God to teach him His will and lead him by His good Spirit.
Theological
What petition follows immediately upon the imprecation in 139:23-24?
Answer: That God would examine his own heart
The psalm ends in self-examination before God. David asks God to search and test his heart and concerns (139:23), to expose anything offensive in him, and to lead him on the everlasting path (139:24). The man who stood against God's enemies submits himself to the same divine scrutiny. Psalm 19:12 confesses hidden faults only God can reveal, Paul defers final judgment of his own heart to the Lord (1 Corinthians 4:4), and Psalm 143:10 asks for God's leading.
- Psalm 139:23-24 (BSB)“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.”David asks God to search and test his own heart and lead him in the everlasting way.
- Psalm 19:12 (BSB)“Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.”David prays to be cleansed from hidden faults he cannot see himself.
- 1 Corinthians 4:4 (BSB)“My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.”Paul says a clear conscience does not acquit him; the Lord is his judge.
- Psalm 143:10 (BSB)“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”David asks God to teach him His will and lead him by His good Spirit.
General
How does David respond in 139:5-6 to God's knowledge of him?
Answer: He marvels that it is far beyond his grasp
David pictures God surrounding him on every side and laying His hand on him (139:5). His response is wonder: knowing like this is too marvelous and too high for him to reach (139:6). He does not resent being known; he is amazed by it. Paul breaks into similar wonder at the depth of God's wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33), and Job confessed he had spoken of matters too marvelous for him to understand (Job 42:3).
- Psalm 139:5-6 (BSB)“You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”David feels surrounded by God's hand and finds God's knowledge beyond his reach.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul marvels at the depth of God's wisdom and knowledge.
- Job 42:3 (BSB)“You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”Job confesses that he spoke of things too wonderful for him to know.
Theological
What is David's response in 139:5-6 to being comprehensively known by God?
Answer: He marvels that it is far beyond his grasp
Enclosed on every side by God, with His hand laid upon him (139:5), David responds with adoration: such knowing is beyond him, too high for him to reach (139:6). The incomprehensibility of God's knowledge evokes praise rather than resentment, as it does for Paul (Romans 11:33) and for Job after the LORD's speeches (Job 42:3).
- Psalm 139:5-6 (BSB)“You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”David feels surrounded by God's hand and finds God's knowledge beyond his reach.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul marvels at the depth of God's wisdom and knowledge.
- Job 42:3 (BSB)“You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”Job confesses that he spoke of things too wonderful for him to know.