Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 139

Psalm 139 is one of the most beautifully written works of literature in all the world. It doesn’t need explanation, for it is a clear exposition of who God is. I should leave it alone and just encourage each of you to simply read it. I will simply call attention to some of the great truths of theology it contains.

Psalm 139:1-6

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.  Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.  You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we are going to say, before we even say it.

Psalm 139:7-12
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

We might think we are running from God and we might think we can hide, but He knows all and He sees all. He is in every place we might flee.

Psalm 139:13-16
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.

When you child asks the question, “Mommy, where do babies come from?”, We ought to read them this verse. Life comes from God. Period. That we legalize abortion is the most blatant form of mankind attempting to be our own god that can be imagined. Our days are already written in His book. Christians read this and they still won’t take hold of the truth of the complete sovereignty of God. This truth is the foundation for a faith that comforts.

Psalm 139:17-18
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.

Our finite minds are incapable of understanding the widths and the heights of God’s majesty and glory.

Psalm 139:19-22
Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me!  They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain.  Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?  I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

God’s wrath is a holy wrath and our hearts should be broken over the world’s total disregard for His law. But we must trust in God’s timing. The return of Christ is imminent and when He comes, this prayer will be answered.

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

Let us search our own hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to be our helper in our own sanctification as we await His return.

Take time today and read Psalm 139 through and through. Then meditate on its great truths, on its theology. Pray through it. Make it real in your heart. Then offer God the worship He so deserves.

Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 135

Psalm 135 is a psalm of praise and in it resides some basic theology. Too many Christians reject theology. Theology is simply the study of God. If we want to know God intimately, then we need to know who He is, what He is like, and how He behaves. When we see God for who He is, we will then live in faith and peace because we will know that He can be trusted in all circumstances, unlike men, who fail us daily. Knowing God and who He is, is the key to proper worship. Psalm 135 opens with praise.

Psalm 135:1-2
Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O servants of the LORD, who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God!

Next, we see why He is worthy of our praise.

Psalm 135:3
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

Theology point number one; God is good. He is always true to His name. Everything He does is good, even when our feelings lead us to question Him.

Psalm 135:4
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.

Theology point two; God chooses His people; they do not choose Him. The Doctrine of Election is a doctrine that is not understandable by our finite minds. Yet, men argue about it. But it’s all over scripture. They accuse God of being unjust because of it. They fail to understand theology point one, God is good. Who are we to question God? God is under no obligation to save any of us, because we all deserve hell. Yet, He gives out grace and mercy to His elect. He owes us nothing.

Psalm 135:5-7
For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.  Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.  He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Theology point three; God is sovereign. He is sovereign over all things. He created all things and he controls them as He sees fit. He even controls the weather. Yet, men fret over this theology. We should find comfort knowing that God is good, so if He allows it to happen, it is for good.

Psalm 135:8-12
He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast; who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings, Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.

Theology point four; God is powerful. He holds life and death in His hands. And theology point five; evil does not win. “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.” We can trust that God will bring justice. It has been well said that, “We all want justice, just not to ourselves, but to others.” If we let God be in control of administering justice, we are free to love our enemies as Christ commands, and to show them the same grace and mercy Jesus gives us.

Psalm 135:13-14
Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.  For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.

Theology point six; God is eternal. Theology point seven; God gives mercy and grace to those who are His people.

Psalm 135:15-18
 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.  They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths.  Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.

Theology point eight; There is only one true God. The rest of the gods, be they men or be they man-made, have no power or real value. We all have our idols.

Psalm 135:19-21
O house of Israel, bless the LORD! O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!  O house of Levi, bless the LORD! You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!  Blessed be the LORD from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the LORD!

God is worthy of our praise. Even a quick study of God reveals this. Open your Bible today and see who God is. Make it your life’s passion to know Him intimately. Then you will long to sit at His feet for all eternity worshiping the Great I AM.

Praise the Lord!