"God's Complete Knowledge
and Care"
Psalm 13_1_18
Good News Translation (GNT)
"HEBREW TITLE:
A psalm by David."
*************************
1 Lord, you have examined me and you
know me.
2 You know everything I do; from far away you
understand all my thoughts.
3 You see me, whether I am working or resting;
you know all my actions.
4 Even before I speak, you already know what
I will say.
5 You are all around me on every side; you
protect me with your power.
6 Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is
beyond my understanding.
7 Where could I go to escape from you?
Where could I get away from your presence?
8 If I went up to heaven, if I lay down in the
world of the dead, you would be there.
9 If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the
farthest place in the west,
10 you would be there to lead me, you would be
there to help me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me or the
light around me to turn into night
12 but even darkness is not dark for you, and the
night is as bright as the day. Darkness and
light are the same to you.
13 You created every part of me; you put me
together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because you are to be feared;
all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it
with all my heart.
15 When my bones were being formed, carefully
put together in my mother's womb, when I was
growing there in secret, you knew that I was
there -
16 you saw me before I was born. The days
allotted to me had all been recorded in your
book, before any of them ever began.
17 O God, how difficult I find your thoughts; [b]
how many of them there are!
18 If I counted them, they would be more than
the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still
with you.
Footnotes
Psalm 139:17 how difficult I find your thoughts;
or
how precious are your thoughts to me.
*************************
Commentary taken from 'word-on-the-web'
supplied by Scripture Union
'God's Complete Knowledge and Care'
Imagine a world in which we all carry TV monitors on our heads broadcasting, in real time, our every thought.
The difference between this and Facebook or Twitter is that there would be no control whatsoever over what appeared on the screen.
If we thought it, it would appear (not so different!).
Would people feel the same way about us if they knew our every thought?
God's knowledge of us is complete (vs 1-4), even to the extent of knowing what is coming next (v 4).
His omnipresence means he is able to chart our every move in time and space (vs 7-10).
It's beyond our ability to comprehend (v 6) and could be very scary;
reminding me of the framed verse on my grandmother's wall, 'Thou God seest me' (Genesis 16:13, AV)!
There is no hiding place from God; no dark corners where people can plot undetected
(vs 11,12).
It goes further.
The Lord's knowledge stems back before birth
(v 15, a verse used to establish the value of a foetus).
He also oversees the unknown future (v 16).
Many might choose to snub us if they knew a quarter of this truth.
David finds this level of knowledge overwhelmingly reassuring.
Knowledge and power like this in the wrong hands could wreak havoc.
In the Lord's hands it is a cause for confidence and sustenance;
his presence a constant source of protection and peace.
The psalm takes an unexpected turn
at verse 19 -
but if you know an all-powerful, loving and protective Lord, who oversees your life for good and will never leave or forsake you, what would you feel about evil?
You would hate it.
Anything that would disrupt this relationship or undermine this God would be an enemy.
The proper response is openness, humility and repentance
Other versions are available here
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