Psalm 139

Doing Right Requires Righteousness

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16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men. – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 ESV

Paul unashamedly and boldly asked the Corinthians to participate in a fundraising effort to alleviate the suffering of the Hebrew Christians living in Judea. Ongoing persecution and the lingering effects of a recent famine had left them in dire straits, and Paul was doing all that he could to raise support from the churches in Macedonia, Achaia, Asia Minor, and Galatia. And the church in Corinth was to be no exception. He wanted them to know the joy of participating in the gracious support of their fellow believers, even those whom they had never met. Paul was not commanding the Corinthians to give because he did not want them to do so out of compulsion or with any sense of regret. But he was unapologetically claiming that their giving would be in keeping with the example of Christ Himself.  Paul reminds them that, though Christ “was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9b NLT).

Paul knew that he was doing the right thing, but he had a strong desire to do it in the right way. He was fully aware that everything he did was analyzed and critiqued by his enemies. And while he wasn’t one to waste time worrying about what men thought about him, he did worry about the potential damage his actions might do to the name and cause of Christ. That’s why he was taking special care to handle the collection of the funds in a way that was above board and free from accusation by his enemies.

He was sending Titus to collect whatever gift the Corinthians could provide, because they knew Titus and had built a solid relationship with him. But Paul was also sending another individual, “the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel” (2 Corinthians 8:18 ESV). It is unclear who this brother was, but evidently, the Corinthians knew exactly who Paul was talking about because he was well-known and well-respected by them. This individual had a reputation for trustworthiness, and Paul indicates that he had “been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us” (2 Corinthians 8:19 ESV).

Paul wasn’t taking any chances because he knew his efforts to raise funds for the Hebrew Christians in Judea provided a perfect opportunity for his enemies to accuse him of everything from extortion and greed to larceny and the abuse of power. But in the end, what Paul was most concerned about was the name of Christ. He did not want to do anything that might damage the reputation of His Savior or detract from the cause of the gospel. So he took extra precautions to ensure that his efforts were blameless and free from any hint of impropriety.

We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable. – 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 NLT

It was Jesus who said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 ESV). Peter echoed these words.

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. – 1 Peter 2:12 NLT

As believers, we are to always do the right thing, but it is just as important that we do in the right way. We must always consider the outcome of our actions and keep in mind that our conduct is being analyzed by those around us, especially unbelievers. We are ambassadors for Christ, and all that we do in this life is to be done on His behalf and in His name. We speak and act on His part, and even our right actions, if not done in the right way, can produce the wrong results and bring harm to the name of Christ.

We can’t afford to live with the attitude: “Who cares what they think?” Our conduct has consequences. Our actions speak volumes. Every word and deed is a potential testimony that will reflect either positively or negatively on the cause of Christ. What we do matters, but how we do it is just as important.

Paul was unashamed to ask the Corinthians for money, but he was unwilling to do it in a way that might damage his reputation, hinder his ministry, or bring shame to the name of Christ.

We don’t want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We’re being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. – 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 MSG

That is how we are to live, and that is the attitude we must maintain as we do so. Our mission matters; so does our methodology. We must always strive to do the right thing, the godly thing, in the right way – blamelessly and above reproach.

Father, as Your child, it matters what I do. But I know I have to put a higher priority on doing the right thing in the right way. My motives matter. My attitude makes a difference. As Paul points out, You love a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). You always look at the heart and Your Son said, “What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45 NLT). So if I give begrudgingly, I may appear to be doing the right thing, but I am doing it with a wrong heart. If I say all the right things, but I harbor bitterness or anger toward someone, my words are meaningless. Paul said, “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT). So, I want don’t want to just do the right thing; I want to do it in the right way and with a righteous heart. With David I pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

To Be Known By God

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To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, 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 cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! – Psalm 139:1-24 ESV

In this well-known psalm, David shares his amazement at Yahweh’s attributes of omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. But this is not an academic paper dealing with deep doctrinal issues regarding God’s nature; it is a song that praises Yahweh’s all-pervasive presence in his life.

David is blown away by the knowledge that the all-powerful God of the universe has not only chosen to have a relationship with him, but knows everything about him. Yahweh is infinite, yet intimate. The God who is powerful enough to have spoken the universe into existence uses His unparalleled strength to intercede on David’s behalf. And the God whose knowledge is limitless knows David better than he knows himself.

David was genuinely awe-struck by God, yet strangely drawn to Him. This psalm reflects his well-balanced outlook on Yahweh’s sheer immensity and surprising familiarity. David knew God, and more importantly, he knew he was known by God. That was enough to prompt David to compose this song of praise.

He begins with a simple prayer of admission, stating his understanding that Yahweh was aware of everything about him.

O LORD, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.– Psalm 139:1-3 NLT

There were no secrets with God. David’s life was an open book to the Almighty, with no areas off-limits or hidden from His all-seeing eyes. David understood how futile it was to try to keep God in the dark. He knew from past experience that a life of hiddenness was hopeless before the all-seeing eyes of Yahweh. When he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband killed so he could marry her, the prophet Nathan let David know that God had seen it all.

“The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.” – 2 Samuel 12:7-10 NLT

David thought he had successfully covered his tracks, but while he may have fooled others, he had failed to hide his sin from the one who mattered most. However, this psalm suggests that David viewed this as a positive rather than a negative experience. His attempt to conceal his sin resulted in guilt and condemnation. He could try to ignore it, but Yahweh could not and would not. David’s sin had to be exposed so his relationship with Yahweh could be restored.

When David states, “You know everything I do” (Psalm 139:3 NLT), he isn’t complaining or accusing Yahweh of being a busybody and know-it-all; he is expressing amazement at Yahweh’s omniscience. What he says next can come across as comforting or concerning, depending on how you take it.

You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, LORD.– Psalm 139:4 NLT

God is not relegated to the role of an external observer with limited capacity to discern what is happening. He knows the heart, mind, and soul of a man. It’s as if He has X-ray vision and can peer inside the darkest recesses of the human psyche, ascertaining the hidden motives, thoughts, and intentions. Yahweh knew David so well that He could predict David’s words before David had even formed them. This thought may disturb or frighten us because it sounds invasive and intrusive, but David found it comforting.

Even if he wanted to hide something from God, he couldn’t; it was impossible. Yahweh could see into his heart and mind. His thoughts and actions were completely exposed to God, and David believed that Yahweh was with him, even when life’s circumstances took a turn for the worse.

Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.– Psalm 23:4 NLT

David knew that God was all-knowing, all-powerful, and always present. He knew that God was always there, and that God knew every single detail of his life, including what he was thinking and what he was going to say, even before the words came out of his mouth. David also understood that God had a plan for his life and that God was working that plan each and every day, regardless of what David’s circumstances might have looked like. This prompted David to write, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” (Psalm 139:6 NLT

Yet, we can find this news about God both encouraging and scary. The fact that God knows everything about us can be either intimidating or comforting. David was prone to the latter. He understood that, along with God’s divine attributes of omniscience (He knows everything), omnipotence (He is all-powerful), and omnipresence (He is everywhere at once), God was also all-loving, always faithful, and a God who keeps all His promises all the time. The fact that God knew all of David’s thoughts didn’t scare him; it provided him with peace.

David might not have fully comprehended the reality of God’s all-knowing, all-powerful presence in his life, but he DID appreciate it. David knew that God had created him; he was a byproduct of God’s imagination and creative capabilities.

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. – Psalm 139:16 NLT

David’s life was not an accident or a matter of chance. This understanding of God’s intimate relationship with him caused David to invite God to do something that appears risky. It sounds like an invitation that could yield some less-than-satisfactory results. However, keep in mind that David knew God loved him and had a plan for his life. He trusted God. There was nothing God did not know about David. So he asked God to do an extensive and all-inclusive examination of his life, starting on the inside.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life. – Psalm 1139:23-24 NLT

David was asking God to expose the secrets of his life. The patient was requesting the doctor to determine the actual state of his health. David knew how easy it was to assume that all was well. He could take a cursory look at his life and conclude from the evidence that he was in great shape. But he knew better.

He asked God to reveal to him things about his life that he was incapable of seeing or even knowing. As men, we often struggle to understand our own hearts, and we can’t fully understand our motives. We are blinded by pride and self-righteousness, and we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are better than we are. So David goes to the one source that can see past the facade and look into the inner recesses of his heart. He asks Yahweh, the all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-loving God, to do an MRI of his life and reveal the results. David knew that God loved him and had a plan for his life, but he also recognized that he was a man prone to sin. His heart was not to be trusted. So he asked God to examine, test, and prove him. He wanted Yahweh to point out anything and everything that was an offense to Him.

Scary? Yes. Risky? Not really. David was simply learning what God already knew. David was tapping into God’s limitless understanding and relying on God’s unfailing love. He wanted to know what God knew because he wanted his life to please God. David’s own heart was a mystery to him, so he asked the LORD to expose what he could not see. He wanted to know because he understood the danger of hidden sin.

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the LORD, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.” – Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT

No one likes to go to the doctor because there is always the chance that they might receive bad news. But when it comes to physical health, ignorance is not bliss. The same principle applies to our spiritual well-being. David wasn’t content to assume that his relationship with Yahweh was healthy and whole, so he asked to be examined. It was Jesus who said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do” (Matthew 9:12 NLT). David knew he was sick because he recognized his own sinfulness. It wasn’t a question of whether he had a spiritual illness in need of exposure; it was a matter of allowing the Great Physician to do what only He can do: Make the correct prognosis and prescribe the proper remedy.  

Yahweh told the Israelites, “I am the LORD who heals you” (Exodus 15:26 NLT), and David had found that promise to be true.

He forgives all my sins
    and heals all my diseases. – Psalm 103:3 NLT

He heals the brokenhearted
    and bandages their wounds. – Psalm 147:3 NLT

David was counting on the fact that his all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God was also all-loving and ready to restore him to spiritual health. All he needed to do is ask.

Father, You love me. And what’s amazing is that You love me even though You know everything there is to know about me. There is nothing I can hide from You. I can’t fool you with my pious activities or acts of religious pretense. I can’t fake faith in front of You. You know me just as I am and yet You love me anyway. Give me the heart of David, that I might ask You to search me, know my heart, test me, know the cause of all my anxious thoughts, and point out everything in my life that offends You. The sooner I see the truth about myself, the sooner I can confess my sins and get back on Your path for my life. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Risky Request.

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Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. – Psalm 139:23-24 ESV

Psalm 139

David closes out his prayer with a powerful petition. It is an apt summation of all that he has prayed up to this point. Fully aware that God knows everything about him and that there is nothing he can hide from God, David requests that God reveal what’s going on in the inside of his own heart. This simply prayer reveals so much of what David knew about God, but ultimately, it lets us know that David knew God loved him. David trusted God. He was asking God to reveal things in his life to which he was either blind or simply oblivious. Rather than fear God’s omniscience, David wanted to take advantage of it. He wanted the all-knowing, ever-present God to search inside the recesses of his heart and “point out anything in me that offends you.” That’s a risky proposition. Not because God is going to discover something He didn’t already know. That’s been David’s point all along. God already knows. But it’s risky, because it means that God is going to reveal to David what he doesn’t know, and then David is going to be faced with the choice of agreeing with it and confessing it, or disagreeing with it and denying it. The former results in God’s forgiveness. The latter will result in His discipline.

But this prayer of David’s should be that of every individual who calls Christ his or her Savior. Our relationship with Jesus Christ has provided us with an intimate relationship with God the Father. We are able to come into His presence and enjoy His love, grace and forgiveness. He has created us, redeemed us, and knows everything about us. He loves us deeply and sent His Son not only to die for us, but to make it possible for us to be progressively transformed into His image. To do that, He is constantly exposing the sin in our life so that we might confess it and enjoy His forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ESV). The truth is, we are incapable of seeing so much of the darkness that lies within our own hearts. Jeremiah the prophet wrote, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV). The answer is God. He knows our hearts and He can reveal what is hidden from our view. God alone can reveal what is behind our “anxious thoughts.” The Hebrew word David uses is sar`aph and it refers to “disquieting thoughts.” God can tell us why we’re so anxious and worried. He can tell us what is driving our fear. We may think it is a past-due bill, but God may show us that it really our lack of trust in His provision. We may think our anxiety is due to a damaged relationship, but God may reveal that it is really a fear of man or our own lack of love. God has the innate ability to get to the root issue. And so often, it is the result of sin. There was a time in David’s life when he was having trouble sleeping. He could have written it off to his high-pressure job as king of Israel. But God reveals that it was the result of his affair with Bathsheba. David had internalized and rationalized his sin. But God saw it all and made sure David saw it as He did. That’s where the risk comes in.

But David knew that it was better to have his sins exposed by God than to try and live with them hidden. He knew he could fool others, but he could never fool God. He knows everything. And God was the key to David’s spiritual transformation. He needed God to help him live righteously. He was a man after God’s own heart, but he desperately needed God to constantly renew his heart. Refusing to let God reveal what is going on inside our hearts is like going to the doctor and refusing to let him tell us what is wrong with us. Not knowing will not make us better. Ignorance is not bliss. Unrevealed sin, like unseen cancer, does not mean it does not exist. It is there, wreaking havoc on our spiritual lives and doing damage to all those around us. We should want to know what God knows. When God had revealed to David the depth of the sin he had committed with Bathsheba, David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 ESV). God had convicted him. Now David wanted God to cleanse him. He knew that God alone was capable of cleaning up the mess he had made with his life. God doesn’t just give us the prognosis, He provides the cure. He doesn’t just point out our sin, He makes possible the prescription for renewed spiritual health and vitality.

We can’t confess what we don’t know. That’s why we need God. We tend to see only the symptoms of our sin. God sees the source. He knows the root cause of all our thoughts, words and actions. We are blind to our pride, envy, idolatry, lust and more. But God sees it all. So David wanted the all-knowing God, who made Him and knew everything about him, to shine His divine flashlight into the recesses of his heart and point out anything and everything that offended Him. That’s a risky, yet rewarding prayer to pray, because it will show us things we don’t want to see, but it will also allow God to make us who He desires us to be.

A Love-Hate Relationship.

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O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers!  They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. – Psalm 139:19-22 ESV

Psalm 139

Having opened his prayer by expressing his awe and wonder at God’s involvement in his life, David suddenly switches direction. Knowing that God created him, cares for him, knows everything about him, and sees him when he sits down or stands up, David takes his latest problem to the Lord. He opens up with God about his need. Evidently, David was under tremendous pressure from those whom he considered wicked and described as murderers. Not only were these people enemies of David, they were enemies of God and misused His name. David expressed his loyalty to God. Because these people hated God, he hated them. These are strong words and seem to stand in such stark contrast to the opening verses of David’s prayer. The word “hate” seems so strong, especially for those of us who have grown up on a steady diet of preaching and teaching that focuses on the love of God. But David seemed to believe that God Himself hated these people and he was obligated to hate them as well. It is important to note that David’s hatred for them was based on their opposition to God. Yes, he was evidently under attack from them as well, but it would appear that it was because of his position as God’s appointed king of Israel. David was constantly surrounded by those who hated him because they hated God. And his hatred for them was based on their hatred for God. These people stood against the things of God and the people of God. They were enemies of God.

David was clearly under the impression that God hated evil and those who commit evil acts. “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers” (Psalm 5:5 ESV). “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Psalm 11:5 ESV). David’s son, Solomon, included this sentiment in his collection of proverbs: “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19 ESV). It makes us uncomfortable when we read that “God hates”. But we tend to interpret the word “hate” using our own sinful definition. Our hate is mired by sin. It is selfish and self-centered. It is unholy and unrighteous. But God’s hatred is always righteous. His nature opposes all that stands opposed to Him. And yet, we know that God loves. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV). “…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV). God hates, but God loves. God must stand opposed to everything that opposes Himself. But He must also love. Only He can do both righteously and justly. We seem capable of doing one or the other, but not both. God’s wrath stands against all those who have sinned and rebelled against His holy will. They are condemned and their sin is punishable by death. But God expressed His love for them by sending His Son to die for them. God knew that their rebellion could only be solved by the sacrifice of His own Son. God’s wrath was satisfied by His own love.

When we read of David’s hatred for his enemies, which he expresses throughout the Psalms, it sounds so harsh. And because David was a man, his hatred was sometimes far too one-dimensional. He lacked the ability to love those he hated. He brought a human perspective to the equation that limited his ability to express love for those who hated God. He simply wanted to see them eliminated. And while God’s holiness and righteousness requires Him to deal harshly with sin and all sinners, His love provided a way to redeem and restore those who were under His wrath. David could only see the wrath. He could only comprehend elimination, but not restoration.

It is interesting to note that when Jesus was preparing to send out the twelve disciples on their own, He warned them, “you will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22 ESV). Yet He was sending them out with His message of repentance and restoration. They were going to be hated, but He was expecting them to heal the sick, bring release to the captive, share the news of His coming and love those who hated them. We must stand opposed to all that stands opposed to God. We must hate what He hates. But we must always remember that God is ultimately about restoration. We live in a world that stand diametrically opposed to God and all that He stands for. We are enemies of this world. And yet, we are to show the love of God by sharing the message of Jesus Christ with them. It’s a love-hate relationship that only the Holy Spirit can help us hold in balance. We cannot afford to love this world or the things of this world. We cannot construe love of sinners to mean acceptance of their sin. We cannot tolerate what God hates. But we must always remember that the solution to sin and the hope for sinners lies in the love of God as expressed through the death of His Son. I can stand against those who hate God and yet lovingly share with them God’s solution to their problem. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48 ESV).

David hated the enemies of God. He hated those who stood opposed to God. In his mind as a warrior-king, he could only see one solution: their complete annihilation and elimination. But God had a better plan. He was going to bring His Son, through the blood line of David himself, and provide a means by which His love could be displayed and His wrath against all sin satisfied. We live on this side of the resurrection. We know that God’s wrath was real. It resulted in His own Son’s death. But we also know that God’s love is real, because it provided us with forgiveness from sin and release from our condemnation. So while I may be justified in hating what God hates, I must also be willing to love as I have been loved.

Too Heavy Too Handle.

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How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. – Psalm 139:17-18 ESV

Psalm 139.

David is blown away with God. The very fact that God created him and knows everything about him was just too much for him. He uses a Hebrew word, yaqar to describe his feelings. It can mean to “be valuable, be precious, be costly”. But it can also be used metaphorically to mean “be heavy” or “hard to understand”. It is the same word used in the book of Daniel when the king asked his magicians to tell him his dream and his meaning. Their response was, “The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh” (Daniel 2:11 ESV). Given the context, it would seem that David is saying that God’s thoughts regarding him are too heavy or difficult for him to comprehend. Remember, David has been speaking of God’s creation of him, how He knew David before he was even formed in the womb. God already knew the day of his birth and the length of his life – long before his conception. God was aware of David’s thoughts – even before they came out of his mouth as words. All of this was too much for David to get his head around. He said, “How vast is the sum of them!” He could have gone on forever, recounting even more amazing facts regarding God and His intimate involvement in his life.

David seems to say that when he goes to bed, he falls asleep thinking about about it and when he wakes up, there’s still more. The word translated, “I am still with you” is `owd  and it means “a going round, continuance” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). It can simply mean “more”. In other words, David says he wakes up in the morning and there is even more to be amazed about regarding God’s thoughts for him. It reminds me of another psalm of David where he writes, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4 ESV). Even Job, in his suffering, said to God, “What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?” (Job 7:17-18 ESV). The very idea that God takes notice of us, created us, cares for us, never takes His eyes off of us, and loves us, should astound us. To think that the God of the universe gives me a second thought at all should blow me away as it did David. As David has already acknowledged, “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar” (Psalm 139:2 ESV). God is not some distant, disconnected deity who has no knowledge about or interest in His creation. He cares. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. He knows our weaknesses. He fully understands our inability to live up to His righteous standards. He is fully aware that we are incapable of not sinning. So He provided a way for us to be made right with Him that is not based on our own human effort, but on the death of His own Son. God knows us. And in spite of that, He still loves us. He knows our thoughts, even when we think we have kept them hidden. And yet, He is still willing to forgive us of those thoughts, if we will simply confess them to Him. He sees everything we do – the good, the bad, the ugly – and is still willing to show us mercy and extend to us His grace. That truly is amazing.

To think that God even gives me a second thought should leave me astounded. How easy it is for me to live my life thinking that all I say, think and do is done is obscurity. I am just one among billions. I am virtually unknown and little more than a blip on the radar screen of life. I can easily conclude that my contribution to life is inconsequential and of little value. But God, the one who created me, knows me, cares for me, watches over me, thinks about me, loves me enough to discipline me, and gave His Son to die for me. That’s heavy. That’s mind-boggling. But what a great reminder from the pen of David. I need to constantly consider the fact that I am known and loved by God. I must never forget that He made me – just as I am. As David said, He “formed my inward parts” and “knitted me together in my mother’s womb”. He made me for a reason. He saved me, not because of anything I had done to deserve it, but simply because He loved me. He is constantly transforming me into the likeness of His Son. He never takes His eyes off of me. He holds me in His hands. He protects me, provides for me, guides me and disciplines me. And He always knows what is best for me. Hard to believe? No doubt about it. But my disbelief won’t do anything but rob me of the joy of knowing just how much my God loves me. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV).

Made and Known By God.

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For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. – Psalm 139:13-16 ESV

Psalm 139

God knows you. He knows everything about you. What an incredible thought. For David, it was the explanation behind everything he had already said in his prayer. He used the word, “for” as a transition, and for clarification. The reason God was inescapable, had David surrounded, and heard, saw and intervened in the affairs on his life, was because God was His creator. He had made David, so God knew everything about him. David expressed amazement and wonder at the fact that he had been made by God. He acknowledges to God, “you formed my inward parts.” The Hebrew word David used is kilyah and it literally means “kidneys.” But to the Hebrew mind it also referred to the seat of the emotions and affections. It was that inner part of man that controlled the emotions (heart) and moral character (mind). God had made each and every part of David, from the physical to the spiritual, the mental to the emotional. He had “knit” or “woven” David in his mother’s womb. In other words, God had hand-crafted David. David’s conclusion? “…I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Was David bragging about his own beauty and significance? Most likely not. He was expressing awe at the incredible realization that God had wonderfully made Him. His existence was not mere happenstance, but an act of God.

When David’s bones were being formed in the womb, God was there. He oversaw the entire birth process from conception to David’s first breath outside the womb. Even before he was born, David’s name was written in God’s book of the living. God already knew the length of his days and the activities that would mark his life. All of this speaks to the amazing sovereignty and power of God. Jesus even told us, “even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7 ESV). For some, that number may be getting smaller, but God never loses count. He knows us. He made us. And nothing about us was a mistake. And as difficult as that may by for us to understand or appreciate sometimes, we must recognize that God is in control of all things at all times. If He is not, then He is not God. Yes, there are babies born with birth defects and grave illnesses that result in death even at the moment of birth. These diseases are not the creation of God. They are the result of sin infiltrating God’s perfect creation and bringing with it the penalty of death, disease and disorder. We can see God’s creation marred by the affects of sin in so many ways. It is all around us. So much of what we view in this life is an anomaly, a deviation from what God intended. But that does not alter the fact that God’s creative process is amazing and awe-inspiring. Even in a world marred by sin, we see the amazing handiwork of God all around us.

For David, the knowledge of God’s role in his life led to worship. He couldn’t help but stand amazed at God’s intimate involvement in his life. The realization that we have been hand-crafted by God should inspire awe and amazement, but also result in reverence, gratitude and worship. But too often, we express our discontent and dissatisfaction to God for how He made us. We question His wisdom and wonder about His love for us because we don’t like how things have turned out for us. The prophet Isaiah has some strong words for those who think that way.“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’” (Isaiah 45:9 NLT). Again, Isaiah puts his thoughts quite bluntly. “How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, ‘He didn’t make me’? Does a jar ever say, ‘The potter who made me is stupid’?” (Isaiah 29:16 NLT). We may not like the way we look. We may not care for our circumstances in life. We may not agree with God’s crafting of our form or how the final product turned out. But David would have us focus on the Creator, not the creature. He would encourage us to keep our attention on the Producer, not the final product. God is not done yet. For those of us in Christ, He is still crafting us. He is still molding and making us. Paul reminds us,  “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV). God’s creative process in our lives is not yet complete. But that day is coming. For now, sin has marred His creation. But God will one day make all things right. He will make all things new. And any mars, defects and imperfections we suffer with now will be gone. God made us. He knows us. And He is not yet done with us.

O Lord, You Know.

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O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. – Psalm 139:1-3 ESV

Psalm 139

This prayer of David is an interesting and informative one. In it, he focuses the majority of his attention on God Himself. I have a hard time remembering the last time (possibly only) that I did that. My prayers tend to be about me. My needs, my wants, my desires, my agenda, my suggested solutions to God for my problems. Rarely do I take the time in my prayers to focus all my attention on Him. But when I read a prayer like this one, I am reminded that my understanding of God will dictate so much of what I think about the world. My view of God will alter my view of life and my circumstances. And it will radically change the way I pray. David starts out his prayer with an acknowledgement that God (Jehovah, the Existing One) has already thoroughly searched him and knew him well. Nothing in David’s life was news to God. He knew David from the inside-out. In fact, David admitted the somewhat disconcerting, bu also comforting fact that God knew when David sat down and when he stood up. He knew all of his thoughts, even from a distance. The phrase, “from afar” probably refers to time, not space. It most likely refers to David’s motives. So God knows what we are going to do before we even do it, just when we’re thinking about doing it. That should change the way we look at God and sin. He really is omniscient – all knowing. David was fully aware that God was watching his every step, even when he traveled or when he was rest at home. And God was well acquainted with ALL his ways. For David, there was no thought of trying to pull one over on God. He knew he couldn’t sneak anything past a God who kept him constantly in His sights. God knew his most intimate thoughts before they ever became action. He watched David every moment of every day, and He knew his most inner thoughts. Now that reality could produce in us either fear and dread, or it could result in comfort and a sense of God’s love and sovereign watchfulness over our lives. David doesn’t seem to be recounting all this about God as a complaint. He was quite content to have a God who was that powerful, yet intimately involved in his life. The God of the universe knew him and was watching over him. What an amazing thought. But that amazing thought escapes most of us who claim to be followers of Christ and sons and daughters of God. We somehow think that God doesn’t see us, fails to watch over us, is oblivious to what is happening to us, and far too busy to give much thought to us. But David would argue against that strongly. He would tell us that our God is omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (present in all places at all times). But David was not alone in this regard. Jeremiah the prophet recorded these words directly from God. “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24 ESV). Even Jesus spoke of God’s ability to see the unseen. “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6 ESV). God sees all. He knows all. He is never surprised or caught off guard. I like to say that God is never up in heaven, wringing His hands in worry, wondering how something happened to one of His children without His knowledge. He is never shocked by our actions or surprised by our words. He knew what we were going to say or do beforehand. He knows the thoughts of our hearts and the expression those thoughts will take. So our prayer lives should be far less about informing God of our faults, failings, and sins. He already knows. Confession is not us telling God something He doesn’t already know. It is us agreeing with God that what He knows about us is true. If anyone has been living in in denial or in a state of ignorance, it has been us. God uses His Word and His Spirit to convict us of sin. He reveals our heart to us. Then He invites us to confess that sin and allow Him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Knowing that God knows – everything – should come as a relief, not some form of bad news. There is nothing we can hide. While we can spend years attempting to hide our sin from others, we can come to God openly and honestly, because we are not going to tell Him anything He doesn’t already know. He is fully aware that we have a sin problem. We are the ones who tend to live in a state of denial. God isn’t appalled by our sin as much as He is by our lack of confession and repentance. He convicts and we justify our actions. He points out our sin and we make excuses or pass blame. In another one of his prayers, David said, “You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Psalm 51:17 NLT). The question isn’t whether God knows our sin. It’s whether we do. And if we do, are we willing to agree with God about it and admit it to Him? At the close of this same prayer, David prays, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). God knows things about us that we don’t know. We need to tap into His knowledge and allow Him to reveal secret sins, hidden motives, and anything that might keep us from living the life He has called us to. God knows and He stands ready to forgive. What a relief.

 

Proverbs 5e

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God Sees.

“For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.” – Proverbs 5:21 NLT

Have you ever stopped to think just how silly it is to attempt to try and and hide anything from God? After all, He is all-knowing and is not limited by space and time. He is everywhere at once and does not have to deal with the limitations of past, present and future as we do. He sees everything equally well, regardless of whether it has already happened or has yet to take place. David put it this way in Psalm 139:

1O Lord, you have examined my heart

and know everything about me.

2You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

3You see me when I travel

and when I rest at home.

You know everything I do.

4You know what I am going to say

even before I say it, Lord.

5You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to understand!

He knows it all, including what I am going to say before I even say it. God sees everything I do. He examines every path I take. He literally weighs out our actions, putting them in a scale and determining their value or worth. And He measures them against His own righteous standard, not the flawed and fickle standards of this world. The context for this verse is a serious warning from a father to his son regarding the dangers of sexual immorality and promiscuity. He is trying to get his son to realize the deadly ramifications of being unfaithful to his wife and allowing himself to fall for the temptations of adultery. He gives him all the dire outcomes, but then wraps it up by reminding his son that God sees ALL our actions, and He measures and examines them against His own righteous requirements. We can’t hide what we do from God. We may fool our spouses and our friends, but God sees all and knows all. And He knows exactly what is going on in our hearts even if we choose not to act out our adulterous desires. He knows every time we lust and every time an immoral thought goes through our brain. That realization should sober us and cause us to seriously consider our ways.

The fact that God sees all and knows all should only scare us if we are guilty of doing things of which He might disapprove. The existence of traffic cameras should not strike fear into the hearts of those who are obeying the traffic signs. The presence of a policeman on the side of the road should not make our palms sweat and our hearts race unless we happen to be breaking the speed limit. If we are living in obedience to God’s Word and in reliance upon His Spirit, His all-seeing eye should bring us comfort, not fear. We should rejoice in the fact that God is always looking out for us and never takes His eyes off us. And if He does happen to see us do something contrary to His will, He makes it known to us so that we can confess it and receive His forgiveness. We live under His watchful eyes at all times. There is no time when He is unaware of us or cannot see us. That realization should bring us peace and cause us to consider our ways more seriously. “For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.”

Father, thank You for never taking your eyes off of me. What a comfort to know You are always there and you are always fully aware. Never let me forget that I am living under your loving, watchful eye at all times. May that realization influence my behavior and my thoughts. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Psalm 138-139 – Day 2

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God Has A Plan For My Life.
(Based on Psalm 138)

I want to thank You from the depths of my heart,
I will sing Your praises so even the angels in heaven can hear me!
I will bow toward Your holy temple in Jerusalem and offer thanks for Your reputation:
Your unfailing love and faithfulness,
And keeping Your word is the greatest aspect of Your reputation.
Any time I have ever called out to You for help, You have always answered.
As a result I was filled with a boldness and confidence inside.
Every powerful person on earth would praise You, if they ever stopped long enough to listen to You.
And some day they will praise You, because You are an incredible God.
Yet even though You are exalted, You take time to care about the lowly.
But You keep Your distance from the proud.
And even though I live my life surrounded by trouble,
You will keep me alive, opposing all my enemies, and protecting me in Your hand.
You will complete Your plan for my life, because Your unfailing love for me never does fail.
You don’t abandon those whom You have made.

You Know Me Better Than I Know Myself.
(Based on Psalm 139)

O Lord, You have examined me closely and know everything there is to know about me.
You know every time I sit and every time I stand up.
Distance doesn’t prevent You from understanding every one of my thoughts.
Nothing I do escapes You, whether I am out and about or in bed.
You are highly familiar with everything I do.
You know what I am going to say before I even have a chance to say it!
You know my past and my future, Your hand is all over me.
When I think about all this, it blows me away, I can’t even comprehend it all.
Where can I go to escape You, or even attempt to hide from You?
If I were able to go to heaven, You would be there.
If I went the opposite direction, You would be there too.
If I got up at dawn and went to the other side of the sea,
You would still be guiding me and holding me in Your hand!
Even if I thought I could hide from Your view at night,
You would see me just as clearly, because day and night are one and the same to You.
You have been in control of my life from the beginning, from before I was even born.
I will praise You because You made me and that knowledge inspires both fear and wonder.
Nothing about me was unknown to You when I was formed,
You saw me even in my unfinished state,
You had recorded every day of my life before I had even lived a single second.
How priceless are your plans for me, O Lord, I can’t even add up their value.
Even if I could try to count them, they would be like the sand on the seashore!
Every time I wake up, I find myself in Your presence.
You will take care of the wicked people in my life, so they might as well leave now.
These people actually treat You wickedly, using Your name in vain.
I hate them because they hate You, I am burdened by those who resist You.
I despise them and count them as my enemies.
But I invite You to examine me, O Lord, to perceive what is in my heart;
Test me and know the content of my thoughts.
Inspect me closely, and see if there is anything about the way I live my life that is wicked,
And lead me along the path of righteousness You have chosen for me.