his thoughts

December 26, 2015

Yahweh will defeat the wicked (Ps 139:19-139:24)

“O that you would kill the wicked!

O God!

Then the bloodthirsty

Would depart from me!

Those who speak of you maliciously

Would depart from me!

Those who lift themselves up against you for evil

Would depart from me!

Do I not hate those who hate you?

Yahweh!

Do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

I hate them with perfect hatred.

I count them my enemies.

Search me!

O God!

Know my heart!

Test me!

Know my thoughts!

See if there is any wicked way in me!

Lead me in the way everlasting!”

This psalm ends on a bitter note. David asked Yahweh to kill the wicked ones. They are the bloodthirsty, malicious, and evil ones who should depart from David. They were his enemies. He hated those who hated Yahweh. He loathed those who were against Yahweh. In fact, David had perfect hatred for his enemies. Finally, David recognized that he might have a fault. He wanted God to search and test him, know his heart and his thoughts. If there was anything wicked in him, he wanted to be led into the eternal everlasting way. So while he recognized the evil in others, he was also aware of his own shortcomings.

December 26, 2015

Yahweh knows all things (Ps 139:1-139:6)

To the choirmaster leader, a psalm of David

“Yahweh!

You have searched me!

You have known me!

You know

When I sit down.

You know

When I rise up.

You discern my thoughts from far away.

You search out my path.

You search out my lying down.

You are acquainted with all my ways.

Yahweh!

Even before a word is on my tongue,

You know it completely.

You hem me in,

Behind and before.

You lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.

It is so high

That I cannot attain it.”

Psalm 139 is a choral psalm or song of David, as the title indicates. This prayer for deliverance emphasizes the great knowledge of Yahweh. Yahweh truly knew David. He knew when he sat down or rose up. He knew his thoughts from far away. He knew when he was walking or lying down. He knew all about his ways. He knew what he was going to say before David said it, so that David felt hemmed in on all sides. The hand of Yahweh was on him. Yahweh’s knowledge was so wonderfully high that David could not attain it.