Psalm 139:1-10 (KJV) (2024)

FAQs

What is Psalm 139 1 to 10? ›

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, But, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

In any of these, no matter what a person does, they cannot escape God. Those who try to run from God, as Jonah did (Jonah 1:1–4), will find it an impossible task. In David's case, this is reassuring knowledge. He is confident that God will be with him, no matter where he goes or where life leads (Psalm 139:7–12).

Psalm 139 combines praise of, appeal to, and wisdom meditation on this God who knows all and who encompasses all.

Psalms 139:5 says; “You hem me in, behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.” When God says he has us hemmed in, it means he has us totally surrounded. We are not confined. He has us protected and directed by his hand.

Such knowledge, says the Psalmist in verse 6, is “too wonderful for me….” All we can do in the face of such knowledge is adore our glorious God. The main point of Psalm 139 is that God's knowledge of us is not merely intellectual; it is relational. The frequency of the pronouns “I” and “you” highlight that relation.

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Psalm 139:1-6

God knows what time we open our eyes in the morning, and is well-acquainted with how we spend our time. He knows those moments of our days where we just need to sit, and sees us when we take a deep breath and keep going in our daily tasks. He sees it all, and knows it all.

Lead me in the way everlasting: David ended this majestic psalm by declaring his destination – the way everlasting. Trusting the God of complete knowledge and constant presence would bring David to everlasting life. The way of holiness prayed for in the previous lines was the way everlasting.

Psalms teaches us to neither ignore our pain nor let it determine our lives. God will fulfill his promises from the Torah and send the Messiah. This book is all about the lament, praise, faith, and hope of God's people.

David wrote in Psalm 139:9-10, “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.” What an incredible image David paints of the nearness of God! If we were to explore the ends of the earth, God would still be there.

What questions to ask about Psalm 139? ›

What is the main point of verses 1-6? What exactly does God know about us? What does this teach us about Him? How does God's omniscience affect you?

Lord, you have examined me and you know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions. Even before I speak, you already know what I will say.

God is omnipresent, meaning he is present everywhere. Because of this, you can never escape from his Spirit. This is good news to those who know and love God, because no matter what we do or where we go, we can never be far from God's guiding and comforting presence. Our God Is So Great!

The psalm addresses God, or, in Jewish tradition, YHWH, and the speaker calls out and establishes a salutation and an understanding of what they know God to be. The psalmist goes on to marvel at the omnipresence of God even in the most secret of places, and praise God for his vast knowledge of the future.

Psalm 139 tells us that God has searched us and knows all the layers of us, even the ones nobody else can see. Keep this image to remind you that God knows you and loves you through and through.

Context Summary

This section of the psalm describes His omnipresence: His ability to be everywhere at once. David mentions some of the places he might go, only to discover that God is there.

The kind of knowledge and presence of God described in Psalm 139 can be either a comfort or a threat to people, depending on where they are with God. If we are trying to flee from God's presence (verse 7), God's omniscience and omnipresence will seem oppressive.

Psalm 139 covers God's intimate knowledge of every detail of our lives, and the beautiful reality that there is nowhere we can go that is outside his care. His hand is with us, always. Even when circ*mstances seem dark or dismal, nothing is without light in God's eyes. He sees clearly, even when we don't.