Thursday Devo
Scripture:
Psalm 139
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
Commentary:
139:1–6 The Lord Knows All There Is to Know about Me. Verse 1 states the theme of the whole psalm (you have searched me and known me), and vv. 2–6 develop that further as a general assertion: God knows all of my activities, all of my words, even my inmost thoughts. The response (v. 6) is, such knowledge is too wonderful for me, i.e., beyond my ability to comprehend (see note on “too marvelous,” 131:1–2).
139:1 Detailed knowledge and care for the psalmist anticipates God’s care for us (John 10:14–16).
139:5 lay your hand upon me. A gentle gesture (cf. Gen. 48:14, 17), giving reassurance.
139:7–12 There Is No Place I Can Be Hidden from Your View. The next section makes it clear that there is no way the singer can escape such knowledge: there is nowhere in the universe that God will not be present to lead and hold the believer (vv. 7–10), and nowhere too dark for God to see him (vv. 11–12). Some have supposed that the impulse to flee (v. 7) comes from a guilty conscience, or from a desire for independence, but this is unlikely: these verses take delight in the fact that God will “lead” him, an entirely positive benefit (cf. v. 24; 23:3; 73:24; 143:10), and “hold” him (cf. 73:23). There is no place where he is beyond God’s care (see 139:5).
139:8–9 These verses use two pairs of opposites: heaven and Sheol; the wings of the morning (i.e., the farthest east, where the sun rises) and the uttermost parts of the sea (i.e., the far end of the Mediterranean, to the west of Israel). This rhetorical device, using two polar opposites, indicates that everything in between is included.
139:1 Detailed knowledge and care for the psalmist anticipates God’s care for us (John 10:14–16).
139:5 lay your hand upon me. A gentle gesture (cf. Gen. 48:14, 17), giving reassurance.
139:7–12 There Is No Place I Can Be Hidden from Your View. The next section makes it clear that there is no way the singer can escape such knowledge: there is nowhere in the universe that God will not be present to lead and hold the believer (vv. 7–10), and nowhere too dark for God to see him (vv. 11–12). Some have supposed that the impulse to flee (v. 7) comes from a guilty conscience, or from a desire for independence, but this is unlikely: these verses take delight in the fact that God will “lead” him, an entirely positive benefit (cf. v. 24; 23:3; 73:24; 143:10), and “hold” him (cf. 73:23). There is no place where he is beyond God’s care (see 139:5).
139:8–9 These verses use two pairs of opposites: heaven and Sheol; the wings of the morning (i.e., the farthest east, where the sun rises) and the uttermost parts of the sea (i.e., the far end of the Mediterranean, to the west of Israel). This rhetorical device, using two polar opposites, indicates that everything in between is included.
Questions:
- How amazing is it that the God we serve, the creator of all things, wants to be intimately involved in our lives? He delights in every detail of your existence. He is ALWAYS near, ALWAYS with you, and He will NEVER leave you. Spend some time today meditating on these verses from Psalm 139. Allow these truths to fill your heart with gratitude today. Who can you share these amazing truths with today?
- God is personal and intimate and wants a relationship with us. Your entire life, God has been pursuing you, drawing you to Himself. The God who SEEKS you created you to SEEK Him! You were born to seek God! In fact, He is pursuing those in your life that don't know Him. Francis Thompson wrote a poem in 1890 that referred to the Holy Spirit as the "Hound of Heaven." This Hound of Heaven is after every heart. Who in your life do you need to pray for, that they would be caught up by the Hound and turn their hearts to the one, true God?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would live with gratitude today.
- That you would be faithful to pray for people in your life that need Jesus.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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