Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
1) The key word for this psalm is “know”. God knows us (verses 1, 2, 4, 6, and 23) and the psalmist knows how wonderful God’s works are (verse 14). What did it mean for David that God truly knew him?
2) Verses 19-22 can be unsettling and seem out of place in this psalm. What is David trying to say in this section?
3) David is described as a man after God’s own heart. How does this psalm illustrate that? How can be learn from David’s example in our pursuit of God?
Psalm 139
1 Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
you understand my thoughts from far away.
3 You observe my travels and my rest;
you are aware of all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue,
you know all about it, Lord.
5 You have encircled me;
you have placed your hand on me.
6 This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,
10 even there your hand will lead me;
your right hand will hold on to me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”—
12 even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to you.
13 For it was you who created my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise you
because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.
Your works are wondrous,
and I know this very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in your book and planned
before a single one of them began.
17 God, how precious your thoughts are to me;
how vast their sum is!
18 If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
when I wake up, I am still with you.
19 God, if only you would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me—
20 who invoke you deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by you falsely.
21 Lord, don’t I hate those who hate you,
and detest those who rebel against you?
22 I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.
Original Intent
1) The key word for this psalm is “know”. God knows us (verses 1, 2, 4, 6, and 23) and the psalmist knows how wonderful God’s works are (verse 14). What did it mean for David that God truly knew him?
David uses vivid language to capture how God knew him. When we read about David’s life, it’s easy to see how he might have felt unknown. When we first meet David in 1 Samuel 16, his family didn’t even think to call him when the prophet Samuel visited them. “He’s the youngest and least important, surely the prophet doesn’t seek David,” they thought. Then when David came to his brothers during the standoff between Goliath and Israel, David’s eldest brother rebuked him saying, “Why did you come down here? …I know your arrogance and your evil heart—you came down to see the battle!” (1 Samuel 17:28) But David’s brother didn’t know his heart. He was unknown among his family, yet David understood that God truly knew him better than any human ever could. He took comfort in God’s knowing of him and found his identity in the love and protection of God.
2) Verses 19-22 can be unsettling and seem out of place in this psalm. What is David trying to say in this section?
As discussed in question 1, David praises and recognizes how God knows him. In return, David knows God’s character. He proclaims, “Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.” (verse 14) David understands God’s holiness and displays righteous anger against evil and sin. He knows not to befriend the wicked, but to hate their sinful ways. God desired His people, Israel, to be distinct and set apart from the pagan culture they lived in. Throughout the Scriptures that narrate David’s life, we see him be obedient to God’s call to wipe out the evil from among the Israelites in order to fully pursue the one true God, Yahweh.
3) David is described as a man after God’s own heart. How does this psalm illustrate that? How can be learn from David’s example in our pursuit of God?David ends this psalm with two famous verses that truly illustrate his love for God. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” (verses 23-24) David recognizes that God knows him, but he takes it a step further: search me, test me, find any offense in me. David isn’t complacent in his relationship with God. He is consistently pursuing righteousness and asks God to remove sin from his life. Not only that, he knows that he can’t do it on his own. He asks God to lead him in the everlasting way.
Everyday Application
1) The key word for this psalm is “know”. God knows us (verses 1, 2, 4, 6, and 23) and the psalmist knows how wonderful God’s works are (verse 14). What did it mean for David that God truly knew him?
Have you ever felt unknown? Maybe, like David, your family discounts you. Perhaps you feel unrecognized at work. Maybe it seems like no one understands what you’re going through. Even in the midst of feeling unknown, we can take comfort in David’s words. “You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me.” (verse 5) God knows everything about us. Not only does God know us, God is with us. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. When you are feeling unknown and misunderstood, remember these truths: God knows you, Jesus died for you, and the Holy Spirit is with you.
2) Verses 19-22 can be unsettling and seem out of place in this psalm. What is David trying to say in this section?
Do we display the same zeal for the holiness of God as David does in these verses? Our culture is guilty of valuing some of God’s characteristics over others. We love to focus on God’s love, but like to ignore His holiness and demand for justice. Do we hate when God and Jesus are attacked? Does it pain us to hear the church slandered? Jesus calls his followers to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). However, loving our enemies doesn’t mean joining them in their sin. Instead, Jesus continually calls us to pursue righteousness in the midst of persecution from our enemies (Matthew 5:3-11).
3) David is described as a man after God’s own heart. How does this psalm illustrate that? How can be learn from David’s example in our pursuit of God?When was the last time you prayed a prayer like David’s? Have you asked God to point out your sin lately? To be honest, I’m a little afraid to pray that prayer because I’m afraid of what He’ll point out. Recognizing and dealing with our sin can be painful, but ultimately leads us to Jesus. When we ask God to search our hearts, when we get real with Jesus, when we seek the way everlasting, God is faithful to meet us there. David asks God to lead him in the everlasting way because he is confident that God will be faithful to do just that. Like David, we can trust God to meet us where we are and lead us deeper into righteousness through sanctification.
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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