Psalm CXXXIX
To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my
thought afar oiF.
3 Thou conipassest 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.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the
sea,
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me! even the night shall be light
about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s
womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made! Marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
1 5 My substance was not hid from thee,
When I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unpcrfect; And in thy book all my members were written,
Which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, 0 God! how great is the sum
of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, 0 God: depart from me therefore, yo
bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in
vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?
And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
THE ALL-KNOWING CREATOR AND JUD(;E. 423
“A Psalm of David,” and no doubt often .suuo’ by the” Son of The author
... T.,, “id speaker
David.” For, rightly understood, there is not in it any thought of desiring an escape from the Lord’s happy presence in verses 7, 8; far from this, it is meant to express delight in the remembrance of Jehovah’s omnipresence and omniscience. It is not the utterance of the First Adam, slinking from sight behind the trees of Eden; but it is the utterance of the Second Adam, dwelling in the blissful fellowship with God, which fellowship he would not for all worlds ever lose. Think of it as sung by David, and by Christ, and by all the family of Christ.
The key-note, then, is delight in the Lord’s presence. The Dittici.ities. structure is very simple, and there are no difficulties in any verses but 15, 16; to the understanding of which it is needful to know that “lower parts of earth,” is a proverbial expression for secresy — what is hidden from view of man — as the parallelism shews. The verses are to this purpose — “Thou hast at thy disposal “7ny reins,” the seat of my heart, thoughts, and feelings; for —
“Ml, substance was not hid from thee tvhen I teas made in secret, When I was curiously wrought, hid from the view of all men. Thine eyes saw when I was still unprepared {i. e., my unformed substance; or, the unwound ball of the thread of life), And in thy book all of them were written, (viz.) The days which were still to be, and of which none then teas.” (Hengst.)
And because of this singular care of the Creating Hand, and the skill displayed in the rare workmanship, verse 14 sings —
“I praise thee on this account, that I am fearfully distinguished! Marvellous are thy works! Yes, my sold perceives it well!”
But now let us trace the thread of connection that runs through .,,^ ,,,„„ the whole Psalm. There is in verses ] -6, adoration of Jehovah’s omniscience. The Lord Jesus could sing it all; even verse 6, “too wonderful for me” (Prov. xxx. 18), was suitable to him as man, in his humiliation-days, when he knew not the day of his Second Coming, and when he stood on the shore and adored the awful depth of his Fatliei’’s counsels. The expression, ‘’ Laiclst thy hand over me” (vV Jli), denotes a kind, friendly act; not the act of one in anger, as when T* TV^ is used, in such passages as Exod. xxiv. 11. The Psahnist is rejoicing in the shadow of this Omuiscient One. “Thou hast searched, and knowest me.”
In verses 7-12, there is adoration of Jehovah’s omnipresence. If I had cause to flee from thee, whither could I go? “If 1 scale heaven, or if I spread the grave” (Alexander), or if (ver. 1 ) the thought occurs, “1 will raise the wing of morning,” travelling swift as the light which travels 200,000 miles in a second, all would be vain. Whither, then? Not to Heaven, for that is the very centre and seat of his manifested presence; not to Hell, i. e., sheol, or the grave, for the disembodied spirit is even more than before in his felt presence; not to any part of creation, for his providence is at work there in every sparrow that lights on the ground. What a comforting thought to a believer! If God’s eye is on me, then I am blessed, though I be obscure, and though I suffer unheeded by man. He is with the prisoner in the Inquisition, with the soldier, the sailor, the miner; yes, he is so truly with his saints, that wherever their dust may be laid, he will find it, and gathering every particle from the dark grave, will raise up therefrom a glorious body. And let us note that verse 10 expresses the gracious leading of a father and friend — “Thy hand would lead me,” like verse 5; while verse 11 is still more expressive of favour —
“If I should say, surely the darkness will crush me, (^131ti^) 2 ‘/ten night woidd be light about me.”
Were I apprehensive of danger, some appalling evil ready to crush me (^Iti, as Job ix. 17, and as Gen. iii. 15) during the darkness, the Omnipresent One would haste to my help. Is there any reference to Satan’s “hour and power of darkness” involved in this use of the first word applied to his assaults on the woman’s Seed {^W)?
In verses 13-18, there is adoration of Jehovah as owner and Creator of men. “For thou (ni), and no other, possessest and hast the right to my most inmost parts;” and then he sings of the wonderful work of the heavenly Father, forming the human frame, closing with that (?xclamation of amazed delight — ‘^ Holo precious are thy thoughts to me, 0 God! I will count them! — (but no) — nioi-e than sand they are many!”
lu this there is a resemblance to Psa. xl. 5, where we find Christ identifying himself with his own, and wondering at his Father’s thoughts “to us ward.” There, however, it is chiefly his thoughts, or plans, about our redemption, while here it is more specially about our creation. Unless, indeed, we suppose that the glowing description of verses 14, 15, 16, may refer, not to creation only, but also to the forming anew of the body after it has lain in the dust, when it is to arise in honour, in glory, in power, the very likeness of Christ’s perfect human form.
In verses 19, 20, there is presented to us the omniscient and omnipresent Creator as Judge. It is literally, “If thou wouldst slay the wicked!” — an unfinished sentence, pointing at the temble results. Though at present he bears long with the ungodly, he hates their sin, and will destroy the sinner. In this he glances at the great day when the Judge shall say, “Depart.”
In verses 21, 22, there is a. protestation art the part of the Psalmist, against all who are foes to Jehovah whom he has held up to our adoration. It reminds us of John xxi. 17.
In verses 23, 24, there is a prayer that this omniscient and oDinipresent Creator woidd keep his worshipper for ever on his side. Some render ‘* wicked way “(ver. 24), the way of an idol (so Gesenius); but Hengstenberg seems right in rendering it,” the way of paiyi;” that leads to pain or trouble; the contrast of the “everlasting way,” (the” ancient paths’ of Jeremiah vi. 16), where a man finds rest to his soul. This is the way that ushers a man into the kingdom, into the bliss of the ages to come. It reminds us of Isaiah xxxv. 8, the holy way in which those walk who enjoy the bliss of the Restored Paradise.
Thus we see that this Psalm is one of joy and happy confidence in God, abounding in views that enlarge the heart and strengthen it. It expresses the worshippers happy remembrance of the omniscient and omnipresent God;
Sutisfwfion in thinking upon the all-knowing Cre(d<ir and, Judge.