David, a lowly shepherd boy anointed King of Israel, experienced great highs and terrible lows in his lifetime.
He is the accredited author of Psalm 139, typically titled, Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart.
This title literally comes from the next-to-last verse of the Psalm where David is asking the Lord to monitor his motives.
Yet the verses prior to this request reveal the magnitude of who God is and how well He already knows David, and thus, us today.
Take a moment to reflect on your life experiences.
Grab a piece of paper or journal and divide it into three columns.
In the first column, list or describe one or more of your most enjoyable life experiences.
Then, in the second column, list or describe one or more of your least enjoyable life experiences.
Keep reading to find out what will go in the third column.
Psalm 139 | How Well Do You Know God? | Verses 1-6
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it. [1]
From the very first verse, David proclaims the Lord had already searched and known him.
Describe in your own words what the Lord knows about David, and us, according to verses 2-5.
Skim the following experiences David had before he officially became the King of Israel.
- Samuel Anoints David (1 Samuel 16:1-13)
- David in Saul’s Service (1 Samuel 16:14-23)
- David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1-58)
- Saul’s Jealousy of David (1 Samuel 18:1-30)
- Saul Tries to Kill David (1 Samuel 19:1-24)
- David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:1-42)
How could this mix of highs and lows in David’s life help form David’s experience of God as described in verses 2-5?
Do you agree with David’s reaction to the Lord’s intimate knowledge in verse 6? Why or why not?
Psalm 139 | How Well Do You Know God? | Verses 7-12
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you. [2]
What do we learn about God in verses 7-12?
Skim the following experiences David had after he became King of Israel.
- David Conquers Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:1-15)
- David Defeats the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:17-25)
- God’s Promise to David (2 Samuel 7:1-17)
- David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1-12:23)
- David Flees (2 Samuel 15:13-37)
- David Returns to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 19:9-23)
Again, how could this mix of highs and lows in David’s life help form David’s experience of God as described in verses 7-12?
Psalm 139 | How Well Do You Know God? | Verses 13-18
13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 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.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you. [3]
At what point is God involved with humans according to verses 13-16? (Also see Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7, 21-22 and 25:21-28)
Do you agree with David that God holds all life by His intimate wisdom and design? Why or why not?
What value does God have for human life based on verses 1-18?
Psalm 139 | How Well Do You Know God? | Verses 19-24
19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! [4]
What do the wicked do according to verses 19-21?
Skim the following experiences David had as he neared the end of his life.
- Sheba Rebels Against David (2 Samuel 20:1-22)
- The Gibeonites Avenged (2 Samuel 21:1-14)
- Wars against the Philistines (2 Samuel 21:15-22)
- David Builds an Altar (2 Samuel 24:18-25)
- Adoniah Sets Himself Up as King but David Makes Solomon King (1 Kings 1:1-53)
Based on these experiences and verses 19-21, why does David align himself with God against the wicked?
Psalm 139 | How Well Do You Know God? | Application
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”[5]
How does the phrase, “and behold, I am with you always,” align with Psalm 139?
Do you know the Lord as well as David does? Why or why not?
Reflect on the highs and lows you described or listed in columns one and two of the paper you created at the start of today’s study.
Do you notice any themes between your highs and lows?
Write a prayer in the third column that describes your current understanding of who God is and Jesus’ promise to always be with you.
Include examples of praise, thanksgiving, and requests for His guidance. Incorporate the themes you observed from your life experiences.
Share in the comments below one attribute of the Lord from Psalm 139 that means the most to you or that surprised you today.
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 139:1–6.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 139:7–12.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 139:13–18.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 139:19–24.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 28:18–20.