Psalm 139: God’s Omniscience and Inescapable Presence

Psalm 139

1 O lord, you have searched me, and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up, you understand my thought afar off.

3 You compass my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, see, O LORD, you know it altogether.

5 You have beset me behind and before, and laid your hand on me.

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

7 Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12 Yes, the darkness hides not from you; but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to you.

13 For you have possessed my reins: you have covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and that my soul knows right well.

15 My substance was not hid from you, when I was made in secret, and curiously worked in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in your book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with you.

19 Surely you will slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, you bloody men.

20 For they speak against you wickedly, and your enemies take your name in vain.

21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate you? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against you?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139 is a profound revelation of God’s omniscience and omnipresence, illustrating that He knows the human heart intimately and is present in every corner of the universe3BC 1153.13+1. This psalm provides a comforting assurance that we are never alone and that our lives are governed by a loving, all-seeing CreatorMEDM February 17, 1909, page 136.7+1.

The All-Seeing Eye of God

God possesses a complete and perfect knowledge of every individual, understanding our actions, our locations, and even our unspoken thoughtsEd 133.1+1.

• Intimate Knowledge: He is acquainted with all our ways, including our "downsitting" and our "uprising"Ed 133.1+1.

• Thought Discernment: Before a word is even on our tongues, the Lord knows it altogetherGCDB February 19, 1897, page 90.5+1.

• The Conscience: For those living in secret sin, this sense of an all-seeing eye acts as a harrowing instinct that cannot be silenced or bribedARSH August 11, 1863, page 83.5.

• Wonderful Knowledge: The depth of this divine intelligence is so high and wonderful that the finite human mind cannot fully attain or comprehend itEd 133.1+2.

The Inescapable Presence

There is no place in the universe where one can flee from the Spirit or presence of the LordPTUK March 31, 1897, page 194.5+1.

• Everywhere Present: Whether one ascends to heaven, makes a bed in hell, or dwells in the uttermost parts of the sea, God is therePTUK March 31, 1897, page 194.5+2.

• Guided by His Hand: Even in the most remote locations, His hand leads and His right hand holds the believerPTUK March 31, 1897, page 194.5+1.

• Darkness and Light: To God, darkness and light are exactly the same; even the darkest night shines as the day before HimGCDB February 19, 1897, page 90.5.

• Finding Christ in the Depths: If a person sinks to the lowest places, they find Christ Jesus waiting there to lift them up and save themPTUK March 31, 1897, page 194.5.

The Creator’s Handiwork

The psalm celebrates the marvelous way in which God formed human beingsPTUK June 30, 1898, page 411.7.

• Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Every person is a product of divine craftsmanship, "fearfully and wonderfully made" by the Maker of all thingsEGWSRGES 11.7+1.

• Divine Oversight from the Womb: God’s eyes saw our substance while it was yet imperfect, and all our members were written in His book before they even existedGCDB February 15, 1893, page 272.7+1.

• Precious Thoughts: The thoughts that God has toward His children are so numerous they cannot be counted, being more in number than the sandGCDB February 15, 1893, page 272.7+1.

A Life of Integrity and Liberty

Recognizing the constant presence of God leads to a life of sincerity and moral freedomARSH December 28, 1897, page 828.7+1.

• Restraining Influence: Realizing that God is a constant witness, even in the bedchamber, encourages a person to live as conscientiously in the dark as in the daylightGCDB March 5, 1897, page 260.14+1.

• True Liberty: Because the Spirit of the Lord is everywhere, the soul that dwells in God has unlimited room and experiences true libertyMEDM July 1904, page 213.10.

• The Sincere Prayer: The proper response to God's omniscience is to invite His scrutiny, asking Him to "Search me, O God, and know my heart" and to lead in the way everlastingARSH December 28, 1897, page 828.7+1.

Divine Foreknowledge and Purpose

God’s omniscience includes knowing the end from the beginning, which informs His purposes and graceSBBS 73.1+1.

• Prophetic Proof: The fulfillment of prophecy throughout history serves as undeniable proof of an omniscient mind dictating the course of empiresSBBS 73.1.

• Conditional Election: Divine foreknowledge of faith and perseverance is tied to the callings and purposes God has for His peopleHBS 18.1+1.

• Infinite Understanding: God’s understanding is infinite, and He sits at the helm of the universe, subject to no external fate or necessityARSH April 30, 1857, page 202.6+1.