Psalms · psalm 139 of 150
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Psalm 139 is a prayer of David about God's knowledge and presence. The Lord searches him and knows him completely, from his thoughts to his ways; there is no place where he can flee from his Spirit; and he formed him in his mother's womb in a wonderful way. David rejects wickedness, and ends by asking God to search his heart and lead him in the everlasting way.
Psalm 139 is one of the most personal and most quoted psalms in the Bible. The title attributes it to David and addresses it to the choirmaster. It combines three reflections on God, who knows all, is everywhere and gives life, with a final petition. Though often cited to affirm the worth of each person, in the text it is above all a prayer of wonder and surrender.
Verses 1 to 6 speak of God's knowledge. The Lord has searched David and known him; he knows when he sits down and when he rises, discerns his thoughts from afar, knows his ways, and before a word is on his tongue, the Lord already knows it completely. He hems him in behind and before and lays his hand on him. Such knowledge is too wonderful for David.
Verses 7 to 12 speak of his presence. Where shall he go from his Spirit, and where shall he flee from his presence? If he ascends to heaven, God is there; if he makes his bed in Sheol, he is there too; if he takes the wings of the morning and dwells in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there his hand will lead him. Even if he says that darkness will cover him, to God the night is as bright as the day.
Verses 13 to 18 reflect on the origin of life. God formed his inward parts and knit him together in his mother's womb. He praises him because he is fearfully and wonderfully made. His frame was not hidden from the Lord when he was being made in secret, and God's eyes saw his unformed substance. His thoughts are more than the sand.
Verses 19 to 22 ask God to slay the wicked, and David declares that he hates those who hate the Lord. Verses 23 and 24 end with a petition: search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; see if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord has searched David and knows him; he knows when he sits down and rises up and discerns his thoughts from afar. Being fully known can be frightening, but here it is a reason for security.
David asks where he could flee from God's Spirit; if he ascends to heaven or makes his bed in Sheol, God is there. There is no place where God is not present, and no place where his hand does not lead.
The Lord formed David in his mother's womb, and he praises him because he is wonderfully made. Human life is God's work, and that is why it has immense worth.
David asks God to search his heart and see whether there is any grievous way in him, and to lead him in the everlasting way. Whoever knows he is known asks to be corrected and guided.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: He has searched him and known him. — Psalm 139:1
Answer: The word that is on his tongue. — Psalm 139:4
Answer: In heaven, in Sheol, in the uttermost parts of the sea and in darkness. — Psalm 139:7-12
Answer: Because he is fearfully and wonderfully made. — Psalm 139:14
Answer: In his mother's womb, in secret. — Psalm 139:13-15
Answer: That God search him, know his heart and lead him in the everlasting way. — Psalm 139:23-24
Psalm 139 gives a basis for valuing one's own life and that of others. No one is an accident: each person is God's work, known and cared for before birth. In a small group you can spend time thanking God for who each person is, and asking him to help those who doubt their worth.
It also invites a sincere prayer: search me, Lord. God already knows everything, so we can bring him our anxieties and sins without disguise. For Christians, this knowledge is not a threat, because in Christ there is forgiveness and guidance. We can pray with David that the Lord show us what we must change and lead us in his way.
Psalm 139 ends with the petition to be searched and guided by God. Psalm 140 returns to a more urgent cry: David asks to be rescued from the violent men who plot evil against him.
It is a poetic picture of the child's formation before birth, as if God wove with care. The psalm is not a scientific treatise but a praise. Many Christians cite it as a basis for the worth of life from conception.
After speaking of God's knowledge and presence, David expresses that one who loves God cannot be indifferent to evil. Verses 19 to 22 are an imprecatory prayer that hands justice over to God. The New Testament calls us to pray for enemies.
In the Old Testament it is the place of the dead, seen as the farthest depth from life. David uses it as a contrast to the heavens to say that there is no place, high or low, where God is not present.