“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!”
~Psalms 139:17
Scripture cross-references
Psalms 142:3 “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. . .”
Matthew 12:34” . . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Proverbs 5:21 “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord . . .”
Psalms 119:168 “. . . For all my ways are before You.”
Acts 11:21 “And the hand of the Lord was with them . . . “
Expounding the text – Psalms 139:1 - 6
1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched [search through, explore] me and known [me.]
David speaks with emphatic certainty of God’s knowledge of him. His God knows him as His creation and as a result of a thorough exploration of every aspect of David’s life.
2 You know my sitting down [resting] and my rising [moving] up; You understand [observe, mark, give heed to, distinguish, consider (with attention)] my thought [purpose, aim] afar off [of time, long ago].
Whether while active or inactive, God is aware of David’s state. It is not a knowledge limited to the condition of the man. It is a knowledge complete to the motive of the man.
3 You comprehend [winnow, sift] my path [path, way, of course, & fortunes of life] and my lying down [to lie down, stretch out. For repose {the state of resting or being at rest; sleep.}], And are acquainted [benefit, profit. be familiar with, know intimately] with all my ways [figurative of course of life, or action, undertakings].
There is nothing about David’s life his God has not already sorted through. God knows the course of his life thoroughly. God’s knowledge of His man's life is not casual but intimate.
4 For [there is] not a word [speech, utterance] on my tongue [organ of speech, both good and bad], [But] behold, O LORD, you know it altogether [all, the whole].
God’s knowledge of David is so intimate and complete that David’s words are known at their conception in his heart before his tongue forms them.
5 You have hedged [shut up, close] me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.
The protection of God is secure. His safeguard is encompassing and tightly shut up. The image of God’s hand on David is tender, protective, and loving.
6 [Such] knowledge [Knowledge possessed by God] [is] too wonderful [incomprehensible] for me; It is high [unattainable], I cannot [unable to reach] [attain] it.
The confident understanding of God’s intimate attention, knowledge, and protection in his life personally, overwhelms David. It seems impossible to comprehend such specific and personal attention from the Creator of heaven and earth. He knows it to be true. He doesn’t know how it could be.
What We Are Teaching Today
This week, we are taking the VBS children on a wonderful exploration of Psalms 139. The value of this text for teaching them about the wonder of their creation, their importance to their God, their safety in Him, and their true, amazing, and intentional identity is boundless.
We start our journey of exploration in the first six verses of this Psalm of David.
To help with our understanding of this psalm and, in turn, help with our communication of its application, let’s consider the context of the occasion and author. The author of this psalm is, as indicated within the text of the heading, King David. While there is little information as to any specific incident or time in his life when he put his pen to paper to write this psalm, it is widely understood he wrote it with some consideration of a time when his character, intentions, and identity were being called into question. Was it during his flight from Saul? Was it in his difficulties with his son Absalom? There is no certainty. David is, however, appealing to his Creator to establish his identity, motives, and protection. Only God, his beloved Creator knows the truth that is David’s identity. It didn’t matter what others thought or implied. It didn’t even matter what David himself thought. In the psalm, David pronounces that his God knows him even better and with greater intimacy than he knows himself.
Children are coming up in a world that desires to dictate and manipulate their identity. They will see in movies, TV shows, YouTube videos, and various social media outlets that the world has a standard for them, and it is grossly corrupted. They are encouraged to follow their feelings without consideration of the sinful nature that gives rise to those feelings. They are taught to ignore standards that are portrayed as archaic, antiquated, and oppressive. These messages are even being peddled in their schools by those who they have been taught to view as authorities. They live in a world where they are encouraged to break down barriers and tear down walls without first discovering what those barriers are holding at bay or whether the walls are load-bearing. The cultural demolition of long-standing standards and traditional values is leaving a dangerous, collapsed, dilapidated social landscape that the children are forced to navigate, vulnerable, and ill-equipped if they are left untaught.
They need to be taught that their God loves them. Their God knows them and has known them from the foundation of the world. The knowledge their God has of them is profoundly deep and intimate. It is not a simple matter of, “Oh, there you are. I know you’re there.” It is not the same relational knowledge their friends have of them. It is even far beyond that of their parents. As David indicates in this psalm, it is a knowledge rooted in thorough searching and exploration of the heart. It is an all-encompassing knowledge of actions and intentions.
In verse 6 of Psalms 139, David is taken aback by the extent of God’s knowledge of him. When we consider God’s intent focus on us it is, doubtless, incomprehensible. Let’s face it, God is busy, to say the least. He is maintaining all of creation, seen and unseen. He is tending to His creation without rest or intermission. Yet, in the staggering amount of responsibility and obligation the Creator has, He still sees each of us intimately, privately, tenderly, and with love.
The children should be encouraged to understand that despite the infinite largeness of their God, He still knows them. He sees them. He loves them. This is a very specific and private purpose for each of them.
In God’s precious knowledge of them, there is protection. He has taken His powerful creating hand and tenderly wrapped it around them to keep them protected and safe. This intimate hand will keep them from the influences of the corrupted, dilapidated landscape they navigate every day. It will keep them oriented to the truth of His love and intended purpose for their life.
By the end of their time with you today, the children should be confident in their God’s loving knowledge of them. They should understand they matter greatly to their God and that He will keep them safe in His mighty, gentle hand.
Discussion Questions
- What does it mean to be known?
- Who is someone you know very well?
o What do you know about them (not private things)?
- How does God protect you?
- What does King David mean when he says God knows his “sitting down and rising up”?
- Have you ever felt like no one knew you?
o What do you learn from King David’s words that can help you if you feel that way again?
- If God knows the words you will say before you say them, how should you take care of how you speak?
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