Focal Passage: Psalm 139:1-4, 7-16
Some Christians seem to have an aversion to “big” theological terms. Some of those terms, like justification and sanctification, come directly from the Bible. Other terms help us understand theological concepts in a single word instead of requiring a phrase. Psalm 139 reminds us of two such terms, omniscience and omnipresence. They refer respectively to the truths that God knows everything and that He is present everywhere all the time. We must be careful to use these terms only in reference to God.
David had been in all kinds of places and in all kinds of situations, and found great comfort in these attributes of God. Whether enemy soldiers, foreign kings, or rebellious children, none of them had this level of strength. David understood that God knew and understood his actions and his thoughts whether he was on the move or at rest, including his words before they were spoken. To attribute to Satan the ability to read our minds, know our thoughts, or intercept our prayers (common ideas among some charismatics) assigns deity to a fallen angel!
Troy Rust
David also understood that he could not escape the presence of the Lord. Jonah would later attempt to “flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence” (Jonah 1:3), but learned in dramatic fashion that his running was in vain. Unlike successful draft dodgers, He could not get beyond the reach of the God of the universe! David named the most extreme places imaginable where he could attempt to hide from God, but none of them (heaven, the place of the dead [KJV – “hell” because it speaks of the wicked dead], and even the farthest visible reaches of the western horizon) were (are) beyond God’s presence.
For the wicked the omnipresence of God is a fearful reality, but for the righteous His presence brings great comfort. As David stated, “Even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me” (Psalm 139:10). God is not even hindered by darkness. While sinners like to use the darkness to hide their sin (John 3:19), they are only hiding from people (and not all of them). God is a sovereign Spirit and is not subject to the limitations of human eyes.
Although we often think of Psalm 139:13-16 primarily as a pro-life passage, it is first a declaration of the omnipresence of God. As a place of darkness designed for good and not evil, a mother’s womb hides nothing from God. Have you ever considered that before the 1950s most of a baby’s development in the womb was hidden from human eyes?
Yet David knew that God was present and active in all the places man could not see. Although many of us have grown accustomed to his description of human development, David referred to God’s work not as cell division and development but as knitting! Just like a mother intricately designing clothing, God was there creating him, and every other child, while people waited nine months to see the results.
The same God who was present for David’s development had also planned all of his days before they began. Don’t fall for the lie that life is meaningless or hopeless, because the God who gives meaning and hope is the provider of abundant life! B&R
