Psalm 139:1-16; Hebrews 4:13
(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)
According to John 1:1 and 14, Jesus is God – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us….” There are a number of Scriptures that prove Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh! For instance:
- Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and His name shall be called Wonderful…Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- John 10:30 – Jesus said, “I and My Father are one.”
- Philippians 2:6 (Contemporary English Version) – “Christ was truly God.”
- I John 5:20 – “…Jesus Christ…is the true God and eternal life.”
Another point is that all true believers are “…sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (Ephesians 1:13). And the Holy Spirit being in you, Paul explains in Colossians 1:27 that what you have is “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” So if you have One of the Trinity, you have Them all! And if you have Them all, the full presence of God is with you always!
Why have I taken the time to give you these Scriptures? Because in Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 28:20 Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you….I am with you always, even to the end of the age….” When Jesus Christ is with you always, through His Holy Spirit in you, God in all His fullness is always present with you! That’s why this series is entitled “The Alliterated Promises Of God” and this Gem, “His [God’s] Presence”!
Psalm 139:1 through 16 expands on this idea of His presence. David wrote:
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting
down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You
comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with
all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold,
O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and
before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too won-
derful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go
from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I
ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell,
behold, 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 fall on me,” even the night shall
be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from
You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the
light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I
am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works,
and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from
You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the
lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being
yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days
fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Yes, it is a long passage. But consider:
- God sees me in my mundane actions, like “my sitting down…my rising up…my path…my lying down, and…all my ways.” (Psalm 139:2, 3).
- He…
✡ ...is even very aware of “....my thoughts afar off...”
(Psalm 139:2). Or, as it is translated in Bren-
ton’s English Septuagint, “...Thou understandeth my
thoughts long before.” (Psalm 138 in this translation).
✡ ...knows “...altogether...[every] word on my
tongue...” (Psalm 139:4).
- “You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:5). God’s hands are upon me and His arms underneath me!
✞ Remember the famous Allstate Insurance logo and
slogan?
➔ Logo – cupped hands as if ready to hold some-
thing.
➔ Slogan – “You’re in good hands with Allstate.”
✡ God has a better slogan! And it is found in Deuteronomy
33:27: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath
are the everlasting arms....”
- David asks in Psalm 139:7, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” The answer? I can’t! For the LORD is in…
✡ “...heaven...” (Psalm 139:8).
✡ “...Sheol [the world of the dead]...” (Psalm 139:8 –
Lexham English Bible).
✡ “...the uttermost parts of the sea...” (Psalm 139:9).
✡ “...the darkness...and...the night...[as well as]
the light...” (Psalm 139:11, 12).
- In Psalm 139:13 through 16 we find that…
✡ ...God knew me...
➔ ...and “...formed my inward parts...” while I was
still “...in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
➔ ...even before I was conceived, which is what
Psalm 139:15 and 16 is saying.
✡ ...this is one of the best Biblical arguments against
abortion that we can present!
Hebrews 4:12 and 13 (Literal Translation of the Holy Bible) sum up the first 16 verses of Psalm 139 this way:
For the Word of God is living, and powerfully working, and
sharper than every two-edged sword, and piercing as far as
the division of both soul and spirit, of both joints and
marrow, and able to judge of the thoughts and intentions of
the heart; and there is no creature unrevealed before Him;
but all things are naked and laid open to His eyes, with
whom is our account.
Remember:
- “…the Word of God…”
✞ ...does not just refer to the written Word, the
Bible!
✞ ...it can also mean the Son of God, Jesus Christ!
(see John 1:1, 14 above)...who, according to John
2:24 and 25, “...knew all men, and had no need that
anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was
in man.”
- “…the Word of God…” discerns everything about you, before you were born, and throughout your life!
✞ This should be a comfort to those who are living
in obedience to the Lord Jesus!
➔ God is always with you!
➔ He knows all about you!
But…
✞ This should be a terror to the unbeliever! For as
it says in...
➔ ...Hebrews 9:27 – “...it is appointed for
men to die once, but after this the judg-
ment....”
➔ ...Revelation 21:8 – “But...the unbelieving
...shall have their part in the lake which
burns with fire and brimstone, which is the
second death...”
Cling to the Jesus Christ
as your Savior and Lord,
so you can have confidence
in God’s presence!