Senior Class Notes – January 15, 2023

Winter 2022-2023 Unit 1 Special focus – Valued by God – Psalm 139:1-10, 13-16 PSG p. 82-91.

January 15, 2023 – Please read the article “This child, These Children” PSG p. 92-95.

The Point: God values life and we should too.

Inspirational Verse: “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel. Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” (Isaiah 43:1).

Psalm 139:1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. KEY WORD: Known – Being known to the Lord in this verse suggests an intimate relationship between Creator and His creation. The Lord discerns everything about His own.⁴⁰ Psalm 139 is an amazing expression of God’s loving familiarity with David and David’s unrelenting devotion in return. David’s description of God’s awareness of his life might be off-putting for many people.¹⁶ The Hebrew verbs can be interpreted as timeless truth: “you search me and you know me.” God’s attributes are not restricted to time.¹⁵ David began with a simple declaration: thou hast searched me, and known me. This knowledge includes David’s faults and his strengths, his sin and his nobility.¹⁸ Addressing the all-knowing God, the psalmist notes that he has been searched (Hebrew chagar), which originally meant to dig, a word applied to the search for precious metals (Job 28:3) but here metaphorically used of a moral inquisition. Yet it must be remembered that although we search God’s word and world to know about Him, He intuitively knows us.¹²

Psalm 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. The words known, understandest, compassest, and be acquainted speak of God’s omniscience.¹⁵ God also knows about each of us. No part of our psyche, no piece of our personal history, no secret longing or hidden sin or private behavior escapes the awareness of God.¹⁸ The psalmist admits, Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising. Every move he makes is observed by the Lord God. Thou understandest my thought afar off, i.e., before it is fully formed.¹² Psalm 139 is an amazing expression of God’s loving familiarity with David and David’s unrelenting devotion in return. David’s description of God’s awareness of his life might be off-putting for many people. God is watching when the psalmist wakes up (mine uprising), goes to bed (my lying down), sits down (my downsitting). God knows every word David says and thinks (thou understandest my thought afar off).¹⁶

Psalm 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. The word compassest come from the Hebrew root zarah, which means “measure.” The Hebrew word for ways does not necessarily denote literal walking but daily behavior.¹⁵ Zarah literally means to sift or winnow. God is so intimately aware of all our ways that He has literally sifted our seconds to insure our well-being.¹² God is watching when the psalmist wakes up, goes to bed, sits down, and gets up. He knows every word David says and thinks.¹⁶ God is aware of every part of our lives – even what seems mundane or ordinary. His knowledge is total, complete, and comprehensive.¹⁸

Psalm 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Our thoughts are not hidden from him. We may try to hide our feelings or fail to express our emotions. We may lock our mouths shut, keeping our thoughts to ourselves. But God is more aware of our motives and passions, our jealousies and pettiness, our selfishness and our unselfishness than even we ourselves are aware of.¹⁸ If the omniscience of God allows Him to know our thoughts even before they are developed in our mind, why should we think that He does not know our words even before they are formed by our tongues?¹²

Psalm 139:5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. KEY WORDS: Beset me behind and before – The Lord provides complete protection of His own. He goes behind and before, thus giving 360-degree protection from all threats.⁴⁰ “Behind us there is God recording our sins, or in grace blotting out the remembrance of them; and before us there is God foreknowing all our deeds, and providing for all our wants. We cannot turn back and so escape Him, for He is behind; we cannot go forward and outmarch Him, for He is before” – Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. The treasury of David. Six vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1950.¹² God’s omnipresence guarantees protection. God’s hand upon me denotes absolute control over the psalmist who was subject to the Lord’s loving care and discipline.¹⁵ The purpose of God’s intimate knowledge of His servants is protective and helpful, not judgmental and condemning.¹⁷ How does David feel about the close scrutiny of God? It depends on how one interprets his comments. When he writes of being beset, both behind and before, and of having the hand of God upon him, does he feel restricted? Protected? Is he describing futile attempts to carve out a little personal time and space for himself? Or is he speculating about the unlimited ability of God to watch over him wherever he might find himself – heights or depths, day or night, one side of the sea or the other?¹⁶

Psalm 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. David’s musings have shown him that the omnipresence of God is both too lofty and too wonderful for him to absorb. David’s use of the term wonderful is not what modern English speakers might assume. David uses this word in the sense of wondrous or miraculous – beyond human comprehension.¹⁶ Having been made aware of the wonderful omniscience of Jehovah, the palmist must humbly admit, Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. To be aware that Jehovah knows everything about the psalmist is knowledge that surpasses his comprehension, and even his imagination.¹² God’s attributes of omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence are beyond human comprehension.¹⁵ The comparative attributes of God contrast human abilities with the divine nature. Everyone has some knowledge, but only God has all knowledge (omniscience). Everyone has presence, but only God has presence at all times everywhere (omnipresence). Every person has some degree of power, but only God has unlimited power (omnipotence).¹³

Omnipotence [om NIP oh tunce]: a theological term that refers to the all-encompassing power of God. The almighty God expects human beings to obey Him, and He holds them responsible for their thoughts and actions. He is the all-powerful Lord who has created all things and sustains them by the Word of His power (Gen. 1:1-3; Heb. 1:3).²⁴
Omnipresence [om nih PRES ence]: a theological term that refers to the unlimited nature of God or His ability to be everywhere at all times. God is not like the manufactured idols of ancient cultures that were limited to one alter or temple area. God reveals Himself in the Bible as the Lord who is everywhere. God was present as Lord in all creation (Psalm 139:7-12), and there is no escaping Him.²⁴
Omniscience [om NISH unce]: a theological term that refers to God’s superior knowledge and wisdom, His power to know all things. God is the Lord who knows our thoughts from afar. He is acquainted with all our ways, knowing our words even before they are on our tongues (Psalm 139:1-6, 13-16). He needs to consult no one for knowledge or understanding (Is. 40:13-14). He is the all-knowing Lord who prophesies the events of the future, including the death and resurrection of His Son (Isaiah 53) and the return of Christ at the end of this age when death will be finally overcome (Rom. 8:18-39; 1 Cor. 15:51-57).²⁴

God’s omniscience: He is the God who knows. He knows everything that has happened and will happen. He understands all of nature perfectly. In fact He knows everything there is to know. God knows so much that it would be impossible to overstate what He knows. God knows all of our thoughts, motives, and deeds. God knows us better than we know our ourselves. We are all uneasy with the fact that God knows us so well. Like Adam and Eve, we fear the exposure of our sin.¹⁷

Psalm 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? The psalmist could not remove himself from the realm of God’s transcendence, nor could he run from God’s immanent and personal engagement with him (Jer. 23:24; Amos 9:2-4; Heb. 4:13). The concept is both frightening and comforting.¹⁵Transcendence: the quality or state of being transcendent – extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience.²² Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Here, the transition is made from God’s omniscience to God’s omnipresence. Whither shall I flee from thy presence?¹² Jonah learned the hard way (Jonah 1:3,17) that to flee from the presence of the Lord is to attempt the impossible since God is everywhere (Omnipresence).¹⁵

Psalm 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. KEY WORD: Hell – Literally translated as “Sheol,” was the Hebrew place of the unseen and unknown. It was the abode of the dead. It was the rest place of departed spirits.⁴⁰ The Old Testament acknowledges God’s ability to access hell because He is sovereign (Job 26:5; Amos 9:2), but banishment to the underworld removes a person from God’s blessing (Psalm 6:5; Eccl. 9:10).¹⁵ The psalmist is theorizing in his own mind what Jonah had learned in fact. When Jonah sought to flee from the presence of God, he found himself to be more perceptibly and redemptively in His presence (cf. Jer. 23:24). The psalmist says, If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. Man can certainly not escape the divine presence by ascending into the heaven of heavens. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Descending into the lowest imaginable depths of the dead, then spreading his mat for a bed (a very unlikely possibility), will not alleviate either the comfort or concern that the psalmist has for the presence of God.¹²

Psalm 139:9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; The word morning alludes to the east, and sea stands for the west, encompassing the whole land.¹⁵ If I take the wings of the morning, perhaps a metaphorical reference to sunbeams, morning clouds, or even the incalculable velocity of light, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, the area between the heavens and hell.¹²

Psalm 139:10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. The Lord’s authority extends beyond the cosmos, and His sovereignty recognizes no limits. Every human being is under the power, protection, and authority of God.¹⁵ Nonetheless even there shall thy hand lead me. God is magnificently present wherever we are.¹²

Psalm 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. KEY WORDS: Covered me – Can also be translated as “knit” or “wove.” The psalmist described himself as a beautiful work of art fashioned by the Creator God.⁴⁰ Humankind is the Lord’s possession and His creation (Gen. 14:19, 22; Deut. 32:6). Reins (“kidneys”) often denote the seat of emotion or affection (Psalm 16:7; 73:21; Job 19:27).¹⁵ Having addressed God’s Omniscience (verses 1-6) and Omnipresence (verses 7-12), the psalmist now turns his attention to God’s Omnipotence (verses 13-18). For thou hast possessed my reins. The ancient Hebrews regarded the reins as the seat of sensation and feeling, as well as that of desire and longing (Psalm 73:21; Job 16:13; 19:27). The Hebrew word kilyah literally signifies the kidneys, but it is poetically used of the inner nature generally (Psalm 16:7; Jer. 20:12). God knows and has power over our innermost personality. Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. The Hebrew word sakak here rendered cover means properly to interweave; to weave; to knit together, and the literal translation would be, “thou hast woven me in my mother’s womb,” meaning that God had put his parts together as one who weaves cloth, or who makes a basket. The weaving of the bones, tissue, and organs of the fetal unborn are under the control and guardianship of God.¹²

Psalm 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 expression “wonderfully made – Hebrew palah) expresses in rapturous delight the psalmist praises of God for His marvelous creation of each person. This word palah means “to distinguish, separate, set apart,” and therefore expresses the uniqueness of each individual.¹⁹ The expression wonderfully made is a forceful rendering of the text. God’s creation testifies to His power and majesty (Romans 1:20).¹⁵ The phrase fearfully and wonderfully made affirms the value of all human life; we are each God’s sacred handiwork.¹⁸ There is cause to praise Jehovah, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The wonderfulness of the human body is so great that those who study the cells of the brain, the articulation of the limbs, or the smooth function of the body organs stand in awe at how wonderful this creation of God really is. In honesty, every student of the human anatomy must say to God, marvellous are thy works.¹²

Psalm 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. The substantial part of a man’s being, i.e., the bones which make up his frame, may not be visible to the naked eye; but it is certainly not hidden from the eyes of God. He has power over the formation of the skeletal body while it is yet in the womb. It is being formed in secret and is curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, a poetic reference to the womb.¹² The phrase lowest parts of the earth is normally associated with death (Psalm 63:9; Ezek. 26:20), but here it is figurative for the concealment of the womb.¹⁵ All of our veins, muscles, nerves, etc., were woven together by God, embroidered with great skill, before the world got its first look at us.¹²

Psalm 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 word substance (Hebrew gōlem) is not the same as the word substance in verse 15. This is the only usage of the word in the Bible. The word means anything that is rolled together as a ball, a wrapped and unformed mass. Most scholars understand it to mean the fetus or the embryo in the womb. The psalmist is saying that the omnipotence of God guided the very formation of life in the womb, that life being yet an unperfect or unformed embryonic mass, yet in continuance for in the course of time was being fashioned daily in fetal form.¹² The concept of the Lord’s book that records the existence of all human beings reinforces God’s sovereignty over life and death (Psalm 69:28; Exod. 32:32-33). In thy book: The idea is that all human beings, and the structure and meaning of each person’s life, are all established from the beginning by God.¹⁷ In the mind of God, poetically referred to as the book of God, the blueprint for life is clearly charted, so that from the very moment of conception, God begins to fashion the members of the body, even before they are recognizable.¹²

References: Winter 2022-2023, December 4, 2022 – February 26, 2023

(CWB) – Commentary on the Whole Bible by Matthew Henry – Marshall, Morgan & Scott, Ltd. Copyright © 1960. Copyright 1961 by Zondervan Publishing House – Grand Rapids, Michigan.
(ESVSB) – The English Standard Version Study Bible, Personal size. Copyright © 2008 by Crossway. Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway.
(ETB) – Explore The Book by J Sidlow Baxter. Copyright © 1960 by J. Sidlow Baxter. Published 1960 by Zondervan Publishing House – Grand Rapids, Michigan.
(HISB) – The Holman Illustrated Study Bible – The Holman Illustrated Study Bible Copyright © 2006 by Holman Bible Publishers. The Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers.
(HRTB) He Reads Truth Bible Copyright © 2019 by Holman Bible Publishers Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Based on the Christian Standard Bible Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
(IMO) – On occasion, with the prayerful guidance of the Holy Spirit, I will make comments of my own, based on my understanding of the events. I will indicate such times with – In My O
(KJBC) – The King James Bible Commentary, Copyright © 1999 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. ©1983 by Old-Time Gospel Hour. Scripture quotations are from the Open Bible, King James version, © 1975 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
(KJSB) – The King James Study Bible, (previously published as The Liberty Annotated Study Bible and as The Annotated Study Bible, King James Version) © 1988 by Liberty University.
(LESB) Life Essentials Study Bible Copyright © 2019 by Holman Bible Publishers Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Based on the Christian Standard Bible Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
(NCBD) – The Nelson’s Compact Bible Dictionary Copyright © 2004 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. with Scripture Quotations from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
(NIDNTT) – The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology Copyright © 1967, 1969, 1971 by Theologisher Verlag Rolf Brockhaus, Wuppertal. English Language edition Volume 1 Copyright © 1975, 1986, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A. and The Paternoster Press, Ltd. Exeter, Devon, U.K.
(NIVBTSB) – The New International Version Biblical Theology Study Bible Copyright © 2018 by The Zondervan Corporation. Text from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. previously published as The New International Version Zondervan Study Bible.
(NIVCBSB) – The New International Version Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Copyright © 2016 by The Zondervan Corporation text from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. published by the Zondervan Corporation.
(NIVJSB) – The New International Version Jeremiah Study Bible, Copyright © 2016 by David Jeremiah, Inc. Using the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan.
(NIVLASB) – The New International Version Life Application Study Bible, Hardcover Edition. Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton Il. 60189. Hardcover editions are published by Tyndale house.
(NIVMEB) – The New International Version Ministry Essentials Bible, Copyright © 2014 by Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC. Based on The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
(NIVSB) – The New International Version Study Bible Copyright © 1985 by the Zondervan Corporation text from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the New York International Bible Society.®
(NIVSB #2) – The New International Version Study Bible Copyright © 1985, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2011, 2020 by Zondervan Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546, USA. text from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.®
(NIVZSB) – The New International Version Zondervan Study Bible Copyright © 2015 by the Zondervan Corporation. Text from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
(NKJVBGTCB) – The New King James Version Billy Graham Training Center Bible © 2004 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. with Scripture Quotations from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright © 1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
(NKJVSB) – Holman Study Bible, New King James Version Edition Copyright © 2013 by Holman Bible Publishers Nashville, Tn. Text from the New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
(PSG) – Bible Studies For life – King James Version Adults Personal Study Guide Winter 2022-2023 Volume 10, Number 2.
(QNBD) – Quick Notes Bible Dictionary based on text from the King James Version of the Bible and cross referenced with the NIV and NRSV Bibles. Copyright © 1998 by George W. Knight and Rayburn W. Ray.
(SEC) – Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Dictionaries of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Testament words. Copyright © 1890 by James Strong. Based on the King James Version of the Bible.
(TDNT) – Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
(THBC) – Today’s Handbook of Bible Characters Copyright © 1979 by E.M. Blaiklock, published by Bethany House Publishers.
(TMEB) – The Ministry Essential Bible © 2014 by Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC P.O. Box 3473 Peabody, Massachusetts 01961-3473.
(TZPEB) – The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, copyright © 1975, 1976 by the Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan
(WIKI) Wikipedia – internet source.