Introduction

Psalm 139 celebrates three of God's attributes namely ...

God's knowledge (vv. 1-6)

God's presence (vv. 7-12)

God's power (vv. 13-18)

But today, I would like us to focus on God's knowledge.

I - An Omniscient God

In verses 1 to 6, David contemplates on the truth of God's omniscience. The omniscience of God is both frightening and comforting truth. But mainly, in this Psalm, this truth about God is meant to encourage us and to cause us stand in awe before Him. Let us behold our God in His omniscience.

Omniscience comes from two Latin words

Omni - all

Science - knowledge

So, omniscience means that God is all-knowing.

1. God knows everything

1 John 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20: For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

There is nothing that God does not know. He knows all that can be known. He never discovers anything. He is never surprised, never amazed. He never wonders about anything.

2. God's knowledge is perfect

Job 37:16 Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?

He possesses perfect knowledge of everything and therefore has no need to learn. 

God knows everything immediately, perfectly and equally well. 

He never errs, never changes, never overlooks anything.

Isaiah 40:13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counseller hath taught him? 14: With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? 15: Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

Who can comprehend the mind of the LORD, or give him advice as His counselor? Whom did he consult, and who made Him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?

"All created beings shrink to nothing in comparison with the Creator. When the Lord, by His Spirit, made the world, none directed His Spirit, or gave advice what to do, or how to do it. The nations, in comparison of Him, are as a drop which remains in the bucket, compared with the vast ocean; or as the small dust in the balance, which does not turn it, compared with all the earth." - Matthew Henry

3. God's understanding is infinite

Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Not only is His knowledge perfect but His understanding is infinite. His understanding has no limit.

         "We do not know one millionth of one percent about anything." - Thomas Edison

We know less than 1% percent of all the knowledge in the universe.

Only God possesses unlimited knowledge

Satan is not all knowing. We are not all knowing. God alone is all knowing.

II - An Intimate God

Also in this Psalm we will see how personal our God is. This is what separates the God of the Bible from false gods. God is intimately involved with our lives. How intimate?

1. God knows everything about me

1: O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

On October 2011 the world's population reached 7 billion. Today, there are 7.2 billion people on earth and our planet is just but one of the planets in a vast universe. But you are not just a number or a statistic with God. Despite the uniqueness of each person, God understands everyone individually, and knows everyone personally.

He knows my character. He knows my essence. He knows my being. He knows what I am. He knows my name.

He knows you inside out, frontwards and backwards and sideward. Everything about you God knows.

Psalm 33:13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14: From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15: He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.

He is the One who forms every human heart, and takes note of all their actions.

2. God knows everything I do

2: Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 

Whether I am sitting down resting or rising up working, going about my business, God knows all my activities. 

I don't know what you do all day but God does. God knows everything that you do. All your activities are an open book to God.

With a vast number of people in the world and everything going on in this world today, God thinks of you today, God cares and consider what you and I do on a daily basis.

God sees you as if you are the only being in this whole universe.

3. God knows everything I think

2: Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

God knows all of my thoughts, my meditations, and my attitudes. All these may be unknown to others but they are all perfectly known by God. Others may only see my actions but God sees my thoughts and my heart.

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

4. God knows everywhere I go

3: Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

You watch me when I travel and when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways.

God knows every place I've been and every place I will be. God is aware of where I am. 

Every dimension of my life wherever I go, God is intimately acquainted with all of my ways

5. God knows everything I say

4: For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

Every word that you and I have ever spoken God knows. 

Every gossip, rumor, slander, criticism, backbiting, cussing, insult, unkind words, bad mouthing, name calling are all known to God. 

Every kind word, praise, encouragement, sympathy, are also known to God.

God's omniscience arises from His omnipresence

5: Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

God is ever close to me. He is on every side of me, all around me and therefore has complete knowledge of me. There is nothing I can think, say, or do, but what is known unto Him.

5: Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

He has laid His hand upon me to be connected with me, to identify with me, to help me, to sustain me, to uphold me, to guide me, and to direct me, and at the same time to restrain me.

He is very aware of all my needs. He aware of where He needs to lead me. He is aware of what He needs to provide for me. He is aware of everything that is going on in my life.

Application

What is the proper response to God's omniscience?

To the unbeliever

It is should frightened those who are content to live without God and refuse to serve the Him, because God knows every sin. And unforgiven sin will be punished.

Psalm 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Ultimately, the God Who knows everything will be our Judge and He will judge righteously.

In the Day of Judgment, we will be judged based on God's complete knowledge of our history.

Job 34:21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. 22: There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23: For he will not lay upon man more than right; that he should enter into judgment with God.

Genesis 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

To the children of God

But for those who have embraced His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, what is the proper response to the fact that God knows everything about me, everything I do, everything I think, everywhere I go and everything I say?

1. Wonder and worship

How did David respond to this amazing truth?

6: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

The thought of God's omniscience is far beyond him and that he unable to comprehend it.

The realization that God knows everything led David to deepest admiration.

This is what happens when we behold our God - our hearts will be filled with wonder and amazement. The more we behold Him, the more we grow in our wonder and worship of God.

Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34: For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35: Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36: For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

2. Comfort and strength

This truth is meant to encourage us. It is meant to convey how fully God embraces us in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ and how intimately aware He is of everything in our lives. Praise God He is that involved in us.

For God's children, the implications of God's knowledge are sources of peace and strength.

In trying times, we can say with Job ...

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

We may not understand, our friends and love ones may never understand but our God knows and understands! In times of weariness and weakness believers assure themselves ...

Psalm 103:13 As a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth then that fear him. 14: For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Why does God have so much compassion on us? He knows what we are made of, dust of the ground - weak, frail creatures.

The awareness that God intimately knows me is intended to be encouraging not frightening. It is encouraging that there is nothing that God is not aware of in our lives. Whether it be our hurts, our discouragements, our disappointments, our struggles, God knows all that is going on in our soul and in our heart.

3. Love and Adoration

God knows everything about me, my past, my present and my future. He foresaw my every fall, my every sin, my every backsliding; yet, nevertheless, fixed His heart upon me. Oh, how the realization of this should bow me in wonder and worship before Him and cause me to love Him more!

What love!

Despite our sins, our shortcomings, our failures, He knows all the record He nevertheless still loves you and me perfectly.

There is nothing that God would ever discover about you that He didn't know in the front end. He knows everything about you not only the best about you. He also knows the worst about you and those things that you won't even want any others to know about you.

Who knows so much about you and still loves you? The One that knows you the best, loves you the most. God loves you perfectly.

And if you are a child of God, as the song goes, He loves me as if I am His only child.

4. Searching of the heart

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.

But let me speak again to those who still have connection with God. O, call upon Him. He wants you to be connected to Him. He wants to be intimately related to you. That's why He sent His Son Jesus Christ. There is no other way to God the Father but through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the Cross. Oh, repent and believe the Gospel, that you might have eternal life.