The Lord is Always Near
July 29, 2020
Commentary
Sometimes we don’t want people to get to know us completely because we are afraid they will discover something about us that they won’t like. However God already knows everything about us and that is what counts. This passage deals with:
1. God is all knowing (omniscience) (vv. 1-6) It is impossible to do anything that God does not know about:
a. He knows what we do – (v. 2a)
b. He knows what we think – (v. 2b)
c. He knows where we go – (v. 3)
d. He knows what we say – (v. 4)
e. He knows what we need – (v. 5)
2 God is all present (omnipresent) (vv. 7-12) It is impossible to go any place where God will not see you:
a. In life or death – (vv. 7-10)
b. In light or darkness – (vv. 11-12)
It is foolish to suppose we can think evil and God not know it and it is just as impossible to be in a place where He is not present. God is always there even when we forget that He is. Most sins begin in the mind and are based on either lust or pride. However, on the positive side, it is comforting to know that God reads our minds and understands our motives and intentions even when others do not.
Application
- What is God saying to me?
- How will I act upon His conviction?
- What will I do about it this week?
Psalms 139:1– 12 (NET)
1 O Lord, you examine me and know me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives.
3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do.
4 Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.
5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.
7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence?
8 If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.
9 If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea,
10 even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me.
11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,”
12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are the same to you.