Living before the One who Knows

Living Before the One Who Knows (Psalm 139)

God knows you totally and is always there. The psalmist was both comforted and disturbed by that most basic truth. That God knows me through and through is fearful when I live with guilt and sin. That God knows me totally is comforting when I live in His grace through Christ. Either way, He is the "Hound of Heaven," who is always there and always knows.

God Knows You with a Total Knowledge

The emphasis and stress rests on God exclusively, not man. The great "I AM" is the one who knows you.

God knows you with intensify. His knowledge is not passive. It is searching, penetrating, and disturbing. He searches you with a minute examination. He discerns you like a man sifting grain (v. 3). He hems you in like a besieging army (v. 5). His knowledge of you is active.

God knows you comprehensively. He knows both the active and also the passive side of your life. Your daily habits are open to Him. In activity we forget Him, but He always knows us.

God knows you mentally. He knows a thought from a distance (v. 2). The great space between heaven and earth does not deter His knowledge. Before you can firm up what you are saying, God knows every word (v. 4).

Reflect carefully on your typical day in light of God's knowledge of your words and deeds.

You Cannot Escape the God Who Knows You

There is no place of escape. There is no height so high or depth so low that He is not already there. God in Christ has invaded even the unseen world of the dead (1 Pet. 3). There is no direction, east or west, up or down, to escape Him.

There is no speed of escape. If you could travel at the speed of light (v. 9), you would only meet the God who created light.

There is no circumstance of escape. Men hide from one another in darkness (vv. 11-12). To God the very darkness is like light.

Do you seek escape from God by workaholism, substance abuse, or hedonism?

You Should Respond with All Awe and Submission

The appropriate response to God is one of awe. We should be baffled by His knowledge that is inaccessible (v. 6). The appropriate response to God is one of submission (vv. 22-24). The psalmist invites God to know him, to reveal His deepest secrets to him, and to lead him to everlasting life.

The God who knows you invites you to "be honest to God."