O Jehovah, thou hast searched me and known me . . . . Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me In the way everlasting (Ps. 139:1, 23, 24).
O Jehovah, Thou hast searched me and known me. So David begins this beautiful confession. Notice by all means that he addresses God as Jehovah. This is His covenant name. He is the wonderful, faithful Lord. It is the Lord’s searching and knowing that is the main thought of this well–known psalm.
Often this psalm is quoted as proof for God’s omnipresence in this big world. That this is true, no Bible-believing Christian d.enies. But that is not the main thought of this psalm. This psalm speaks about God‘s wonderful attitude and relationship with His people. As Jehovah He surely has no special saving relationship with all men, still less with unbelievers. As Jehovah He is the self-existent Rock. In Him there is no change. He is the God of wonderful salvation in Jesus Christ, being full of tender mercy. pity, and kindness towards His people. When Jehovah searches and knows us, He does so with a keen interest of love.
The word search used here means that God has a keen interest in His people, He looks into their lives, He watches over them, scrutinizes very carefully what they are doing, where they are, and what their needs are. It reminds one of a mother and a sick child. How that mother constantly watches that child, hears almost every move of the child in the crib. Even during the night that mother sleeps lightly, always remembering that needy child. “So,” says David, “Jehovah searches and knows me.” Tremendous!
Beginning with the second verse David applies this to his own life. No, he doesn’t mention the big things in life, when e.g. his life was saved from Saul, when he ascended the throne, when he experienced special deliverances from troubles. This is what we often do and that only. When we have been sick, had adversity, perhaps lost a dear one, then we speak of God’s faithfulness. But we forget Him in the common things of everyday life. David here speaks of sitting down, lying down, getting up, and what not. Stop to think what this means regarding millions of people, in their activities each day, one works here, another goes there, a third one is traveling, and. so on.
Life is full of variety and activity, working, going, sitting down, sleeping, and doing a hundred and one things. But, says David here by implication, my Lord knows where I am, daily. He knows me and every move I make. Daily and every moment of the day He is interested in me. He is acquainted. with all my ways.
Wondrous love of Jesus Christ!
Is there anything in my life that is too small for Him to be concerned about? Of course not. Incredible as it may seem, Jehovah knows my thoughts from afar. And who doesn’t have a thousand thoughts and cares every day in this busy life? Sometimes it is too much and we become nervous, tense and anxious. As our heavenly Father, however, the Lord is aware of everything that is going on, watching intently and as it were, He lays His hand upon our shoulder to encourage us. What a blessed Lord we have. Indeed, such knowledge is too wonderful for us; it is high, we cannot attain unto it.
But David’s thoughts are not yet exhausted. In His mind he now goes into the big world. Previously he was busy only with our little lives. But now, is there any place in this large world where Jehovah cannot find us or be at our .side? If for some reason or another we would ascend into the heights above, He would be there; or if for some strange reason we would. descend into the depths, let us say into the ocean, we also there would find the Lord at our side. One perhaps may draw the conclusion that already then the Holy Spirit inspired David to give comfort to Christians living in the twentieth century who travel in planes, or go on space flights or descend into the darkness of the earth or sea in submarines or mines.
Take this psalm with you, and read it when you must bid. farewell to a dear one. Read this inspired word when you are concerned about a dear one, far away from home, or in special need. And we never have to be afraid, for even in the dark the night shall be light around us because the Lord sees and knows us there, too. With Jehovah the night shines as the day, the darkness and the light are both alike to Him.
One is reminded of Paul’s words later: I am persuaded. that neither death nor life . . . nor any creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Being so overwhelmed with this truth of Jehovah’s providence for His people, David asks himself when this began. When did the Lord begin taking such an interest in us? The answer is tremendous! And so beautiful! This Lord covered us even in our mother‘s womb. It all means that there never was a time when this great God did not search and know us. Before there was anything of us – imagine, of our bodies – His eyes were already upon us.
Don’t try to understand this, you can’t. Simply believe it with childlike faith. One thought leads to another in the psalm. David no doubt thinks of the marvels of creation as he thinks of a new-born baby. And there is an outburst of adoration in his soul: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Thy works.” All kinds of questions can and do arise in our minds about the creation of our wonderful bodies. But the final answer to every question is this, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
As times goes on, such children grow up. Many are their experiences in life. But in them all the Lord. searches and knows us. And why the Lord makes so many distinctions between His children, the one being chastised every day and the others given a much lighter burden, we don’t know. Always the answer is, “It is too wonderful for me.” But this we know, Jehovah searches and knows us. Finally we become old, and the infirmities of the body increase. Finally we die and breathe our last. But the Lord will always know us and be watching over us in love. And when we awaken on the other side, we will still be with Him. Never will we be separated from Him and His love.
In all this we see a little of the amazing riches of the child of God. With this truth we have everything, without it we have less than nothing.
The result is that David wants to hallow that glorious name of His Lord. Being in this frame of mind and being overwhelmed with the love of this wonderful Lord, he sees the wicked. They know something about this God, but they blaspheme and curse His name, the name of our wonderful and glorious God. A reaction sets in with David. He is grieved with those who rise up against His God. And he hates them with a perfect hatred. One has to be very godly and live on a high plateau of faith to be able to say this with David. Our personal enemies we must love, but a deep love for God and for the sanctity of His blessed name can bring us to the point of having this kind of hatred of God’s enemies. We often find this in the psalms.
But this is not the last word. David knows Him· self, that his “old man” is still so sinful and 0 so deceitful. He wants the Lord to continue to watch over Him always. He wants to continue to experience this wonderful comfort of the knowledge of the Lord for him. But he also knows that this will not take place when he lives in sin. Therefore it is his prayer that if need be the Lord will try and test him. And if there is any wicked way in Him, that the Lord will bring Him back and lead him in the way everlasting.
David. did not know the Heidelberg Catechism. But He did know the blessed truths it expresses in the well-known words, “My only comfort is that I am not my own, but with body and soul both in life and death I belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.” No, he didn’t know the catechism, but He did know this Lord. And he gives expressions to some of his thoughts and experiences of knowing this Lord. That’s what Ps. 139 is about.