Psalms

Chapter 139

You Have Searched Me and Known Me

David speaks to the God who has searched him and known him completely, whose knowledge reaches every word, movement, and thought, and whose presence cannot be escaped in heaven, Sheol, sea, or darkness. He praises God for forming him in the womb and for knowing his days before they begin, then turns sharply against the wicked who oppose God before ending by asking this same searching God to examine his own heart and lead him in the everlasting way.

Psalm 139 follows Psalm 138 by deepening confidence into intimacy. Where the previous psalm trusts that the LORD will fulfill his purpose, this one lingers over the God who already knows, surrounds, forms, and leads the speaker, yet still leaves room for moral seriousness by joining wonder, opposition to evil, and a final prayer for self-examination.

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Psalms 139

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vv. 1-24

You Have Searched Me and Known Me

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F¹or the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. ²You know when I sit and when I rise; ³You search out my path and my lying down; ⁴Even before a word is on my tongue, ⁵You hem me in behind and before; ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

⁷Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? ⁸If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; ⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn, ¹⁰even there Your hand will guide me; ¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, ¹²even the darkness is not dark to You,

¹³For You formed my inmost being; ¹⁴I praise You, ¹⁵My frame was not hidden from You ¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body; ¹⁷How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, ¹⁸If I were to count them,

¹⁹O God, that You would slay the wicked— ²⁰who speak of You deceitfully; ²¹Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, ²²I hate them with perfect hatred;

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart; ²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me;

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01vv. 1-24You Have Searched Me and Known MeDavid marvels that the LORD knows him completely, surrounds him on every side, and is present in every possible place, even in darkness. He then praises God for forming him in the womb and ordaining his days, speaks of the precious vastness of God's thoughts, turns to reject the violent and deceitful who rise against God, and closes by asking God to search his heart and lead him in the everlasting way.