Week 1 - God's Knowledge - Psalm 139:1-4


A look at the first verse in our attempt at memorization - Psalm 139:1-4. This deals with God's knowledge, and specifically, His knowledge of me

This verse is part of the first 18 weeks focusing on the attributes of God. This week's verse focuses on God's Knowledge, Psalm 139:1-4 -
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.
In thinking about this verse this morning and like most attributes of God, His vast knowledge of me both terrifies and comforts me. All of my thoughts are known to God. Every last idle thought, every wandering stupidity during worship, every time I conceived of sin is known to God. What a terrible thought! How can I possibly stand before a righteous God that I cannot fool into thinking I am good? Not only are my grievous public sins and shortcomings known to Him, but even those private thoughts of sin, those inner leanings toward things of evil are all in His inescapable gaze.
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25a)
Thank God that he does not leave me in that state of terror. Thank Christ that He would not see His bride put to death as she deserved, but laid down His own life for her that He might save her from it. How excellent is our groom, dear Church? He knows all of our thoughts - try as we might we have hidden nothing from Him and yet He still chose to redeem us for His own. This is indeed the great comfort of this verse - that God is not ignorant of my thoughts means that He hasn't pardoned me accidentally, or somehow forgotten to cover my sinful thoughts in His blood because He wasn't aware of them.
But this verse not only tells me of my own relation to God, it tells me of God's relationship to everyone else. What a comfort David must have found in the knowledge that God has not only searched his heart, but the heart of his enemies as well. An all knowing God is impossible to deceive and aware of all the cunning tricks that his enemies would attempt. God not only has "a strong right arm", but also the knowledge of where its use will enact the most benefit.
Whenever I think about an attribute of God that both terrifies and comforts, my mind always jumps to the conversation the Pevensie children had with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver in the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (I pray that they don't leave this out of the movie):
"Is--is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he--quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" asked Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Posted: Sun - August 21, 2005 at 08:01 AM | | | | | | |

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