The All-knowing And All-Seeing God Ps. 139:1-18

This Psalm is a marvelous tribute to God

I. The All-knowing God (Omniscient) Verses 1-6

Verses 1-3 [1] O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. [2] Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off…

[3] Thou compassest (comprehend –NKJV) my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

How many times do you sit down and get up in one day? God knows! God knew the writers meditations when lying in bed

Verses 4-6 [4] For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. [5]Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me…

[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Not only does God know when we sit down and when we get up – He also knows every word we speak

Col. 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Col. 4:6 (ESV) Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Verse 6 refers to the knowledge of God

Is. 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

II. God is every where present (Omnipresent) verses 7-12

Verses 7-10 [7] Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?[8] If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

[9] If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea. [10] Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

You cannot elude nor evade God – His is a limitless presence Even the remotest parts of the universe are under His all-seeing eye

Jonah tried to run from God but failed

Heb. 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

There is no getting away from God’s Spirit – even those who are in Hades are not hidden from God

Verses 11-12 [11] If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.[12] Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

The darkest night earth has ever known cannot hide the one who tries to run away from God Darkness makes man almost helpless – but has no effect upon God

Jer. 23:23-24 [23] Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? [24] Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

III. God – The Great Searcher and Knower Verses 13-18

Verses 13-15 [13] For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. [14] I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well…

[15] My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Verse 13 from NKJV For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.

The Psalmist says “God ‘formed my inward parts’ The writer knew he was a human being while he was a fetus in his mother’s womb!

Man says that man evolved The Bible says God made man Gen. 1-2 Mt. 19:4-5

While man’s view of many things in life is very limited --- God’s eye was upon the one who wrote Ps. 139 (most likely David) from conception onward

In verse 16 “curiously wrought” in the KJV means literally “embroidered” God’s handiwork in designing man was beautiful and precise

The average person performs each of the following in a day of 24 hours Your heart beats 103,689 times You breathe 23,040 times You eat between 3 and 4 pounds of food and drink 3 quarts of liquid – and perspire about 2 pints through your skin

Men speak about 4800 words You move over 700 muscles and use 7,000,000 brain cells --- And walk 7 miles (women only) in the home

If your are a Christian –this body as described above, belongs to God (Rom. 12:1-2) Adapted --- Author unknown

Verse 16 [16] Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them

“From the time that conception occurred and even before the fetus began to take definite shape and form God saw David and knew exactly what he ultimately was to be.” Robert R. Taylor

Verses 17-18 [17] How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! [18] If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

All of God’s thoughts were precious to the Psalmist and should be precious to you and me

These great characteristics of God are marvelous – on these we can and should hang our very lives

References Studies In Psalms, Robert R. Taylor, Jr., Quality Publications, 1985.