Let's read, friends, Psalm 139 together.
I'm actually going to read the whole of Psalm 139 for us.
And this is God's word.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up, you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It is high. I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take up the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the seas,
even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me and the light about me be night,
even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night is bright as the day.
For darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts.
You knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works.
My soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depth of the earth.
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.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake and I am still with you.
O that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious intent.
Your enemies take your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with complete hatred.
I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Try me and know my thoughts.
And see if there be any grievous way in me.
And lead me in the way everlasting.
This is God's Word.
Good evening.
And welcome.
My name is David Court.
I'm the associate minister here.
And we're going to be looking together at the psalm that we just read,
a part of which we just sung, Psalm 139.
It's in the bulletin printed there.
It's also in the church Bibles there, page 521.
Now, a long time ago, not long after I became a Christian,
I read a book called Knowing God by Anglican theologian Jim Packer.
And in the book, the introduction to the book,
Packer quotes words from the Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
back in the Victorian age.
And they're taken from a sermon that Spurgeon preached, January the 7th, 1855.
And he was just 20 years of age.
I don't have time to quote the whole thing, but here's a couple of excerpts.
He says,
He then goes on,
Would you lose your sorrow?
Would you drown your cares?
Then go plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea.
Be lost in His immensity,
and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest,
refreshed and invigorated.
I know nothing which can so comfort the soul,
so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief.
So speak peace to the winds of trial,
as a devout musing on the subject of the Godhead.
I thought that was a good title for Psalm 139,
A Devout Musing on the Subject of the Godhead.
I thought about calling this sermon
A Devout Musing on the Subject of the Godhead,
but I thought maybe just thinking about God was a little simpler.
Because this psalm of David is, in essence, I think,
a reflection on the character of God.
It's a moving meditation on the nature of God.
David is reflecting and rejoicing in Yahweh, his God.
And the question arises,
Why?
Why has David composed this psalm?
Why is he seeking to…
What is he seeking to share with us?
What has he learned about God?
And what does he want us to know?
I think one of the things that's important to understand about this psalm
is that it was not composed in days of leisure and ease.
David was not, you know, he was lounging,
relaxing by the pool with his harp or lyre,
trying to knock out a few good tunes.
Here, and we'll see this later in the psalm,
David is actually a man under pressure.
He's stressed.
Things are not going well.
He's filled with all manner of anxieties and worries.
Life is not easy.
He's fearful for the future
and what might happen to him.
And frequently, in such circumstances,
our natural response
is to kind of turn in on ourselves,
to look within,
to brood over our problems,
to focus on our wounds and worries,
to go over everything in our minds
again and again and again.
How often?
Anxious thoughts,
sleepless nights
can be almost a kind of nocturnal routine.
And David's response here
to the troubles that he faces
is very different.
Amid all his troubles,
he lifts his eyes to heaven
and he looks to God.
His response to all the turmoil in his life
is a devout music
on the subject of the Godhead.
And this is the biblical answer,
I think,
to times of great stress and pressure.
It is not to look within,
but rather to look to God.
We're not to become kind of navel gazers,
consumed by introspection.
That's a huge temptation,
especially in a culture
that often tends to obsess
and almost deify the self.
To think that all the answers
are to be found within us.
I remember a good friend of ours
sharing some advice,
advice often given by James Philip
from the pulpit of Holyrood Abbey
many years ago here in Edinburgh.
And the advice was this,
don't look in,
look up.
Don't look in,
look up.
And that is what David is doing here.
How should we respond
in anxious and difficult times?
Let's take our cue from David.
Let's look away from ourselves
towards God Himself.
Let's not seek to evade Him
or run from Him,
but instead look to Him
and trust Him.
You'll notice as you look at this,
Psalm 139,
it consists really of four stanzas,
each with six verses.
And in them,
David reflects,
as I said,
on the nature of God's relationship
with His people.
He muses on God's omniscience
and omnipresence
and indeed omnipotence.
But he doesn't do it
in a kind of abstract,
theoretical way.
He thinks through
how these great characteristics
of God's nature
impress and impact on his life,
his problems,
his worries.
And they are,
in a very real sense,
I think,
a healing balm
to his soul.
So, let's look
this evening
at each of these stanzas
in turn
and see what they have to tell us
about the God
we worship.
First stanza,
verses 1 through 6,
we'll call this
the God
who knows.
The God who knows.
The root of the word
to know
appears,
I think,
four times
in this opening section.
And it's,
of course,
a statement
of God's omniscience.
The fact that
He knows all things.
Although,
I think that
the thrust of the text
is more personal.
Not so much
God knows everything,
although He does
know everything,
as God knows me.
Yes,
God knows
every human being.
No creature
is hidden
from God's sight.
All are naked
and exposed
to the eyes of Him
to whom we must
give account.
Hebrews 4.13,
Corey read earlier.
Yet,
even so,
God knows
His own people
in a more personal,
intimate sense.
There's a relationship.
Oh, Lord,
You have searched me
and known me.
You know
when I sit down,
when I rise up.
You discern
my thoughts
from afar.
You search out
my path,
my lying down,
and are acquainted
with all my ways.
Not just some.
Even before
a word is on my tongue,
behold,
oh Lord,
You know it
altogether.
It's interesting.
David is reflecting here
not on his knowledge
of God,
but rather upon
God's knowledge
of Him.
And this is what
strengthens his faith.
This is what leads
him to praise God.
Here is the Lord
who knows
and searches
His people.
And the Hebrew word
there for searched
conveys the idea
of a thorough
investigation
or examination.
Rather,
like something
that's been buried
and hidden away
and then is
diligently sought
after
and then uncovered.
Here is the God
from whom nothing
can be concealed
or hidden.
He searches,
knows every aspect
of our lives,
knows us
completely,
uncovers all.
What we hide
from other people,
sometimes even
from those
closest to us,
cannot be concealed
from God.
He's the God
who knows,
who knows every
hidden area
of our lives,
who's able to discern
our thoughts
and motives,
who's acquainted
with all our ways.
Nothing can be
hidden from Him.
David says,
before even our words
have taken shape
on our tongues,
He knows our intent.
He knows us better
than we know ourselves.
To quote Jim Packer,
he writes this,
I'm graven on the palm
of His hands,
I'm never out
of His mind.
All my knowledge
of Him
depends on His
sustained initiative
in knowing me.
I know Him
because He first
knew me
and continues
to know me.
He knows me
as a friend,
one who loves me,
and there is no moment
when His eye
is off me
or His attention
distracted from me.
And no moment,
therefore,
when His care
falters.
This God is close
and He's close
to His people.
He's so close,
David says,
that His very hand
is upon us.
You hem me in
behind and before.
You lay your hand
upon me.
I recall many years ago,
I was a young Christian,
in our church prayer meeting,
and I can't remember
all the issues,
but for some reason,
I got,
and this is not like me,
I got quite emotional
or upset
while I was praying.
I didn't cry,
but I was upset.
And I was obviously upset.
And when I finished praying,
there was an older saint
who was sitting behind me,
stood up to pray.
And as he did that,
he just put his hand
on my shoulder
as he prayed.
I recall that
to this day.
And it was a touch
that simply said,
I'm with you.
You're not alone.
I understand.
And sometimes,
that is all we need to know,
that we're not on our own.
Our minds are riddled
with anxious thoughts.
We're stressed out.
We feel emotionally
distanced from others.
We long for someone
to understand.
And the psalmist says
that in such circumstances,
the Lord understands.
For the Lord's hand
is on His people.
At times,
we can go through
periods of anxiety
and stress,
and we long,
sometimes,
for the understanding
of other people,
those around us.
It can be true
in our teenage years.
Often,
people can feel
that they're alone.
No one really understands them.
It can be true
when there are difficulties
in a marriage
or in other relationships.
It can be true
in later years
as our physical
and mental powers
start to be on the wane.
It can be true
when we face challenges
and difficulties at work
and that they're hard
to share
and speak about
with other people.
But,
when even those
closest to us
cannot really understand,
there is one
who does understand.
God knows.
He understands.
Jesus Christ
was Himself
touched
by the feeling
of our infirmities,
tested in every way,
yet without sin.
And so,
I can say to you tonight
that
in every dark
and difficult pathway
of life,
He has gone before us.
His footprints
are ahead of us.
And He knows exactly
what we're going through.
because God's omniscience
is not merely
a theological doctrine
that belongs
in some volume
of systematic theology.
It is rather
a truth to live by.
It's a truth
that needs to grip
our hearts and minds.
And that's what we see here.
David says,
such knowledge
is too wonderful for me.
It's high.
I cannot attain it.
He says,
this is absolutely amazing.
That God should be
so close
to His people
that He knows
all about us,
that He should rest
His hand upon our lives,
that He should understand us
better even though
we understand ourselves,
that He should love us.
That is a matter
for praise
and adoration
and worship.
Here's the God
who knows us.
We sang those words,
didn't we?
We ponder anew
what the Almighty
can do,
who with His love
does befriend you.
The God who knows.
And then secondly,
in the second stanza,
let's call it
the God who is present,
verses 7 through 12.
You'll notice
verse 7,
the second stanza
begins with these
two rhetorical questions.
Where shall I go
from your spirit?
Where shall I flee
from your presence?
And these words
are not,
as some suggest,
the words of someone
trying to flee from God.
They're rather
an expression
of someone resting
and relying upon the Lord.
It's not that David
actually wants to flee
from God's presence.
Rather that he understands
that even if he did,
there could be no escape.
There is no hiding place
from this God.
There is no corner
of the universe
where God cannot be found.
Where could I go
where you are not?
If I ascend to heaven,
you're there.
If I make my bed
in Sheol,
you're there.
If I take the wings
of the morning,
dwell in the uttermost
parts of the sea,
even there,
your hand shall lead me.
Your right hand
shall hold me.
David knows
that wherever he goes,
he cannot remove himself
from God's presence.
Travels to the heights
of heaven,
God is there.
Plums the depths
of the underworld,
God is there.
There is no escape
from God's Spirit.
Hermann Bavinck,
the Dutch theologian,
writes these words,
the strength of God
comes not from afar,
but from nearby.
It's an omnipresent strength.
God is present
with all his excellencies
and with his whole being
in the whole world
and in all of his creatures.
In him,
we live and move
and have our being.
He is not far
from any one of us.
He is God at hand
and not God afar off.
I like that.
He is God at hand,
not God afar off.
Maybe that's what someone here
tonight needs to hear.
He's the God who is present.
He's the God at hand.
He's not the God
who is far off.
Many of the pagan religions
of the time,
the underworld,
Sheol,
the abode of the dead,
was considered a place
that really was out of reach,
even for the gods.
But not for Yahweh.
Even in the place of death,
his presence is felt.
God is there wherever we go.
His hand shall lead us
and his hand shall hold us.
He is with us
even through the valley
of the deep shadow,
such that we need fear,
no evil.
Psalm 23,
David says that this absence
of fear is all down to what?
It's down to the covenant
presence of God
with his people.
It's his presence
that brings us comfort,
even in the darkest valleys
of this life.
Verse 11,
Even in that darkness
that sometimes
can envelop our lives,
that occasions,
that darkness
that sometimes on occasions
threatens to swallow us up,
even that cannot hide us
from God.
Even in the dark places
of fear and suffering
and pain and bereavement,
God knows and sees.
Even there,
his light shines.
His people cannot be
cut off from his presence.
And the good news, friends,
is that there is no dark corner
of this world
where God cannot be known
and found
and enjoyed.
About five years ago,
somewhere around Easter 2020,
the wife of a friend
and colleague
who was dying of cancer
and nearing the end
of his life,
wrote these words
in their blog.
They kind of journaled
through their experience
of cancer.
And this is what she wrote.
As we have watched
recent events,
it was really at the beginning
of the kind of COVID years.
And as we reflect
on our own journey,
I offer wonder
what life would be like
facing these evils
without faith.
The evils themselves
are no different
whether you have faith
or not,
but how you read them
and react to them
is very different.
I would want to say
this,
that faith doesn't change
COVID or cancer,
but faith does help you
walk through the valley.
It connects you
to the God
who will be with you
through every moment
of it.
Even when nobody else
is with you,
whether in hospital,
in isolation,
or in the dark,
sleepless hours
of the night,
He is with you.
that's what makes
the difference.
And friends,
the omnipresence of God
means that no circumstance
will separate us
from His care.
He makes all the difference
in the world.
As Paul will declare
at the end of Romans 8,
that nothing in all creation
can separate His people
from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He is the God
who knows us personally.
Here is the God
who is with us
wherever we are
and whatever we have
to go through.
The God who knows.
The God who is present.
And then thirdly here,
the God who cares.
Third stanza,
verses 13 through 18.
We have these words,
For you formed
my inward parts.
You knitted me together
in my mother's womb.
I praise you,
for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works.
My soul knows it very well.
My frame wasn't hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven
in the depths of the earth.
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.
It's an astonishing,
really, piece of writing.
Amazing description
of God's knowledge and care.
David's strength
of conviction arises
because he knows
that God has been involved
in his life
from the very beginning.
He looks back
to his own
prenatal existence
and acknowledges
that God was present
there
even before he was aware of it.
God was caring for him
from the very conception
of his life,
even hidden away
in his mother's womb.
He was seen
and known by God.
And David traces
the very beginnings
of his personal existence
not to
the moment of his birth
or some notion
of viability,
but all the way back
to conception.
You formed
my inward parts.
You knitted me together
in my mother's womb.
And as he thinks back
to his existence
as an embryo,
he understands
that he is the same person
who is now able
to look back
and say,
that was me.
That was me.
Just as each one of us
in this building
can do tonight.
And the language
that he uses,
you'll notice
it's very hands-on.
He speaks of being knitted,
woven together
like a beautiful tapestry
in his mother's womb.
That language conveys
the ideas of care,
attention to detail,
creative skill,
artistry.
David says,
of God,
you were looking over
and caring for me
long before I ever realized that.
And these famous verses,
of course,
underpin the Christian perspective
of life in the womb
as something
or someone
to be valued
and protected.
The very earliest
Christian writing
outside of the New Testament,
the Didache,
written around 90 to 95 AD,
states this,
you shall not kill
by abortion
the fruit of the womb
and you shall not murder
the infant already born.
And the reason
for that statement
was,
of course,
that abortion
and infanticide
were widely practiced
in the Roman Empire.
And that kind of outlook
and worldview,
it seems,
is making a comeback
here in the West
as we retreat
from our Christian foundations.
Changes in legislation
that now permit
abortion up to birth
have just been passed
here in the UK
as I'm sure many of you know.
And it appears
a lot of people
think that's a good thing.
It's an enlightened path
for our society to take.
One where the unborn
are of little or no value
and certainly not worthy
of protection and care.
Just a clump of cells
to be treated
any way we choose.
But friends,
is that really the case?
Do we really think
that is true?
I'm sure some of you parents
will remember seeing
the first pictures
of your children
taken in the womb
by ultrasound.
I recall just last year
my eldest son
and his wife
showing us the picture
of our latest grandson
in the womb.
Just amazing.
You look at the detail,
it's something
staggeringly beautiful.
Wonderful.
The beauty
and intricacy
of human life
and existence
doesn't begin at birth.
It comes into being
long before.
We are indeed
fearfully
and wonderfully made.
And that's why
for many of us
our hearts break
when we read
of thousands
upon thousands
of delicately woven
little lives
being crushed
and destroyed.
Sometimes
that's hard to fathom.
I know
you may be here
this evening,
maybe you're someone
who's compassionately
committed to abortion.
I've spoken with many people
over the years
who are.
But let me ask you
to stop and think
about that commitment
and what is actually
involved in it.
Are such vulnerable
little ones
not deserving
of our love
and care
and protection?
Maybe you're someone
for whom all of this
is very close to home.
Contrary to what
many like to think
abortion often brings
in its wake
feelings of guilt
and shame.
Miscarriage brings
with it great pain.
And so let me also say
that there is forgiveness
and healing
to be found
even for the darkest
of sins
and the deepest
of hurts
in a relationship
with Jesus Christ
who makes all things new.
And the good news
for all of us tonight
no matter who we are
no matter our circumstances
no matter our past
is that Jesus' blood
the blood of the cross
is able to wash
clean all our guilty stains.
The point that David
is making here
is that the God
who made us
who wove us together
in the womb
is the God
who knows us
and is with us
and whose hand
is upon our lives.
Every detail
of who you are
your personality
your gifts
your physical frame
was crafted
by the hand
of God.
You are not
an accident.
You are not
a mistake.
You are fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Your life
has purpose
and meaning
and significance
because you have
a creator.
By God's grace tonight
many of us
I hope
can testify
that the hands
that knitted us
together
in our mother's wombs
are the hands
that are still
upon our lives.
Loving hands
trusted hands
caring hands
hands
that will not
allow us
to perish.
What did Jesus say?
No one can snatch
them
from my hand.
And as David
ponders these things
he's led
to praise
and worship
and wonder.
How precious
to me
are your thoughts
O God.
How vast
is the sum
of them
that if I could
count them
they are more
than the sand.
I am awake
and I'm still
with you.
He's the God
who cares.
I recall
an old
children's hymn
of bygone age
and I'll never
be sung now
but God
who made
all things
on earth
and air
and sea
who changing
seasons
brings
he cares
for me.
God
who sent
his son
to die
on Calvary
he if
I lean
on him
will
care
for me.
The God
who knows
the God
who's present
the God
who cares.
And finally
quickly here
in the final
stanza
the God
who confronts
because this
psalm
closes
doesn't it
with some
extraordinary
perhaps
we might
even say
shocking
words
really an
imprecatory
prayer
David calls
upon God
to mete out
swift
justice
to his
enemies
and we're
reminded here
of the God
who confronts
and challenges
evil and wickedness
oh that you
would slay
the wicked
oh God
men of blood
depart from me
they speak
against you
with malicious
intent
your enemies
take your
name in vain
do I not
hate those
who hate
you oh
Lord
do I
not loathe
those who
rise up
against you
I hate
them with a
complete hatred
count them
my enemies
and maybe
like some
commentators
we might be
tempted just
to raise
these words
or at the
very least
just ignore
them
gloss over
them
but actually
I think
these verses
are a kind
of key
that unlocks
the psalm
in this way
because without
them we don't
really understand
what's going
on here
why was
David thinking
so deeply
about God
knowing him
and being
with him
and caring
for him
this reflection
on God's
character
wasn't formed
in an ivory
tower or an
academic
classroom
it was shaped
by David's
experience of
life and many
hardships
you remember
David was a
man often
in trouble
he was a
man on the
move
a man on
the run
man under
pressure
man with
enemies
his life
was often
under threat
and that's
why this
thought of
God knowing
him
being with
him
and caring
for him
was so
crucial
and that's
no difference
for us
no difference
for us
yes we
may not
face the
same
dangers
as David
did
our
circumstances
very different
but nonetheless
we too can feel
vulnerable and
alone
fearful for the
future
we're concerned
for our
lives
we may be
gripped by
anxieties
and worries
that threaten
to overwhelm
us
and it's
precisely
at such
times that
the knowledge
of God's
presence
is so
precious
and these
somewhat
jarring
closing lines
confront us
don't they
with the
reality of
God's
justice
and judgment
God
David calls
upon God
to vindicate
his name
to put down
his enemies
I don't
think these
are words
as you read
them
they're not
words about
personal
vengeance
or retribution
rather he's
calling upon
God to make
things right
sin and
wickedness
will not
go unpunished
that's something
that we see
right throughout
the Bible
it's something
we see
expressed
I think
by God's
people
in both
the Old
and New
Testaments
Christians
you know
we still
do this
when we
take upon
our lips
the words
of the
Lord's
prayer
your kingdom
come
your will
be done
deliver us
from evil
the Bible
states that
God will
one day
confront
all that
is evil
and wicked
there will
be a
reckoning
we are
accountable
creatures
Acts 17
31
he said
a day
when he
will judge
the world
with justice
and so
amid the
world
sometimes
great evil
great injustice
David says
that divine
justice
will triumph
over all
the wrongs
that are
very much
part and
parcel
of life
in the
here and
now
and yet
notice how
David speaks
not only of
God confronting
the evil
in the world
he also
speaks of
God confronting
the evil
lurking in
his own
heart
he asks
that God
would confront
him personally
search me
oh God
he says
know my
heart
try me
know my
thoughts
see if there
be any
grievous
way in
me
lead me
in the
way
everlasting
it's an
intensely
personal
prayer
he longs
that God
will be
at work
in his
life
he longs
to be
led
in paths
of righteousness
he longs
to do
God's
will
he longs
that God
would have
all of
his life
I wonder
if we might
take those
same words
on our lips
this evening
search me
oh God
know my
heart
lead me
in the
way
everlasting
God
the Bible
is always
challenging
and confronting
us
he's not
he will not
go away
he's not
going to
disappear
he can't
be avoided
forever
we cannot
escape him
and if we
had any
sense
we wouldn't
want to
he's not
the oppressive
tyrant
that some
fear
he's our
creator
he watches
over us
not to
crush
our
independence
but because
he loves
us
he wants
to save
us
he wants
to lead
us
in the
way
everlasting
he wants
us to
come to
him
in faith
he wants
us to
know his
power
and his
presence
and his
loving
kindness
God
dwells
in
unapproachable
light
wrote
Paul
yet
Jesus
is the
image
of the
invisible
God
no one
has ever
seen
God
says
John
yet
he
who
has
seen
Jesus
has
seen
the
father
in other
words
if we
want to
think
about
God
we
must
think
about
Jesus
there's
no
other
way
all
our
thinking
about
God
ultimately
centers
on
him
he
has
come
to
take
the
judgment
our
sins
deserve
he's
come
that we
might
know
God
and find
that
way
everlasting
and he
invites us
to come
to him
with our
sins
with our
fears
all our
cares and
worries
and to
place our
lives
in his
hands
don't look
in
look up
look away
from yourself
to Jesus
Christ
trust
him
and
discover
that he
will
place
his
hand
upon
you
he
will
light
your
path
he
will
lead
you
in
the
way
everlasting
trust
your
life
into
his
hands
tonight
and
know
with
David
that
he
will
hold
you
fast
in
his
love
let
us
pray
Lord
our
God
we
stand
in
awe
of
you
your
knowledge
your
presence
your
wisdom
your
love
we
thank
you
that
you
know
us
better
than
we
know
ourselves
that
you're
with
us
in
every
moment
and
that
you
love
us
with
a
love
that
will
never
let
us
go
search
our
hearts
oh
God
this
evening
and
by
your
grace
lead
us
in
the
way
everlasting
and
may
all
glory
be
to
you
Father
Son
and
Holy
Spirit
Amen