Good morning,
This week we begin a new series, Who is God? My goal is to pick a chapter of the Bible that speaks to the character of God. This week we look at Psalm 139.
Psalm 139
God is all knowing, ever present, all powerful, and just
God’s Omniscience (All knowing)(v 1-6)
O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Psalm 139 begins by expressing the infinite knowledge of God. This attribute is also referred to as omniscience. This extends to everything a person does, thinks, and says, even before those actions occur. As stated elsewhere in the Bible, God’s mind is inexpressibly beyond that of any person (Isaiah 55:8–9). This is both a source of comfort for those who honor God and a dire warning to those who defy Him (Psalm 139:1–6).
Psalm 139:1–6 extols God’s infinite knowledge. David views God as knowing all about him: when he sits down and gets up, his thoughts and conduct, and even the words that are in his mind before he expresses them. He states that God’s knowledge is far beyond his comprehension. This section of the psalm precedes the section that focuses on God’s omnipresence—his presence everywhere.
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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