“God not only sees the invisible and penetrates the inaccessible, but is operative there as author of every detail of being.” Derek Kidner
The Psalms are a rich treasure trove of practical Christianity. We see the mountain tops and valleys of the Christian life clearly displayed in such a way that we too can echo the praises, pleadings, and petitions of the psalmists even thousands of years after they were written. The Psalms are overflowing with expressions that highlight the attributes of God. As this is the focus of this series of articles, we’ll be digging into Psalm 139 to help us ponder the majesty and wonder of God’s omniscience and omnipresence. It’s worth noting that we see throughout this Psalm that it’s author, David, isn’t merely describing God in these ways. He is speaking to God; giving Him praise and glory for His infinite knowledge and boundless presence extending beyond time and space. How often do we find ourselves stopping short at examining the attributes of God abstractly as a system of doctrine rather than divine perfections worthy of adoration? David teaches us how to use our doctrine to lead us to doxology (praise). Doctrine without doxology is dead. Our theology should always lead us to worship, and we must examine our own hearts if it does not.
The beginning of Psalm 139 highlights the wonder and immeasurable knowledge of God. A Scottish minister from the early 1800s describes it in this way, “An eternity past and an eternity to come are, at the same moment, in His eye; and with that eternal eye He surveys infinity” (Kidner). That is a massive statement and it would be quite easy to get lost in trying to grasp the depth and infinity of God’s omniscience. However, David zooms in and reflects on the personal nature of God’s knowledge of him. “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” (v. 1) God’s knowledge of us is unattainably and fantastically more intimate than we know ourselves. David is meditating here on how this majestic omniscience relates to him.
Like David, we also can see how God’s omniscience relates to us. It is a personalized knowledge of:
- All of my actions: “…when I sit down and when I rise up;” (v. 2)
- All of my thoughts: “You discern my thoughts from afar.” (v.2)
- All of my coming and going: “You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.” (v. 3)
- All of my words: “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” (v. 4)
- All of my being: “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” (v. 5)
How often do we say to our children, “think before you speak”? It is a worthy and biblical principle as Proverbs 10:19 tells us, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” But how often do we reassure ourselves that when we restrain our tongue, we are totally in the clear? I am guilty of this so often! I give myself a metaphorical pat on the back when I hold in a hasty, unsanctified response or sassy quip. Not so fast. What about the thoughts themselves that I restrained? “…before a word is on my tongue, behold O LORD, you know it altogether” (v. 4). God knows the source of every thought. Let us not be so foolish as to think that even our thoughts escape inspection. Matthew Henry says, “[Knowing] that God knows our hearts, and the hearts of all the children of men, if we did but mix faith with it and seriously consider and apply it, would have a great influence upon our holiness.”
You’ve likely at one time been asked the question, “If you could have any super power, what would it be?” A good amount of people answer, “To read people’s minds!” Personally, that sounds like torture to me. I can barely stand my own thoughts, not to mention knowing and bearing the thoughts of others! (I’d rather be able to teleport, but that is neither here nor there.) Since none of us have that ability, thoughts very often go unnoticed even to ourselves or are quickly forgotten. So many thoughts and daydreams fly in and out of our minds throughout the day without landing to rest. To use a simple example, how many times do we walk into a room with purpose and are stopped in our tracks, completely forgetting the thought in our head 60 seconds prior that sent us in there?! God does not get confused, he doesn’t need clarification, he does not forget a single event or thought of a single individual since before time began! If we can’t remember where we put our car keys or why we walked into a room, we cannot possibly comprehend or imagine the thoughts, words, and actions of every person that has ever lived??? But wait, we know it doesn’t stop there. He also FOREKNOWS what is to come “to infinity…and beyond!” (thanks, Buzz)
The God of the universe knows all of our thoughts and deeds intimately and personally, as though you were the only being ever created. And for the believer, He covers them with His saving grace and love. Eloquent as always, C.H. Spurgeon says, “Behind us there is God recording our sins or in grace blotting out the remembrance of them; and before us there is God foreknowing all our deeds and providing for all our wants.” As with David, we also can say with praise and thanksgiving, God’s knowledge is “too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” (v. 6)
As a Christian is never out of the reach of God’s hand, so he is never out of the view of God’s eye.
Thomas Brooks
In verses 7-12, David transitions to speaking to God of His limitless omnipresence. Omniscience and omnipresence go hand in hand. Naturally, as God is everywhere and is the Creator of all things, He intimately knows every part of His creation.
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.”
The questions David asks are rhetorical. He is not desiring to flee from the presence of God! He is acknowledging that even if he wanted to, every location he can think of – “You are there!” There is no escaping God’s presence. Even our young children can recount the two huge examples in Scripture where we see a foolish attempt to hide or escape from God. Adam and Eve “hid” in the garden because of the shame of their sin and Jonah “ran away” from God’s command for him to go to Nineveh. Didn’t work out too well for them, did it? It’s like the catechism question we teach our children, “Can you see God? No, but He always sees me.”
The Latin phrase “Coram Deo” (“in the presence of God”) is pretty popular in evangelical circles nowadays. David reminds us in Psalm 139 that we cannot decide when we live our life in “the presence of God” and when we would rather not. It is good and wise to keep God’s omnipresence at the front of our minds at all times, but let’s be honest; there is no “striving” to live in God’s presence. There is no place of human existence or realm of creation that is not occupied by God’s presence. Heaven, hell, heights, depths, darkness, light – He is there. (note: God’s presence in hell is one of justice, judgement of wrath.) We all know that things are extremely difficult, nigh impossible, to find in the dark, and if you lose your sunglasses on an ocean boat ride, sorry, they’re gone forever. To meditate on the fact that God is never blind to or absent from the presence of any sphere of his creation or realm of existence is mindblowing.
In the second half of this psalm David recalls specific examples that remind him of these divine attributes; bringing them to some level of human understanding. “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret.” (v. 15) At the earliest point we can trace back our existence, our mother’s womb, we were not hidden from Him. To the contrary, He “formed my inward parts; you knitted me together.” (v. 13) God wasn’t just an inactive observer. He uniquely and secretly knitted each of us into being. Not only our conception was foreknown, but all the days of our life “in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (v. 16)
This leads David, again, to praise and hold these truths as precious! Once more he is led to meditate on the infinity of these attributes, concluding that such meditation would be never-ending. “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.” (v. 17-18) David’s worship and meditation on these incomprehensible attributes also causes him to think of those that are wicked and rebel against their Creator, the one true God. He has a righteous hatred for their evil deeds and a zeal for God’s holiness. “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?” (v. 21)
The Psalm is concluded by David pleading with God to make his sin known to him. “Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me” (v. 23) David desires to have his thoughts, words and actions inspected! He craves God’s presence. It is one thing to admit that God knows and sees all things. It is another to welcome and desire your sin to be brought out through them. The meditating on and speaking to God of just these two of His many, many attributes causes David to see his lowly and unworthy state before his almighty Creator. He does not want to follow the path of the wicked. He asks his loving God to show him his sin and lead him “in the way everlasting.” (v. 24)
The incomprehensibility of God’s omniscience and omnipresence is not isolated to those attributes. Is He not incomprehensible in all of His attributes? Can we, even at the height of our spiritual growth and knowledge, attain the greatness of His holiness, love, sovereignty, justice, etc. ? The unbeliever uses the argument of their inability to comprehend God as an excuse for unbelief, but for the Christian these very things are WHY we believe. We do not want a God that is like us, one that we can figure out or fully comprehend. He would not be worthy of worship if this were the case! To Him be all glory and praise for His perfection and incomprehensible majesty!
Naming all of the reflections and lessons we can take away from this Psalm would make a massive list. Here are four questions I’d encourage you to think on after this brief look at God’s omniscience and omnipresence in Psalm 139.
- Do God’s attributes of omniscience and omnipresence bring me solace and comfort as they did to David? If you are a believer, be of good cheer and rest in these truths, that God’s loving “eye” is never shut, and his “arm” is never out of reach.
- Does meditating on God’s attributes give me a zeal for His holiness and reverence?
- Do God’s attributes motivate me to search my own heart for sin, with a thoroughness that reflects His omniscience?
- Does my theology lead to doxology?
For the reader outside of Christ, let the knowledge that you have been created by an almighty God that knows you inside and out and is witness to all you do cause you to fear and tremble. All of us will be in God’s presence for all eternity, some under His blessing and others under His judgement. Do as David did and ask God to show you the sinfulness of your heart and repent before Him, clinging to His son Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life and willingly bore God’s wrath on the cross for sin, rising again to ever live and give you eternal life.
Kimberly Renihan lives in sunny Southern California with her husband Samuel Renihan, who is the pastor of a Reformed Baptist Church and an author of several books. Together they have one middle school aged son, Owen. Kimberly was diagnosed with Lupus 14 years ago and struggles daily with the affects of the disease. Through this difficult providence it is her desire to be a good testimony before a watching world, showing the goodness and love of God even in suffering. When she feels well, she enjoys reading, writing, playing the piano and buying shoes!