Psalms 138:0 ¶ A Psalm of David.
Another beautiful song of praise from the Shepherd King.
Jewish Study Bible: “This is the first of a collection of hymns (138–145) that concludes the Psalter. Petitions characterize the Psalter’s opening, and many see an intentional movement from petitions to hymns as part of the structure that the editor tried to convey.”
Psalms 138:1 ¶ I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
In looking at the Hebrew, I tend to think that David is referencing the angelic hosts (both good and bad) as “the gods.” I believe the false gods are those associated with the fallen angels. The point he is making is that he wants all of creation to know that he is full of praise to the LORD. That he praises with his whole heart is a reference to his whole being—from a heart of wisdom, understanding and pure motives.
Psalms 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
I am reminded that David had desired to build a temple to honor the LORD for a long time. In fact, he made extensive preparations both in writing and in gathering material. Though the temple did not exist in his time, I believe he saw it as a reality because of God’s promise.
1 Kings 8:18–19 “And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.”
On the other hand, David could have had in mind the heavenly temple in connection with praising God before the angels.
Either way, the main point is that David was committed to praising the name of the LORD in thanks for His lovingkindness and truth. He is aware that God honors His word above His name. That is an interesting thought in that both God’s name and His word represent who He is. Having the insight of the New Testament, I believe that truth is rooted in Jesus, the Word become flesh.
John 1:1& 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Interesting historical note from Chuck Smith: “In the Old Testament times, the Jews held this name in such high esteem that they would never pronounce the name of God. They felt that no human lips were worthy to pronounce His name. And it came to pass that as they would copy the scriptures, when they came to the name of God, they would only copy the consonants, leaving out the vowels, so that a person would not even pronounce the name in his mind as he was reading because just the consonants were unpronounceable. And so in reading of the scriptures, when they would come to this name of God, they would just bow their head and worship.”
Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
David is praising the LORD for answered prayer and for strengthening him spiritually when he was weak.
Psalms 138:4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
Psalms 138:5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
David looks forward to the day when all the kings of earth will honor the LORD and give Him the praise He is due. In fact, they will sing praise to the glory of the LORD. This truth is affirmed other places in scripture.
Isaiah 45:23 “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear”
Romans 14:11 “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
Philippians 2:10–11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Psalms 138:6 ¶ Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
David knows from experience that though the LORD is great in majesty and power, he watches out for those that are humble; however, although He is aware of everything, He doesn’t get involved as intimately with the proud. Pride is one of the things He hates the most.
Proverbs 6:16–19 “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
James echoes the truth declared by David; maybe he was thinking of this verse.
James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
Psalms 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
Psalms 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Again, David knows from experience that God is watching out for him. He has revived him in times of trouble and delivered him from his enemies. That gives him confidence that He will do so in the future as well.
I love the first part of verse 8. It reads a bit differently in other translations, all of which are supported by the Hebrew.
NIV: “The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me….”
NLT: “The LORD will work out his plans for my life….”
NASB: “The LORD will accomplish what concerns me….”
David knew this was true for him, and I know this is true for all those that are part of God’s family through faith. The beautiful truth is that the LORD will bring about a perfect conclusion according to His plan for my life. This is yet another act of His never-ending mercy.
Paul affirms this truth in his letter to the Philippians.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ….”
Because of this truth, the last part of the verse is a bit puzzling. It’s like David is pleading with the LORD not to forget that beautiful truth.
I liked Spurgeon’s observation: “Our confidence does not cause us to live without prayer, but encourages us to pray all more.”
Psa. 139:0 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
This is a psalm (song) that David gave to the head musician, the director of music, at the tabernacle. It is one of my favorite psalms.
Spurgeon: “One of the most notable of the sacred hymns. It sings the omniscience and omnipresence of God, inferring from these the overthrow of the powers of wickedness, since he who sees and hears the abominable deeds and words of the rebellious will surely deal with them according to his justice.”
Psa. 139:1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
“LORD” = YHWH, (the) self-Existent or Eternal; name of God
After looking at the Hebrew, I am convinced that David is expressing his knowledge of the fact that God has penetrated to the core of his being and examined his character intently, and He understands David better than anyone else ever could. The word for known indicates the results of that examination; David was God’s “familiar friend.” I think that truth can be verified with scripture that identifies David as a man after God’s own heart.
1Samuel 13:13-14 “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.”
Experience has shown me that the best friends are those who share your heart, your interests, who love the things you love, who have the same concerns, who are considerate of you.
The truth is that God has “searched” each one of us. My desire is to also be known by Him as a “familiar friend,” to have a character that embraces the things He loves, that is jealous for His name, that lives to see Him glorified in me.
Psa. 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Not only does David recognize that God knows his character, He also knows where he is and what he is doing at all times. He even knows the thoughts that occupy his mind. The Hebrew root for thought was quite interesting; it states, “to tend a flock; i.e. pasture it; intransitively, to graze.” This seems to be referencing the ideas that dominate our thinking, the things upon which we meditate. The Hebrew for “afar off” was also interesting. It referenced “wandering and precious” among other things. This gives a different perspective to me. Instead of just understanding that God knows our thoughts no matter how far away we may think Him to be, it seems to be saying that He knows where our thoughts like to wander, the meditation of things that are precious to us, things we may choose to hide from others. It really ties in more directly to the Hebrew for thought.
Psa. 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
“compassest” = to cast away, to diffuse, winnow, spread, scatter, to turn aside
The Hebrew for this word has stumped me; it wasn’t what I expected to see. After going to good old Webster, my thoughts were drawn to the word spread. It made me think that the NLT had the best translation, “You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest…”
This fits in with my understanding of God’s working in the lives of His children. We are created with a purpose to bring Him glory, and He doesn’t just leave us to chance regarding that purpose. As God, He can direct our paths without taking away our freedom as to whether to follow that path. Because God is love and He knows us so well, we are given every opportunity to honor Him in fulfilling that purpose—even if we take a few detours from that path along the way.
Spurgeon: “…nothing is concealed from thee, nor surprising to thee, nor misunderstood by thee. Our paths may be habitual or accidental, open or secret, but with them all the Most Holy One is well acquainted. This should fill us with awe, so that we sin not; with courage, so that we fear not; with delight, so that we mourn not.”
Psa. 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
David knew that God knows us even better than we know ourselves. He is omniscient; He knows everything. He even knows every word that we are going to say before we know it ourselves. Nothing we do or say surprises the Lord.
This is both a comforting and unsettling truth. The comfort comes from knowing that despite His knowledge of me, He loves me unconditionally. Unsettling is the fact that I sure wish I could take back so many words that have escaped my lips.
Psa. 139:5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
This is a statement of David’s faith in God’s protective hand upon His life. He knows that nothing can touch Him unless God so chooses to allow it. Because God is love, we can be sure that He will allow nothing to touch His child that is not for good. This truth was proclaimed by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Psa. 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
The Hebrew for the word high states, “especially inaccessible, by implication, safe and strong.” I certainly identify with David’s thought. Even though I can accept the truth stated in God’s word, I certainly don’t always understand it. It’s just beyond my understanding. I liked the inclusion of the words safe and strong. Even though I may not be able to truly understand God, I can certainly trust Him. God’s character ensures that the person of faith has nothing to fear from what he may not understand about God’s truth. He can be confident that God only operates from a righteous, compassionate and loving character. I can’t help but be reminded of the words of the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Psa. 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Psa. 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Psa. 139:9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Psa. 139:10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
The first thing I notice in this section of verses is that David is making a direct connection with God’s Spirit and His presence. They are inseparable. The point David is making is that he knows that there is nowhere he can go to hide from God. In fact, there is nowhere he can go where God is not with him. As one who has trusted God for his salvation, David knows that God is always ready to provide him direction and protection.
As Christians, we are so blessed to know that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us and is always with us.
1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
Romans 8:9–11 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his….But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
As I continue to think about verses 8-9, I get a picture of God’s mercy. We believers are sure of God’s direction and protection when we are on the high road of obedience (ascending to heaven and taking the wings of the morning so to speak), but God is faithful to His own even when we choose to rebel and disobey (make our bed in hell or dwell in the depths of the sea so to speak). He is faithful to rebuke, chasten and forgive.
Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”
Hebrews 12:6-8 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”
1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Psa. 139:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Psa. 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
David is expressing something that we all must think sometimes if we are honest about our actions. We think that God won’t notice this one thing; after all, “I’m not important; I’m just one among billions,” “no one can see me,” or “nobody knows me here.” David knew the truth—You cannot hide from God. Everything we do is as if we were surrounded by neon flashing signs. To God’s eyes, there is no such thing as night or darkness. He sees us just as well at night as in day and in dark as in light.
Psa. 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
“possessed” = to erect, i.e. create; by extension, to procure, especially by purchase…..redeem
This is a very precious verse. Every individual is specifically created by God in the mother’s womb—a place that God intended as a place of protection for the developing person. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David is also telling us that every individual’s redemption has been provided for as well. Even though Jesus wouldn’t die on the cross for another thousand years or so, in the mind of God that redemption was sure before the foundation of the world.
1Peter 1:18-20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you….”
Psa. 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
The Hebrew for the word praise includes worship and thanksgiving. We worship and give thanks to God for many reasons. In this particular psalm, David is focused on how God loves him and has such concern for him from the moment of creation in his mother’s womb to intimate involvement throughout his life. The Hebrew for fearfully indicates to revere as well as to cause fear. This seems to be a statement regarding the value that God places on human life. “Wonderfully made” is a phrase that indicates the uniqueness of man in the creation and the amazing way in which our body functions. To describe God’s creative skills as marvelous is a reference to the miraculous intricate design of our being. Only in this twentieth century are we beginning to get a glimpse of just how miraculous and unique our bodies are with the unlocking of the DNA database that is unique to every individual. David may not be able to understand it all, but he certainly knows how to appreciate the results. The word soul is a reference to the true person of David that is housed in this magnificently designed body.
Courson: “Did you know that your eyes can distinguish between eight million different colors, that your ears can hear between 300,000 and 400,000 different tones, that every day, your body produces one billion red blood cells.” And that just a few of the amazing facts concerning how our body functions!
Psa. 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
This verse is confusing at first. The Hebrew for lowest parts included a reference to the “womb, figuratively.” I think this is David’s poetic expression coming out. Since we are made of the dust of the ground, the womb would picture the “lowest part” of the woman’s being. “Curiously wrought” is a reference to embroidery and needlework, which I think is a reference to the exacting care and attention given to the design of our being. It would also be a reference to the uniqueness of each individual.
If possible, I am even more overwhelmed than before as I think of the God of the universe keeping intimate tabs on each one of His children to the point of knowing their thoughts before they do and at the same time giving special attention to the formation of every new human. It’s interesting that the word substance was chosen. It’s a reference to the raw material used in the creation, which we know consists of the merging of an egg from the woman and sperm from the man.
Psa. 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
The Hebrew for unperfect is a reference to the “embryo, the unformed mass.” When God looked at that embryo, He already had the blueprint recorded that would eventually result in David; that is true for every baby that is born. As that baby continues to develop, God ensures that he/she develops exactly according to His recorded blueprint. The Spirit through David makes express note that this blueprint exists before even one identifiable part of the baby is formed.
It truly grieves my heart to see how little respect our culture gives to these special creations. It is the ultimate in selfishness to decide that one’s comfort or convenience is more valuable or important than to honor the life that God has created in the womb. The question begs as to why God allows this to continue. One thing of which I am sure is that The Righteous Judge to Whom vengeance belongs will administer justice. The sad thing is that once we get to the point of thinking we have the right to determine who should have the right to be born or not, we are well on the way down the path to determining who should be allowed to live or die according to our assessment of their quality of life (and our current culture reflects that truth) or of their benefit to society. That is an authority that only God possesses. Once we position ourselves as “gods” regarding the value of life, we have effectively done away with our need to recognize His authority in any area.
As I read this again, I thought of God’s declaration that Israel would not be given the land until the sins of the Amorites were “full” (Genesis 15:16). God’s long-suffering with sin is tied to His desire that all men come to Him in faith and repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
As I look at the cultures prevalent in the world today, I tend to think that sin is approaching the “full” point at which God is going to destroy sinners and give the earth to His people under the rule of His Son.
Psa. 139:17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Psa. 139:18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
I think you have to read both of these verses together to get the best understanding. I remember thinking early on that David was describing his thoughts about the LORD. The context of this psalm makes it clear that David is describing God’s thoughts about him. The fact that he numbers them as more than the grains of sand is a commentary on how strong David’s faith in God’s love for him was. I do think there is a legitimate connection to David’s thoughts toward God as well in the last part of verse 18. It seems as if David is saying that when he goes to sleep, he is focused on his relationship to God (implied by the word still); and when he wakes up, his first thoughts are about God. I can honestly say that I have grown in relationship to the point that I can make that same statement. My desire is to grow to the point that my every thought, word, and deed is made with reference to His presence in my life and how it glorifies Him.
Psa. 139:19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
Psa. 139:20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
I am sometimes surprised at how abruptly the Psalmist seems to change the directions of his thoughts. At one moment he is praising God and thanking Him, and then he turns his thoughts to his enemies, who are most often equated to God’s enemies. That’s foreign to my type of thinking. David, however, was a warrior, and much of his life was spent defending himself from his enemies. Because he considered himself a man of God, he naturally associated his enemies with God’s enemies. I think David’s actions many times reflect the truth that he expected God to act or to give him specific direction to act on his behalf against his enemies—whether Saul or even his own son. He seemed to desire to align his battlefield activities according to God’s direction—his treatment of Uriah being an obvious exception. David’s respect for life ties in directly with his understanding of the worth that God places on each individual through the care that He takes in the creation of that person. In Saul’s case, in particular, he knew that he was dealing with a man that was God’s anointed. Even though he knew he had been anointed by God to succeed Saul, he knew that he should respect God’s authority as to when and how that succession would be effected.
In reading several other translations, this verse is worded more as a desire on David’s part that God would just go ahead and destroy all the wicked people that caused him such grief since these same people showed their disdain for God, especially by using His name so flippantly and profanely.
Psa. 139:21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
Psa. 139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
In these verses David is expressing his love and honor for the LORD. He was expressing his extreme hatred for the enemies of God as a reflection of his love for his LORD. It seems to be clarifying his thoughts in the previous verses. Anyone who is an enemy of God is an enemy of David. It’s like a son professing his love and commitment to his father by rejecting fellowship or refusing to have compassion on anyone who would show his father disrespect of any kind.
I couldn’t help but think of the LORD’s teaching that we should love our enemies. It would seem in these verses that David had no understanding of that concept. The key difference is that David lived in a time that was functioning under the law. It took Jesus, God in flesh, to come and example and teach us the true intent of the law. We are to hate the sin but love the sinner.
David was jealous for God’s honor, and one of the best ways he could express that was to express hatred for those who did not honor God as he did. Jesus is jealous for the honor of His Father as well, and He expressed that jealousy by throwing the moneychangers out of the temple in defense of that honor. Jesus, however, primarily came to reveal the character of God and to provide redemption for wicked, sinful man. His desire was to bring more people into relationship with Himself. He exampled a lifestyle that expressed concern for the sinner through humility and forgiveness without regard to self, and He taught that to honor Him we should follow that example.
Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psa. 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
After expressing the desire for God to destroy the wicked, David begins to look introspectively. He loves his LORD, and truly desires to live his life in obedience to and respect for Him. He invites God to search his heart again. If God finds any wicked thoughts or desires, his prayer is for the LORD to direct his thoughts and desires according to the straight way that aligns with God’s way. He is looking forward to a relationship with the LORD that will never end.
Spurgeon: “We cannot hide our sin: salvation lies the other way, in a plain discovery of evil, and an effectual severance from it.