Psalm 139
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Psalm 139
Introduction
On Christmas Eve of 1968, the three
Apollo 8 astronauts were orbiting the
dark side of the moon and were heading towards
house
While the small capsule flew
through space, they saw the blue shade
and bright white from the earth slowly
filling your window. At this moment,
What do you think about these men
Did they say? They didn't mention Einstein,
Shakespeare or Darwin.
Only one thing could capture the
magnificence of the moment. Billions of
people around the world heard the voice
In the beginning, God created the
heavens and the earth.” The astronauts read
Genesis 1:1 for an audience
worldwide. At that moment, there was no
better words.
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God is the creator of all things.
ELUCIDATION
Psalm written by David and used by the
Israelites in the period of exile and post-exile.
In the history of the Church:
Clement of Alexandria (2nd century) - Not of
fear, not even of the desire for salvation,
but of the primary desire to know the
own God.
Origen (3rd century) – or apologist for
excellence. While expressing
totally the divine attributes, also
is aware of the rare intimacy and
deep personal confidence that he can
exercise and express God.
Athanasius (4th century) theologian - refers to the
ineffable character of knowledge of
God.
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Augustine (4th century) - I realize that I cannot
not even to understand me, to whom you
you created.
John Calvin (16th century) - Our wisdom,
to what extent should it be considered solid and
true, it consists of two parts: the
knowledge of God and of ourselves.
THE DIVISION OF THE PSALM:
Verses: 1- 6- What does God know?
I Am - the personal name of God, connotes
the active concern for the people of the covenant.
The omniscience of I Am is essential for
God shapes the history of Israel from
agreement with the contractual relationship.
YOU ARE SURVEYING 'investigate' transmit
a strong sense, denoting a
survey that is penetrating, diligent and
difficult.
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The act of knowing in thought
Hebrew involves an appropriation by
knower of what is known.
The knowledge of I Am of a
person can denote choice and
intimacy.
Verse 2 - Extends knowledge
people for universal knowledge
through merism (Division of a
subject in distinct parts.
From afar = place of God's enthronement
in the heavens.
Verse 3, 4-Know- As the wind
separate the wheat from the chaff, I am
distinguish the person's behavior. The
your knowledge is not static; it
it also happens through a dynamic process.
The active omniscience of God extends to
moment when the person begins to have
a thought.
Open Theism denies this fact.
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Verse 5 - You surround me - Calvin says:
People cannot move a wire of
hair without the knowledge of God.
Cercar = refers to the protective care of
God.
And You put Your hand - when someone places
the hand over the other, the object is
decisively under the control of the subject,
not of himself. Job 13:21.
Verse 6a - Such knowledge - in this
context conveys admiration, respect and
fear.
The knowledge of God is depicted
like a cliff that is not a match even
for a warrior of David's caliber.
Verses 7-12 - Where is God?
Employing images 'to sit'
“levantar-se” “subir aos céus”“fazer a
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bed and tomb” - these images make
reference to the "hand" of God (v.5).
The psalmist's incapacity regarding
God's omniscience is reciprocated
due to incapacity with respect to
presence of God.
The keyword 'know' gives way to
where presence.
“Para onde” “nenhumlugar”.
The extremes 'heaven' and 'grave' are
inaccessible to the living and represent the
omnipresence of the immortal.
Verse 10 - He will guide me commonly
used in situations for God to lead your
people surely through traps and dangers
and, with triumph, to a desired destination
and promised.
The expression "will sustain me" = "to hold"
grab tightly and firmly.
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Verses 13-16 - What can God do?
The confession of God's Omnipotence.
The OEu Soume created, establishes
foundation for the active omnipotence of
God.
All the texts about the creation of God
in the belly implicate the loving care of
God. The Hebrew word for
"mercy" derives from "womb".
you weaved
they mean a weaver of colorful cloth
you colored thread embroiderer, a
seamster who decorates clothes with patterns
colorful using a needle.
Your eyes = Seeing denotes activity
personal and the appropriation of what is seen
through attention and assessment.
They were written - God knows all
the psalmist's thoughts before he them
express why God governs.
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God predestines a person's future.
Verses 17-24 - God Almighty
The thoughts of God are
innumerable (18).
Verses 19, 20 - Identifying with the
Sir.
The enemies of God are my enemies.
Verses 23, 24 - Please the Lord.
Search me and know me.
There are six petitions; The first five
they ask Eu Sou to judge him and the sixth
ask God to guide you on the path
eternal.
Conclusion
Jonathan Edwards–18th century = Sermon
sublime seriousness
This psalm is a meditation on the
God's omniscience or the vision and
perfect knowledge that God had of
all your actions.
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So, it represents this knowledge
due to the impossibility of ESCAPING from the
divine presence or hiding from it.
So, for Edwards, the momentum of the psalm
139 is that human beings, starting
with himself, they need to know more
about the mistake, sin, and our
general propensity to be blind to
own inclination to sin.
Even as Christians, we continue
sinning for the rest of our lives.
We then need extreme vigilance.
to stay alert to the occurrence of
sin within us.
Because when we sin, we dishonor the
God, living selfishly instead of
for the glory of God.
This sermon was written in the context of
Great Revival.
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Psalms 139:23,24
The human being sought to know through science
the land, the seas, and the air (search for
omniscience), also wished to walk through
the whole planet with its fast vehicles,
navigate like the fish and fly like
birds (search for omnipresence), or
they want to dominate everything by exercising power
about the world (search for omnipotence).
But only God can know everything, to be
everywhere and has all the power because
only He is Omniscient, Omnipresent and
Omnipotent.
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The psalmist, upon recognizing the greatness of
the attributes of God also demonstrate
outrage at the human being's woes
in verses 19 to 22 where he wishes that
God in His knowledge, presence and
infinite power, do justice by saying
I hope, oh God, for those who are in charge of
perverse (v.19).
It is not for us to judge why God
He has all knowledge, presence, and power
and does not resolve how and when we want them
problems of the world.
What we should do is allow that the
God's probe penetrates into our
intimately getting to know each other, being
present in us and operating the impossible
in our being.
Thus we should also pray saying:
Search me, O God, and know my
heart, prove me and know my
thoughts; see if there is any in me
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bad path and guide me along the way
eternal". HOW IS MY HEART?
Psalm 139:23,24
