Read Psalm 139
There is an innate desire in every human being to be
known, understood and accepted. Yet,
there is no other human being that can absolutely meet that need. 1 Corinthians 2:11 states that unless a
person knows our spirit, they cannot possibly know us completely. Only God has that kind of knowledge and
understanding. He has already done a thorough search through our lives - past, present and future. He knows and loves us completely.
The word
translated “searched” is the Hebrew word chaqar.
It is both a shepherding and mining term. It means “to penetrate and examine
intimately.” In order for the sheep to
be healthy, content and produce quality wool, the shepherd had to dig deeply to
see what was hidden by the wool, as well as thoroughly check out both
ends of the animal. In mining, chaqar means to go beyond the obvious and drill deeply in order to
discover what lies within. In either
case, such searching results in a first hand, detailed knowledge. That is how thoroughly God knows us. Luke 12:7 says that He even knows the number
of hairs on our heads.
Psalms 139:1-4 tells us that God knows …
1. “… when I sit down and when I rise.” He knows when I yashab – am still, sitting quietly, as well as when I am stalling
or “frozen” by a situation. He also
knows when I am completely the opposite – quwn:
stirred up, moving around, physically busy, as well as emotionally and/or
mentally agitated, anything but resting quietly. Either of these can be by choice,
circumstances or according to Isaiah 37:28 in defiance.
2. “…understands my thoughts from afar.” One of the meanings of the word rea, translated “thoughts,” is “to
graze.” God understands my mental grazing.
He knows when my mind is wandering and where it is going. He is willing to meet me there and lead me
into greater intimacy, even if I’ve wandered into a "pasture" that I have no
business being in.
3. “ … my path and my lying down.” The word translated “discern”NIV
and “scrutinize”NAS is zorrah,
which refers to the process of critical analysis, but it is also means
“winnowing.” Winnowing is the process of separating grain from chaff in order
to keep the good stuff. There is an
uncomfortable intensity about being scrutinized unless it is cushioned by the
wonderful assurance that God is looking for the good stuff to keep. He lovingly looks at all the details of my life: my path (orach – well trodden road) = where I’ve gone, where I’m going, and
where I will go, and my lying down (reba –
flat out sleep) = going nowhere, doing nothing.
He then gathers up what is valuable, and is willing and able to give it
all purpose.
4. “…intimately acquainted with all my ways.” He knows it all. He knows me better than I know myself. He knows before there is anything to know.
All He knows deepens His love for me.
This is true for you as well.
God’s complete knowledge and understanding inevitably
elicits a strong response from each of us. For some it is intimidating. For
others, it is invasive. For still others, it is frightening. But for David it prompted a sense of wonder
and worship. “Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me
behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain
to it.” (Psalm 139:4b-6) It
really is too big to wrap our minds around. The truth is God knows, understands
and accepts you completely. How you
respond to that truth is up to you.
Worship is a wonderful response. David could have simply
soaked in the reality of being known, but chose to go forward in his pursuit of
intimacy with his God. He invited God to dig deep, penetrate the obvious and
examine the hidden, then show him what He knew.
He willingly submitted to the Lord finishing the shepherd and mining
processes by running the blood tests, poking, prodding, examining with a
microscope, put the ore through the firing process. Only then can the quality be accessed, the worthless
discarded, necessary surgery performed and healing procedures employed. Working in partnership, the best is then made
available for His glory and purpose.
Making It Personal
What is your response to God’s intimate knowledge of all
your ways?
How does the assurance that God knows, understands and
accepts you completely meet a deep need for intimacy in your life?
Why do you think God is waiting for you to invite Him show
you what He already knows about you?
God wants to take you beyond the familiar. Why is partnership required?
How does the assurance that God is working to bring
healing and ultimate value to your life offset the frightening aspect of this
intimate and sometimes invasive process?
Original posting 3/17/13
