New Testament Reading: Matthew 11:1–6

“When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’” (Matthew 11:1–6, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 146

“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 146, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Psalm 146 is the first of five “hallelu-jah Psalms” which bring the Psalter to a grand finale. Hallelu-jah means “praise the LORD”. And this is the repeated refrain of Psalms 146-150. At the very least each of these Psalms begins and ends with the exhortation to “praise the LORD”. And in every single line of Psalm 150 we find an exhortation to praise him. That Psalm says, “Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150, ESV). What a fitting conclusion to the Book of Praises.    

Here is what I wish for you to see by way of introduction. The flow of the Psalms from beginning to end matches the experience of God’s redeemed, both in the Old Covenant and the New. The Psalter began just as our life in Christ began, with a presentation of God’s law in chapter 1, and of God’s justice and grace in chapter 2. Chapter 2 concluded with good news. There is refuge to be found in the Son! We were urged to run to him and to kiss him lest we perish under God’s wrath.

From there the Psalms take us on a journey involving confrontation, communication, devastation, maturation, and finally consummation. As I have said in previous sermons, the flow of the five books of the Psalter matches the history of the Kingdom of Israel from David to the consummation of the Kingdom of Christ. And here I am saying that generally speaking, the flow of the Psalms matches our individual experience too. 

At the beginning of the Christian life we heard the law of God and we heard the gospel. We were convinced of our sin, of the just wrath of God, and of the salvation that is found in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God come in the flesh. By God’s grace, we ran to him for refuge. And what is the end of the Christian life? It is the unceasing praise of the LORD in the new heavens and earth! And that is the very thing that the Psalter calls us to as it concludes — unceasing praise. And so the beginning and end of the Psalms correspond to the beginning and end of the Christian life.  

Our stories are all different, of course, but we share enough in common that I can say with confidence that in between the beginning and end of our Christian life we have all experienced the confrontation, communication, devastation, and maturation described in the Psalms in one way or another. This is why the Psalms have spoken so powerfully to the people of God living in all times and places. There is a Psalm for every emotion, experience, and season. But note this: the Psalms conclude with praise. The praise of the LORD is the climax of the Psalms. The unceasing worship of God is the end of the matter. So the aim of the Psalter is to move us to praise the LORD — Hallelu-jah. 

And so as we begin I ask you, is this the aim of your life? Is the worship of God your highest goal? Is the praise of the LORD your driving purpose? It ought to be, brothers and sisters, for we were made for this. 

The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with the question, “What is the chief end of man?” What a marvelous question. “Chief” means highest or supreme.  “End” means goal or purpose. So the question is, what is the supreme goal of mankind? What is our highest purpose? Answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” This is what we were made for. To know God, to worship and serve him, to glorify him, and to enjoy him forever and ever. 

Friend, I ask you, is this what you are living for? Are you living for the glory of God? Is your highest aim to praise him? Is he your greatest delight? If our answer is “no”, then our lives are misdirected, for we were made for this. We were designed to know God, to worship and serve him, and to enjoy him to all eternity. Psalm 146 exhorts us to do this very thing.

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Make The Worship Of God Your Highest Aim In This Life (vs. 1-2)

In verses 1 and 2 the Psalmist exhorts us to praise the LORD in this life. More precisely, he exhorts himself to praise the LORD! But of course, he wrote this Psalm for all of God’s people to sing, and so it is an exhortation for us too. Verse 1: “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” (Psalm 146:1–2, ESV)

The phrase, “praise the LORD!” is a command. It is stated twice in verse 1. And after the second time, it becomes clear that the Psalmist is speaking to his own soul. “Praise the LORD, O my soul!”, he says.

Now, why would a man need to exhort himself to praise the LORD? I suppose this may simply be a poetic way of saying, I will praise the LORD, but it may also have something to do with the fact that we do not always wish or think to praise the LORD. Sad as it is, the truth of the matter is that we do not always feel like doing the thing that we know we should do. Our mind, will, and affections are not always set in the right direction. And this is true even for the one who has faith in Christ and has been renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Corruptions remain in us. It is possible for us to go astray, and so we must continually speak to ourselves saying, “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!” So here in verse 1 we have a little conscience and personal call to worship.

In verse 2 the Psalmist responds to his own call to worship, saying, “I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” 

Brothers and sisters, is this your resolve? Is this your aim? Are you committed to live for the glory of God and to enjoy him forever in Christ Jesus? I pray it would be. I pray that each and every one of you, no matter how young or old, would run to Christ for refuge and make the worship of God your highest aim in this life.

How then do we praise the LORD?, you ask. Well, in many ways. 

We praise the LORD when we assemble with the church on the Lord’s Day for corporate worship. Are you resolved to do this, brothers and sisters? Or are you easily derailed? We praise the LORD in our homes and with our families as we talk about the things of God and give him thanks. And of course we praise the LORD individually too. In each of these spheres of life we may worship the LORD in song, through prayer, with the words of our lips, through our giving, and through our obedience to God’s revealed will. No matter the sphere, and no matter the form, we must be sure to worship the LORD from the heart. Remember, the Psalmist did not call upon his hands or his feet, nor his lips, but upon his soul to praise the LORD. “Praise the LORD, O my soul!”, he said. If our praise is to be pleasing to God it must be offered up in faith and with gratitude in our hearts towards him. 

Brothers and sisters, I pray that you would make the worship of God your highest aim in this life.

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Trust Not In Man, For He Will Perish (vs. 3-4)

In verses 3 and 4 the Psalmist delivers a word of warning, both to himself and to us, saying, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” (Psalm 146:3–4, ESV)

This is an important warning for us to consider. We are so prone to misplace our trust. We trust in ourselves. We trust in friends and family. We trust in our leaders. And while it is right for us to trust others for some things, it is foolish to place ultimate trust in a son of man. Why? Because the sons of men die. Their plans perish with them. There is therefore no true salvation in them. 

So be very careful, brothers and sisters, with where you place your trust. Yes, there is a sense in which it is right for you to trust in family and friends, in leaders and rulers, etc. But no mere man is worthy of ultimate trust. That is what the Psalmist is here referring to – ultimate trust. Something similar is said in Psalm 118:9: “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” 

So where is your trust placed ultimately? Is it placed in man? Your spouse? Your parents? Your friends? Your pastors? Your governor? Your president? If your trust is set on the sons and daughters of men, they will fail you in the end, for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever’” (1 Peter 1:24–25, ESV). Be sure to trust in the LORD above all else, and then you will free to place the appropriate kind of trust in your fellow man.  

This is an important warning for us to consider, but I think it was an especially important warning for Old Covenant Israel to hear. For a time, Israel was set apart by God from all of the other nations of the earth. For a time, their kings were anointed by God in a special way. Prophets and priests ministered in their midst by God’s appointment. Because of this, there would have been a special kind of temptation for Israel to trust, not in God, but in their rulers and leaders. Think of the promises made to David concerning the succession of kings descending from him and an everlasting kingdom. We know that all of these promises made to David were fulfilled in Jesus Christ and in his heavenly kingdom. But imagine the temptation that the Israelites would have felt to trust in King David, or King Solomon, or any of the other kings who would descend from them. Anointed as they were, they were mere men. They would eventually die and be buried. Or to quote Peter as he preached on the day of Pentecost, “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.” Neither David nor any of the earthly kings who would come after him (with the exception of one), could not bring ultimate salvation, therefore. The Israelites were to be especially careful to place their trust, not in mere men — not in their earthly kings or princes — but in God. Ironically, many of them stumbled in this very way when the Messiah did appear. They were looking for an earthly king to establish an earthly kingdom. They failed to recognize that God Anointed One came to do so much more. 

Trust not in man, for he will perish, is the warning of verses 3 and 4.

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Trust In God, For He Is Most Powerful, Ever Faithful, Kind, And Just (vs. 5-9)

Instead, we are to place our trust in God, for he is most powerful, ever faithful, kind, and just. 

That is what is urged in verses 5 through 9. Here the Psalmist says, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin” (Psalm 146:5–9, ESV). Do not place your ultimate trust in man, for man will perish. Trust in God, for he will never fail you. 

The Psalm says, “Blessed [or happy] is he whose help is the God of Jacob.” Why does the Psalmist here refer to God as the God of Jacob? There are two reasons that come to mind. 

One, it was to Abraham, Isaac, and then Jacob that the promises of God concerning salvation coming to all the nations of the earth through Israel were given. When the Psalmist urges us to have the God of Jacob as our help, he is reminding us of the precious and very great promises that God made to the Patriarchs of Israel. He is reminding us of the covenant that God transacted with Abraham and his offspring. The meaning is this: trust not in man. Trust in God! Trust in his promises. 

Two, it may also be that Jacob is emphasized here because he was such a flawed man. Think of it. God does accomplish his purposes through men and women. He used Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He used David and Solomon. It is right that these men be honored. And yes, these men were to be trusted, to a degree. But, like you and me, they were flawed. They sinned. They had wavered in the faith from time to time. They all died and were buried. None of them could save us from our sins. Do not hope, therefore, in King David, but in David’s King. Do not trust in Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, but in the God of Jacob. That is the message, I think.

Trust in God, for he is powerful. He “made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them…”, the text says.

Furthermore, we are to trust in God because he is faithful. He “keeps faith forever”, verse 6 says. The NET says he “remains forever faithful”. That is the meaning. If God were only powerful, but not faithful, then he would not be worthy of our hope and trust. But he is most powerful and he is ever faithful. He is unchanging and constant. He will surely do all he has said. He will keep all of his promises.

And here is another reason to trust in God: He is kind. Verse 7: He is the one “who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless…”

How should we interpret these verses? On the one hand, we know that the LORD will do these things for his people literally, on earth, and in this life. He does give us our daily bread. He does lift us up when we are bowed down. But on the other hand, we know that the righteous do sometimes suffer, the blind are not always healed, the prisoners are not always freed, and injustice does sometimes seem to prevail here on earth. These truths must ultimately be interpreted spiritually and eternally, therefore. When will God execute justice for the oppressed, satisfy the hungry, set the prisoners free, open the eyes of the blind, lift up those who are bowed down? Sometimes he will do it in a most literal way now. He surely does it for his people now in a spiritual sense. And he will do it fully, ultimately, and eternally in the new heaven and earth after Christ returns. Until then, he surely “watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless.”

Remember, we are talking about ultimate things here. Man is not to be trusted ultimately, for all men perish along with their plans. But God is to be trusted ultimately, for he will never perish. He will never change, but will surely keep all of his promises. And we should keep our minds fixed upon the ultimate as we consider what is said here regarding the LORD’s kindness shown to the  oppressed, the hungry, the sick, and the vulnerable. Though God’s people will suffer trials and tribulations in this life, their hope is set on God knowing that he will deliver us from all evil forever and ever in the life to come.

So God is worthy of trust for he is powerful, faithful, and kind. And do not forget that he is just. In verse 7 we are reminded that he “executes justice for the oppressed”, and in verse 9 we read, “The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” God will do what is right and just on the last day.  

And this he will do for us through Jesus the Messiah. Jesus the Messiah is everywhere present in this Psalm, brothers and sisters. 

One, he is present in the mention of the “God of Jacob”. Again, hear verse 5: “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” What did God promise Abraham, Issac, and Jacob? Answer: To give them many descendants. To give them a land. And to bring the Messiah (Savior) into the world through their offspring. To hope in the God of Jacob is to hope in the LORD who entered into a covenant with the Patriarchs. To hope in the God of Jacob is to trust in the promises he made  in that covenant.

Two, the Messiah is also present in the warning of verse 3, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” In general, this is true. But there is one exception. There is one “son of man”, one “prince”, who is worthy of our trust, for when he died his plans did not perish, for he rose again from the grave and lives forever more. He is the Son of Man. He is a descendant of King David. But he is not only David’s son, he is David’s LORD, for he is also the eternal Son of God come in the flesh. He is worthy of our trust, for he is no mere man. He is the Messiah, the Anointed one of God. And he is the Savior, for he died for the sins of God’s elect, rose on the third day, ascended to the Father, from there he will return on the last to judge and to make all things new. Jesus the Christ is the exception to the rule, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” This is true of every other son of man, but not Jesus. He is worthy of our trust. To trust in Jesus is to trust in the God of Jacob, for he is the true Son of Abraham, the true Israel, the LORD’s Anointed. 

And finally, the Messiah is present in the description of the LORD’s kindness towards the children of man. It is through Jesus the Christ that God “executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets the prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, and loves the righteous.” Think of it, the righteous would not be righteous were it not for the Messiah. We are righteous only because he is righteous. His righteousness is imputed to us and received by faith. And think of it, God loves us only through the Messiah, for by his shed blood we have been reconciled to the Father and adopted as his beloved children. 

That Jesus is the one through whom we come to have these blessings from God was demonstrated by the wonders that he performed in his earthly ministry. When John the Baptist was in prison and struggling with doubt and despair he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask if he was really the One. And what did Jesus say? “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” This was enough for John. John would not be freed. In fact, he would be killed for his witness not long after this. But because Jesus performed these signs he was reassured that Jesus was the One. The miracles that Jesus performed were signs which demonstrated that he was the long awaited Messiah who had come to heal our spiritual sickness and to set us free from spiritual bondage, now and for all eternity.  

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Praise The LORD For He Will Reign For All Eternity (vs. 10) 

Verse 10 is a marvelous conclusion to this Psalm. Here we are once again urged to praise the Lord. This time the stated reason is that the LORD will reign for all eternity. “The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 146:10, ESV)

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Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, as we move now into our second decade together as a congregation I could not think of a more important exhortation to deliver to you than to say, Hallelu-jah, Praise the Lord! Live your life, brothers and sisters, not for things of this world, not for your own pleasure, nor your own glory, but for the glory of God. Praise him! And if you are to praise him, you must first trust in him. You must be found in Jesus the Messiah, being washed by his shed blood. He is worthy of our hope and our trust, for he has risen from the grave for our salvation. 

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 4:1–13

“Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’’ although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.’ And again in this passage he said, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:1–13, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 139

“TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

This Psalm should sound familiar to you. I will sometimes read the first four verses of it before the confession of sin and assurance of pardon in our liturgy. Those first four verses are helpful to prepare us for the silent confession of our sins to the Lord for they remind us that God sees our sins anyway, so what is the point of trying to hide them? God has atoned for our sins in Christ Jesus. He is merciful and kind. He is eager to forgive. So come to him, confess your sins, turn from them, and to Christ, having been washed in his blood.

This Psalm should sound familiar to you, for I do often use it in that way — to urge you to confess your sins, to run to God again through faith in Christ, and walk in paths of righteousness for his names’ sake. But there is more to this marvelous Psalm. The whole thing is a contemplation and then application of the all-pervasive presence of God in his creation. God sees all. God is everywhere present, for God is the source and sustainer of all life. The concluding verses reveal the proper response to these truths.

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Old Testament Reading: Psalm 139

In verses 1-6 King David considers that God is all-seeing.  

“O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1–4, ESV)

The first line states the principle: “O LORD, you have searched me and known me!” In other words, nothing about us is hidden from God’s sight. He has thoroughly explored us and truly knows us. 

We do not have this kind of knowledge. I know you and you know me, but our knowledge of one another is only superficial. I can observe your actions. I can listen to your words. But your thoughts are hidden from me, and mine are hidden from you. When two people grow close to one another they gain greater insights into the mind and the heart of the other. This is especially true in healthy marriages. But even then, the true mind and heart of the other are beyond our comprehension.

In fact, people do not always have a clear understanding of their own mind and heart. Sin does this, I’m afraid. It blinds us to the realities of our own inner life so that we do not even see ourselves clearly. Sometimes our own thoughts and emotions are a mystery to us.

But God’s knowledge of us is perfect.  He sees our every action and he hears our every word, but more than this, he discerns (or perceives) our thoughts from afar; even before a word is on our lips the LORD knows it altogether. 

We see one another superficially. We know ourselves more thoroughly, but even then our own thoughts, emotions, and motives remain mysterious. But God sees us with perfect clarity, for “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13, ESV), he “[pierces] to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and [discerns] the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV).

As we consider this we will begin to feel like David felt — surrounded, trapped, and vulnerable before God. This is what he confesses in verse 5, saying, “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me” (Psalm 139:5, ESV). The word translated as “hem” is often translated as “besieged” in the Old Testament. King David knew what it was to besiege or surround a city with his army, but here he confesses that God has besieged him! God has surrounded him and trapped him. God has gotten his hands on David, as it were. And here he is recognizing his absolute vulnerability before the LORD who sees and knows all things.

And in verse 6 he confesses that the thought of it is overwhelming to him: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it”, he says. I appreciate the way that the NET renders verse 6: “Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it” (Psalm 139:6, NET). Paul confesses something like this in Romans 11:33 when he exclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!” (Romans 11:33, NET).

I do hope that you feel this way when you contemplate the knowledge, power, and glory of God. We should feel overwhelmed by God. And I do not mean that in a bad way. It is good to stand in awe of him. It is good to know and to confess that God is beyond us.

And  I wonder, how does it make you feel to think that God is omniscient, that he, all-seeing and all-knowing? 

There is a sense in which God’s omniscience should comfort us. It is comforting to know that God sees all things and knows all things. God is not ignorant. There is no room for him to grow in knowledge. This means that God’s wisdom is perfect, his plans are perfect, and his judgments are perfect. We sometimes lack wisdom, make foolish plans, and faulty judgments. We do this,  in part, because we lack knowledge. But it is not so with God, for he knows all things. He sees all things with perfect precision and clarity. Yes, he even sees our thoughts and knows our intentions.  

It is because we are sinful that God’s omniscience is not only a comfort to us, it is also troubling. It makes us feel vulnerable and exposed before him. It makes us feel like running away. Remember, that is what Adam and Eve did after they rebelled against God. They heard God coming and they ran away. They tried to hide from God and to cover their shame, but they could not.   

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God Is Everywhere Present (vs. 7-12)

In verses 7 through 12 we learn that David felt the same impulse. After considering that God sees all he considered running away, but thought the better of it given that God is also everywhere present. 

In verse 7 he speaks to God and asks, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” In other words, LORD when I consider that you see everything about me — even my thoughts — I feel like running away from you! But where can I go, for you are not only omniscient, you are also omnipresent?

Brothers and sisters, there is nowhere that God is not.  

Where is God? Some may say, he is in heaven. And yes, this is true. God is enthroned in the heavenly. This means that his glory is manifest or made visible in that realm in a special way. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created the heavenly realm — that is, the spiritual realm which is presently invisible to us — to show forth his glory in a special way to the elect angels of heaven and, eventually, the elect from amongst the children of man. But this does not mean that God is confined to that realm. No, he transcends heaven, and he transcends earth too. Heaven and earth are created realms, but God is not confined to either. He is without boundaries or borders of any kind. He is omnipresent.  

And that is what David reflects upon in this Psalm. LORD when I consider that you see all, even my innermost being, I want to run! But that would be pointless. Where would I go? Verse 8: “If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!”

You are beginning to notice that the Psalms talk about Sheol a lot. Remember that Sheol is the place where the dead live. Before the resurrection of Christ, the bodies of those who died went to the grave and their souls went to Sheol. This was true of both the righteous and the unrighteous, but their experiences were very different in that place. The unrighteous who died in their sins were tormented in Sheol. The righteous who were justified through faith in the promised Messiah were comforted there. I will not take the time to tell you about the change that took place in Sheol (or Hades) when Christ rose from the dead, for I have done that recently. It will suffice to say that when the righteous pass from the world today their souls go, not to Sheol (or Hades), but into the blessed presence of God, for Christ has won the victory through his resurrection. He has set the captives free. He has opened up the way into the Most Holy place. Truly, to be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD. So something did change in the realm of the dead when Christ rose from the grave. Now, it is only the unrighteous dead who are alive in Sheol. The righteous dead live in the presence of God in the soul while their bodies await the resurrection on the last day.  

But David, living long before the resurrection of Christ from the dead, expected to be comforted in Sheol (Abraham’s bosom) at death. And here he confesses that God is present even there. “If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” 

I think many assume that God is not present in Sheol or hell, but that is a misconception, for there is nowhere that God is not. He is omnipresent. The difference between heaven and hell is not God’s presence, but the way that God is present. In heaven, God is present to eternally bless his redeemed and to lavish them with his love and grace, whereas in hell God is eternally present to pour out his wrath and justice upon all sin. In hell, the wicked will be tormented not by the absence of God, but by his presence. You have heard it said (and I think I have been guilty of saying this in the past), that God cannot dwell in the presence of sin. If you think of it, that is really a silly statement. God is everywhere present in this world, isn’t he? And yet this world is filled with sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, God “approached” them in the garden. It would be more accurate to say that God must punish all sin, for he is just. This is true. And God will punish every sin. He has either punished your sin by setting it on Christ as your substitute, or he will punish it at the final judgement and in hell. 

Though much more could be said, this sermon is not about Sheol, Hades, or hell, and so I will move on. Here is the point of the text. When David considered that God sees all he was tempted to flee. But he immediately recognized the futility of that approach, for no man can escape the presence of God. He is present in heaven, and he is present in hell. 

So in verse 9, David considers another place: “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:9–10, ESV). So you see what David is doing, don’t you? He is looking for somewhere to run, but he confesses that there is nowhere in all of creation for him to go. God is present in heaven (above the earth, if you will). God is present in Sheol (under the earth, if you will). God is obviously present on the dry land (for that is where he communes with his people). And God is also present in the uttermost parts of the sea. Can you picture David looking out upon the sea thinking, maybe if I allow the winds to drive me way out there I can hide from the presence of God? No, God is there too. 

Lastly, David considers the darkness of night as a potential hiding place. Verse 11: “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” (Psalm 139:11–12, ESV). Here David confesses that the darkness of night will not do the trick either. The darkness of night may hide the sins of men from the eyes of other men, but it cannot hide us from the eyes nor from the presence of God. 

So David is out of options. He has considered all of creation. In the spiritual realm, God is present in heaven and in Sheol. In the earthly realm, he is present on land and in the depths of the sea. And he sees with equal clarity in the light of day and in the darkness of night. Truly, David is hemmed in on every side. And the same is true for you and me. We may try to escape the presence of God by running to some place or by denying his existence, but it is all in vain, for he does exist, and he is everywhere present.

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God Is The Source And Sustainer Of All (vs. 13-18)

In verses 13 through 18 David goes even deeper in his contemplation of God’s omnipresence. Here he clarifies that God is not merely present in the realms of heaven and Sheol, earth and sea, day and night in a passive way, but he is present actively as creator and sustainer of all life. 

I wonder if you can sense the difference between the two ways of speaking of God’s omnipresence. It is one thing to say that God is everywhere present. But it is another thing to say that God is everywhere present as the source and sustainer of all things seen and unseen. It is a question of intensity and intimacy, I guess. God is everywhere present… well, how so? Is he here but hands-off? Is he here with us but only as a passive observer? The answer is no, God is everywhere present and intimately so, for he is our creator and sustainer. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36, ESV)

Listen again to verses 13-18 and consider that God is present with us as our source and as our sustainer. Here David says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” (Psalm 139:13–18, ESV)

God is everywhere present in the world that he has made, and intimately so, for he is our creator and our sustainer. 

When David says, “you formed my inward parts”, I take this to refer to the soul of man, the invisible aspects of man, the mind and the heart, the personality. Have you ever thought about this? Have you ever asked the question, where did I come from? And no, I do not mean where did your body come from, but your soul. Where did your soul come from? Answer: it came from God. He formed your inner parts. How he does it is debated. But that he does it is perfectly clear, for you and I had a beginning. There was a time when we were not. And this is true of both our body and soul. God is the source of both.  

When David says, “you knitted me together in my mother’s womb”, he refers to the development of the human body which does contain the soul. I appreciate the NKJV here. It says, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13, NKJV). Verse 15 will restate the same idea but in a different way: “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.” “The depths of the earth” is a poetic way of speaking of the darkness and secrecy of the womb. 

In verse 14 we see that David’s response to these truths is to praise God: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

In verse 16 we learn that God is not only the source of our body and soul, he also the source of the days of our life: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” This is the doctrine of predestination. God has “a book”. This is not to be taken literally, of course, but metaphorically. Men write books; God does not. But what does this metaphorical language teach us about God? It teaches us that the days of our lives are determined by God. He is the source of them. Men write books about what they learn. They write history books, but they always write those books after the events have occurred. Not so with God.  He wrote his book concerning the days of our life “when as yet there was none of them.” The question regarding the relationship between God’s predestinating and our freedom is difficult and mysterious, but we must accept what the scriptures say. God is the source of the days of our life. He “formed” them. He wrote his book concerning us beforehand. This was true of David and it is true of us.

Notice that David’s response to this is not to complain against God, but to marvel at his wisdom and his grace: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you” (Psalm 139:17–18, ESV).

As I have said, God is our creator and he is our sustainer. He is our source. He knit us together, body and soul. He formed our days. He thinks of us continually, and he sustains us in this. He is with us, and we are with him. Day after day we awake, and God is there with us. Indeed, he will be with us and sustain us for all eternity. 

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What Then Shall We Do?

So the question that remains is, what shall we do? If this is true that the LORD sees our sinful words and deeds, even the thoughts and intentions of our heart. And if it is true that we cannot flee from his presence, for he is everywhere present as the source and sustainer of all things, what then shall we do? 

Verses 19 through 24 show us the way. 

First, we must turn from sin. That is what is described in verses 19-22 where David expresses his hatred for all that is evil. 

“Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.” (Psalm 139:19–22, ESV)

These words can trouble Christians who have been taught by Christ to love their enemies. Really, there is no reason to be troubled by what is said here. To hate the wicked and to love your enemies are not contradictory things. It is possible to, on the one hand, hate the wicked and their works, and on the other hand, to pray for their repentance and to show them kindness and love. It is possible for us to do these two things at once. 

What David says here needs to be considered in context. After considering God’s omniscience and omnipresence, he is choosing, not to flee from God, but to run to him and to be found on his side. He prays for God’s justice. He separates himself from the wicked and bloodthirsty. He declares that God’s enemies are also his enemies. 

Friends, you must do the same thing. In Psalm 1 we learned that there are two possible paths. There is the way of the wicked and there is the way of the righteous. There is no other way. So do not be found walking, nor standing, nor sitting with the wicked. No, be found on the path of the righteous which leads to life eternal. Flee from sin and run to God. Draw near to him and be found on his side. 

Hating the wicked in this way does not mean that you cannot also pray for them and show them love and kindness as you have the opportunity. That is what Jesus means when he says, “love your enemies”. He means, do good to them. Listen carefully to his words, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:32–36, ESV). The Father hates the wicked and yet he is merciful and kind to them. We are to do the same. We are to “abhor what is evil [and] hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9, ESV). And yes we are to at the same time show love and kindness to our enemies. Do not forget the words of Christ to the church in Ephesus: “Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Revelation 2:6, ESV). 

But here is the point. After considering God’s omniscience and omnipresence David did not run away from God, but to him. He turned away from the wicked, took God’s side, and declared that God’s enemies were his enemies.

Secondly, David pursued righteousness and the way of life eternal, and we must do the same. 

Verse 23: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23–24, ESV). In the context of this particular Psalm, of the Psalter in general, and of the life of David most broadly, this must be understood, not as a self-righteous boast, but as a cry to God for grace and for cleansing. 

Some may read the words, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me” and think that David is claiming to be pure and upright before God to the core of his being. Go ahead, Lord! Look in upon my heart and mind with your x-ray vision and see what you can find! You will find me blameless! Is that what David means?

No, if David thought that he was self-righteous, then why did consider fleeing from God’s presence earlier in the Psalm? And if we consider the rest of the Psalms of David, we know that he was not upright in and of himself. For example, in Psalm 51:3 he said, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3, ESV). If you know the story of King David, you know that he was a flawed and sinful man, no different from you and me. 

What then does he mean when he says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me.”

One, he is claiming to have a true and sincere love for God and faith in his heart. 

Two, he is asking the Lord to purify him further.

And three, he is running to God for refuge. He concludes the Psalm with these words: “lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:24, ESV).

What is the way to life everlasting? 

Do you remember Psalm 2? That Psalm mirrors the verses 19-24 of Psalm 139. It speaks of how the Son will judge the nations at the end of time, and then it concludes with these words: “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:11–12, ESV).

Think of it. Because God is omniscient and omnipresent, the sinner will find no refuge in heaven or on earth from the just wrath of God… but there is one exception. Refuge may be found in the Son, and it is to God’s Son, the Messiah, that David fled for refuge. This is the reason for his confidence. This is the reason for his rejoicing. 

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Conclusion

So what about you? Have you taken refuge in the Son? 

I pray that you would if you have not. I pray that you would come to your senses regarding your sin. I pray that you would feel hemmed in on every side by God who is all-seeing, everywhere present, holy, and just. I pray that you would come to the realization that there is nowhere to run except to the Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the Savior, the Door, the way, the truth, and the life, the only mediator between God and man. If we hope to be found on God’s side and to have everlasting life, we must be found in him. So please turn from your sins and to Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  

And if you have faith in Christ, I pray that you would, like David, marvel at the grace that God has shown to you, and say with him “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you” (Psalm 139:17–18, ESV).