Psalm 139. I don't really have
a text I just want to sort of meander really away through this
lovely psalm and John Gill says this psalm was written by David
when he lay under the reproach of men who laid false things
to his charge things he was not conscious of either in the time
of Saul's persecution of him or when his son Absalom rebelled
against him. And herein he appeals to the
heart-searching and rain-trying God for his innocence, and when
settled on his throne delivered it to the master of music to
make use of it on proper occasions and somebody called Eben Ezra
observes that this is the most glorious and excellent psalm
in all the book a very excellent one it is but whether the most
excellent it is hard to say it treats of some of the most glorious
of the divine perfections omniscience God knowing everything, omnipresence,
God everywhere present, and omnipotence, God all-mighty, all-powerful. So we begin with, in verse 1,
O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. See nothing is kept, is it, from
this God who knows all things and knows all about us every
detail of our lives and what will happen in the future as
well as what's happening now and what has happened in the
past David here lays down this great
doctrine that the God with whom we have to do has a perfect knowledge
of us and that all the motions and actions both of our inward
and our outward man are naked and open before him. Jeremiah 17.9 speaks of the heart
being deceitful above all things and who can know it? but God
knows our hearts. There is no hiding or fooling
God. And so immediately hear the psalmist,
O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me and nothing, I can't
hide anything from thee. Thou knowest my down sitting
and mine up rising Thou understandest my thought afar off See God knows
everything about us when we sleep, when we rest and when we meditate on his word but then when we're active too
and we're all We all sleep and we're all active, aren't we?
From day to day, I'm sure. That is so each day of our lives,
isn't it? It's a mixture of sleep and action. Our God, he knows what we are
thinking, what we have fought in the past. what's to come what we will think
in the future you know our thoughts are amazing
isn't when you think about our thoughts and how we think we
think several thousand thoughts a day it ranges in quite a large
number but it's several thousand thoughts that we have each day
and it's amazing isn't it to think of how our thoughts can
be very random we can think about one thing at this second in time
and then think about something else sort of a few seconds afterwards
we can change very much what we think about if you're if you're
doing a quiz you're answering questions on a quiz a general
knowledge quiz it can be that you have a question about history
and then a question about geography and then a question about sport
and then a question about music and it can sort of go like that
one after the other and you have to change what you think and
how you think in a moment. Our thoughts, you know, they're
incredible to think about. But God knows all about our thoughts. Thou compassest my path and my
line down and art acquainted with all my ways. And so God
knows the intricacies of our lives, those actions. God knows
it all. And our motives indeed. We can't
hide anything from God in terms of things we say or think or
do. verse 4 says for there is not
a word in my tongue but lo oh lord thou knowest it all together and indeed it's very important isn't it about
how we speak because we can say a lot of good things but
a lot of things can be very hurtful as well the tongue as we know
is very powerful and we have that particularly in James and
chapter 3 verse 5 of James chapter 3 even
so the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things, behold
how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a
fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members,
that it defieth the whole body, and seteth on fire the course
of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beast,
and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is
tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no
man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even
the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after
the similitude of God, out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing
and cursing. My brethren, these things are
not so to be." So we know, don't we, the power very much of the
tongue. And here is the psalmist knowing
this God who knows all things and particularly or especially
the words that I say there's no hiding from the Lord at all so the fact that God knows all
about us well if we learn that somebody
sometimes we get quite unnerved don't we when people seem to
know about us Complete strangers that seem to know quite a lot
about us. Where we live, what our name is, what we're interested
in, what we've bought in the shops. And, you know, we get
a bit wary of these things. That's how it is, isn't it, in
our day. But we should not in any way
be scared that God knows all about us, should be a comfort
to us that God knows all about us. Thou hast beset me behind and
before, and laid thine hand upon me. There's a wonderful sort
of surrounding of us by the Lord, a hedging in of us. with the passing of the Red Sea
in Exodus 14, 19, the angel of God which went before the camp
of Israel removed and went behind them and the pillar of the cloud
went from before their face and stood behind them. So they certainly needed protection
then at that time. and the Lord granted it to them
very much there as we read in Exodus 14. And so the psalmist
becomes when he thinks about God he gets overwhelmed really
of thinking about the greatness of God the fact that God knows
all things and everywhere present And he says, such knowledge is
too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain to
it. Romans 11, 34 says, for who have
known the mind of the Lord or who have been his counsellor? yes it's wonderful isn't it to
think about God and sometimes we just our minds just can't
sort of take any more as we try and understand about God but
we as I said you know we're not God so obviously we can't understand
or know everything about God and that's just as well because
we're not God but there is much that we can learn about God and
of course we get it through his word and we just have to quietly
submit to God's word and there are things that we read we can't
understand these things but we believe them and we submit to
God with these things and so it is in our lives isn't it?
things happen in our lives that we don't understand and we say
why has this happened? why am I going through this? And why has this tragedy happened? Whatever it might be and we often
say why? But God is in control. God is
working his purposes out and he has a wonderful love for his
people as we'll see in a moment. We carry, whither shall I go
from thy spirit? Whither shall I flee from thy
presence? As I say, we can't hide from God. We can hide from
others. We can keep things from other
people. I'm sure we do that. But God
knows all about us in every way. We cannot fool
God. So he couldn't sort of get away
from God. If I ascend up into heaven, thou
art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there. John Gill said again, if I make
my bed in hell, He said behold thou art there which have understood
of the place of the damned is a place of torment and a very
unfit one to make a bed in being a lake burning with fire and
brimstone and where the smoke of their torment ascends forever
and they have no rest day nor night their worm never dies and
their fire is not quenched and even here God is. Hell is not
only naked before devils in chains of darkness, turning wicked men
daily into it, pouring out his wrath upon them, placing and
continuing an unpassable gulf between them and happy souls.
Though rather this is to be understood of the grave, in which sense
the word is often used and so various ones interpreted of the
lowest part of the earth as opposed to heaven the grave is a bed
to the saints where they lie down and rest and sleep till
the resurrection morn. So a lot more could be said but
that was something that I noticed that Gilead had said. But if I take the wings of the
morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there
shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. The sea, vast isn't it, the seas. and the oceans of the Pacific
Ocean the biggest ocean in the world and then great depths but
even if we went down there the Lord would be there but it's lovely to think isn't
it that wherever we are God can lead us and hold us And we need
that. As the Lord's people we need
leading and we need holding. We need guidance. We need to
know the way forward. Perhaps we aren't always sure
of what God's will is for our lives. and sometimes we as I say our
hearts are deceitful above all things and sometimes we can be
convinced I have been in the past convinced that something
was God's will and it wasn't God's will something else better
was God's will so we need leading don't we and we need certainly
need holding we need keeping As I said before, when he was
asked how he was, I am being kept. That's a lovely forward. I'm being kept. Not perhaps giving the standard
sort of answer. I am being kept. That's a lovely
answer to give. so God is all-knowing and so
we can be sure that if he leaves he will leave in the right way
and he's all-powerful so he will hold us and he will not let go
of us verse 11 if I say surely the
darkness shall cover me even the night shall be light about
me yea the darkness hideth not from thee but the night shineth
as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to thee darkness hides a lot of things
we can sort of we turn on our light if we want to find something
you turn on the light trying to grapple around in the dark
but we won't find it so you put on a light or have a torch or
wherever you might be to try and find whatever you may have
lost. Somebody once said concerning darkness of sin, secret haunts
of sin are as open before God as the most open and bare-faced
villainies. So there's no such thing really
as a little sin really in God's sight. God knows our hearts. And may it be that we are helped
to keep short accounts with the Lord. And we see sort of this
more further on. And when we think of light, of
course, it reminds us of Jesus being the light of the world. And John 3,19, this verse was
recited this morning. This is a condemnation that light
has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light.
our natural bias bent because their deeds were evil. But Jesus brings us, doesn't
he, from darkness into his marvellous light. For thou hast possessed
my reins, thou hast covered me in my mother's womb, I will praise
thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvellous
are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance
was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, curiously wrought
in the lowest parts of the earth. 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. It shows the sin, the awfulness
of abortion when we read words like that. Of the sanctity of
life and that indeed from the moment of conception there is
life there. And this of course is very sad,
isn't it? The way that things have been
going in Parliament with their bills of late. But we pray on,
don't we, with these things and we thank God for those who are
seeking to stand up for the unborn child. The thinking of David, you know,
he's a shepherd boy and of course a king. But he's sort of a scientist
as well, isn't he? Biologist in saying how that
we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He didn't have access to
the Encyclopedia Britannica or the New Scientist or various
medical journals but he could say we are fearfully and wonderfully
made. Just the advantage that we have
now of having all this information that we can read about of the
human body and how it operates. It's amazing, isn't it, to think
of these things. David didn't have access to the
things and I'm sure if he did he probably wouldn't have time
to because he was very busy, wasn't he, in his life. and just isn't it weird not just
our human bodies but just animal life the works of creation and
just the tiniest creature you know amazing how they live and
how they function in their lives it's
amazing to think isn't it And then when we think of just
how wonderful God is, then not just in creation and our creation,
but of course, in the work of salvation through the Lord Jesus
Christ and the Lord coming into this world and living that perfect
life, not sinning at all, completely fulfilling the scriptures and
then suffering and dying upon that cross for his people those
chosen even before the foundation of the work so we we marvel don't
we we marvel at creation isn't it We marvel at many things in
creation. We see sunrise and sunset and
see great mountain ranges. And we marvel at how great God
is. And it was good, wasn't it, that
we sung that hymn at the beginning, How Great Thou Art. It really
summed things up so well, didn't it? But even more marvellous
is to think of the work of salvation. And may we admire and love God
for that above all else. That a sinner like me was chosen
before even the world was, the great world was created. And
then the Lord came into this world and he did nothing wrong
and then he suffered and he lived and he suffered and he died in
my place for my sins that I might then live forever with him in
glory. Everything is marvellous, isn't
it, about our salvation. We should not neglect so great
salvation. And may it be that we know that
we are indeed saved and know the greatness of it. We're great
sinners but we have a great saviour and it's a great work, the finished
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. There as he hung on the cross,
shouted in triumph, it is finished. and how we bless God for that. And verse 17 says, How precious
also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of
them! I was saying about the number
of thoughts that we have in a day and just about God, the thoughts
that he has toward us, the most precious thoughts. It's lovely,
isn't it, to hear people saying I've been thinking of you in
a very sort of affectionate way and that can sort of do us good
to hear that they're thinking of us or which was praying for
us as well or something but how precious are thy thoughts
unto me oh gosh Jeremiah 29.11 says, For I know
the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord. It's thoughts
of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end. So God knows, doesn't he, that
the way, as I say, sometimes we question God, why is this
happening? Why has this happened? But our
God knows the end from the beginning and will give us the expected
end. And here's fours. If I should
count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I
awake, I'm still with thee. Have you ever tried counting
the sand, the grains of sand? You perhaps grab a handful. of sand in your hand and you
try and count the grains, I mean, you probably would struggle,
let alone all the sand that there is on the beach. Psalm 40, verse 5 says, Many,
O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and
thy thoughts which are to usward. They cannot be reckoned up in
order unto thee. If I would declare and speak
of them, they are more than can be numbered. We cannot conceive the multitude
of God's compassions, which are all new every morning, constant
at all times. This bespeaks, when I wake every
morning, this bespeaks also the continual, devout sense David
had of the ire of God upon him. God's ire upon him when we're
asleep as well as when we're awake. And we sleep for quite
a few hours, it depends how good you are at sleeping, whether
you sleep a long time or not. But when we sleep, the law I
is upon us and then sort of changed a bit
from like verse 19 surely thou would slay the wicked O God depart
from me therefore ye bloody or bloodthirsty men for they speak
against thee wickedly and thine enemies take thy name in vain
do not I hate them O Lord that hate thee and not I grieve with
those that rise up against thee. I hate them with perfect hatred.
I count them mine enemies. And so thinking about the greatness
of God, then we sort of change here about the wickedness of
men. But there should be, shouldn't
there, that hatred of what God hates Our prayer is that God work holiness
in us and I'm sure that we are very... don't like a lot of things that
we might see or hear and it can be very alarming and we just... whereas perhaps the greatness
of God can leave us sort of in wonder then sadly the wickedness
of men can have the opposite effect. But the focus is to be
on God isn't it? It's very easy isn't it to be
sidetracked by the wickedness going on in the world and there's
so much of that. Of course there's sin on our
own lives but there's great wickedness that we are bombarded with from
day to day. But may our focus be upon the
Lord. And that's right at the end here.
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. so there is wickedness out there
but even if we are the lords there is still sin in us you
know sin doesn't suddenly go it doesn't reign in our hearts
anymore but it does remain doesn't it and we can backslide and I'm
sure that we're all aware of that We won't be perfect in this world and David also says that
really. I think a comment on and see
if there be any wicked way in me. Not that David fooled himself
free from wickedness or that there was none to be found in
his heart and life. and therefore said this in a
and therefore said this he didn't say it in a boasting way he knew
otherwise but he is desirous it might be thoroughly looked
into and seen whether there was any such wicked way in him he
was charged with as that he had a design upon the life of Saul
and to Caesar's throne and kingdom which never entered into his
mind And so may it be that the Lord
sort of helps us to, you know, may there be that sort of self-examination
with the Spirit's help about what we say and what we do and
how we live and what we think. There's always room for improvement,
as is often said, and we know that phrase, but may the Lord
help us Help us. We're in a warfare, aren't we,
as the Lord's people? And we need the armour of God
on. We need help. And, as I say,
our hearts deceitful above all things and desperately wicked
and, you know, we can be cons, as it were, into thinking
that we're better than we are. But may the Lord, may we come
to his word, may we seek his face, may we learn continually
from God's word about how we should live our lives, not that
we will live perfect lives here. But in But may our prayer be
is that we are led in the way everlasting. And that is not
for everlasting torment, but for everlasting life with the
Lord. And may that be our concern is
that we are led heavenward. That our desire is for the Lord
increasingly. And we need, don't we, the help
of God. I think as we get older and as
I get older, you just realise more and more how much you need
the Lord, how you need the work of sanctification in your hearts,
making you more holy. And we just need that help, don't
we, whatever age we are. We read of fleeing youthful lusts
but there are older people's lusts as well that we must flee
as well. But we need the help of God but
we have the Holy Spirit. If we are the laws we have the
Holy Spirit and it's called the Holy Spirit to work in us holiness. And may that be our concern that
God works in us, holiness, and that we love the Lord more and
more, and that we fall more in love, as it were, with the Lord
Jesus from day to day. He's a great God, and we have
a great Savior, and may it be that we know something of the
wonder and the glory of God there's so much in this psalm isn't there and you sort of read it and as
I say you kind of get lost for words but may it be that the Lord helps
us in our lives and may it be that For each one of us, the
Lord Jesus Christ and the relationship with him is so important and
so wonderful. And it's just something that
we realize is so essential, isn't it? Well, it is, isn't it, for
our eternal destination that we are the Lord's then we shall
be forever with the Lord and may it be that we are led in
the way everlasting and that indeed we shall spend eternity
with the Lord and it's all of the grace of God isn't it it's
all of the grace of God it's not of ourselves, all of God's
grace. Are we sinners saved by grace? It's a wonderful thing to be
able to say, yes, I'm a sinner saved by grace. It's not anything
of what I've done. It's all about Christ. It's all
about what he has done in saving my soul. So maybe we know the Lord as our saviour and keeper
and our friend and no more of this great God. Amen. May we be helped to sing in conclusion
from Hymns for Worship, number 132. 132. Fill thou my life,
O Lord my God, in every part with praise, that my whole being
may proclaim thy being and thy ways. 132 to the tune 212. Om. O my God, O my God, in ev'ry heart
make praise, that my hope may be complete. ? To the lip of praise shall go
? ? Glory in the praising heart ? ? I ask not for glory, but great
love ? ? O praise in every part ? Is it the calm at the ends of
life that's coming down today? Praising each duty and each deed
of an ever-so-open sea. ? Every part of thee we praise
? ? And all thy meanings speak ? ? Of thee and of thy love,
O Lord ? ? Of all thy meaning and deed ? we receive the glory due, and
so shall I be given The shadowed part of day or night,
of sacredness between, of joy or my life in every cell, be
fellow-children with thee. the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us
all now and forevermore. Amen.