Moment in the Word

Psalms 139:4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

 

 

Part One

A few days ago, I accidentally stumbled across a fascinating medical article that caused me to dig into God's Word. Consequently, for the next three weeks, we will examine what I discovered in relation to the article that eventually will be introduced in the last study.

The passage that I researched was Psalms 139. In this amazing text David addresses three topics: the foreknowledge/omniscience of God in relation to David's behavior, the omnipresence of God in relation to David's location, and the predestination/election of God in relation to David's birth/physical existence.

Initially, we will examine God's foreknowledge/omniscience in verses 1-6, "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 5You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." Psalms 139:1-6

In verses 1-3, the Psalmist proceeds to explain that God knows absolutely everything about us; what our body is doing, what we are thinking, where we are going, etc.

Jesus confirmed this truth when He said, "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered..." Luke 12:7

People often read this passage and assume the meaning is that God knows the total number of hairs on our heads. But more than that, Christ's statement suggests that the Heavenly Father has cataloged each hair and assigned a specific numeral to designate a unique identity to it. Akin to David's words, that is how well God knows us individually.

However, greater than that, Psalms 139:4 tells us that God knows what we are going to do, think, or say long before the action ever occurs, "Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely." This divine foreknowledge and omniscience mirrors God's predestination/election that we will later investigate in verses 13-18.

The ancient original Bible (Greek Septuagint) is even more precise about Gods foreknowledge, predestination, and election, "Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising: thou understandest my thoughts LONG BEFORE. 3Thou hast traced my path and my bed, and hast FORESEEN all my ways. 5the last and the first *(FROM MY END, BACK TO MY BEGINNING): thou hast fashioned me, and laid thine hand upon me."

Summarizing Part One, David declares that he is never independent of God's influence but is totally and inexplicably enveloped by the Almighty's presence, "You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." Psalms 139:5-6