August 31st
Psalm 139
A Psalm of David
All
powerful, All knowing God
1: O LORD, thou hast searched me, and
known me. 2: Thou knowest my
downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3: Thou compassest my path and my
lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4: For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou
knowest it altogether. 5: Thou
hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6: Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7: Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee
from thy presence? 8: If I
ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou
art there. 9: If I take the
wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10: Even there shall thy hand lead
me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11:
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light
about me. 12: Yea, the darkness
hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the
light are both alike to thee. 13:
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14: I will praise thee; for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul
knoweth right well. 15: My
substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16: Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in
thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when
as yet there was none of them. 17:
How precious also are thy thoughts unto 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
thee. 19: Surely thou wilt slay
the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. 20: For they speak against thee
wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. 21: Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I
grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22: I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine 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.
To the chief musician
Psalm 140
A Psalm of David
Relief
from persecution
1: Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil
man: preserve me from the violent man; 2:
Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together
for war. 3: They have sharpened
their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah. 4: Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of
the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my
goings. 5: The proud have hid a
snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set
gins for me. Selah. 6: I said
unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD. 7: O GOD the Lord, the strength of my
salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. 8: Grant not, O LORD, the desires of
the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah. 9: As for the head of those that
compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. 10: Let burning coals fall upon them:
let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. 11: Let not an evil speaker be
established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. 12: I know that the LORD will
maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. 13: Surely the righteous shall give
thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
Today we are reading Psalms 139 & 140. Psalm 139 is a
Psalm of David in which he gives an autobiographical account of his deliverance
from sin and self. He begins and ends his Psalm telling the Lord that he knows
that he knows everything about him. Then he bring three thoughts followed by
his personal application of each thought.
His thoughts are the Omniscience,
Omnipresence and Omnipotence of God.
A.
Divine searching
B. Omniscience
C. Admiration
B. Omnipresence
C. Admiration
B. Omnipotence
C. Shame
A.
Divine searching
David
begins says O LORD you have shone your searchlight into my soul and discovered
everything about me.
You
know when I stand up to work
You
know when I sit down to rest
You
know everything I think about
You
know everywhere I go when I am awake
You
know where I go in my dreams
You
know everything about me.
You
know every word I utter and the thoughts behind them
You
know where I came from and where I am going
You
put your hand on my life
All of this is too wonderful to
think about. It is the highest thoughts that I can have of you and I cannot fully
understand it all. Where could I go to separate myself from your presence? If I
went up into heaven you are there. If I make by bed in the grave you are there.
If I took a plane and flew to the farthest Island
– even there your hand leads me and your right hand supports me. If I tried to
hide myself in the darkness of the night, even there the night is bright in
your presence. The daylight and the darkness are both the same to you. You can
see me in the dark. You control the strings of my mind. You covered me with
flesh in my mothers womb. I will praise you because my body is fearfully
complicated and wonderfully made. All the things you do are amazing to me and I
know this for sure. My body is not hid from your sight when I was conceived in
the secret place of the womb. Your eyes saw my yet unformed body and in your
book all the parts of my flesh were catalogued even while they were
transforming from cells into a foetus. All of these things that I think about
are precious to me and there are so many of them to think about. If I tried to
count all my thoughts they would be as great in number as the grains of sand in
the Sahara Desert. And when I awake from my
thoughts you are still with me. There is no doubt that you will destroy the
wicked and deliver me from men of murder. They speak against you terrible
things. And all they say is pointless. I hate those that hate you, O LORD and
those that rise up against you grieve me. My hatred for them is a perfect
hatred. They are numbered as my enemies. Search me O God and know my mind, test
me and know all my thoughts. And search out any wicked way in me and lead me in
the righteous path of law keeping forever.
Psalm 140 is a Hymn of praise to the
Lord. A Psalm of David in which he prays for deliverance from wicked men.
A. Prayer – preservation from his
enemies v1
B. The evil man – his purposes – Selah v2-3
A. Prayer – preservation from his
enemies v4
B. The evil man – his purposes – Selah v4
A. Prayer – preservation from his
enemies v6-7
B. The evil man – his desires – Selah v8
A. Prayer – destruction of his
enemies v9-11
David begins saying deliver me from
the evil man and deliver me from the violent man. David’s mortal life was
crucial if he was to reign and have children and provide security and prosperity
for Israel.
They constantly plan traps to catch me and they are always at war with me. The
say sharp words and poisonous words at me. Think about that. David prays that
the Lord will keep him from safe from the hands of wicked men and murderous men.
They want to destroy all that David does. The secret of David’s kingdom was the
spiritual battle that raged And David knew where the victory was to be found.
It was found in the deliverance of the Lord. The proud set traps for David.
Think about that. David turned to the Lord who was his deliverer. He says O GOD
you are the strength of my deliverance. David did not know a salvation as
Christians understand salvation. His salvation was the saving of his life from
the hand of his enemies in battle. David therefore prays for the destruction of
the wicked. David has confidence that the Lord will support his cause and the
rights of the poor. David says surely the law abiding Jews will live to give
thanks to the Lord and the upright will live in the presence of the Lord in
peace.
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