Finding Comfort and Joy in the Lord's Omniscience (Psalm 139)

Psalm 139 is an inspired reflection upon an aspect of God’s nature sometimes called omniscience, literally, the state of knowing all things. It stands to reason that if God knows all things, then He knows everything there is to know about me and any idea I have of personal privacy is an illusion. If that thought troubles you, then you’re not alone; it appears that it also troubled the author of this Psalm. Let’s consider though how the Psalmist’s desire for freedom gave way to a confident faith by considering five steps he took in understanding omniscience: realization, reaction, reflection, resolution, and relation.  

Realization (Psalm 139:1-4) – The Psalm opens with the Psalmist saying to God, “You have searched me and known me” (Psalm 139:1). Well, what does it mean for an omniscient God to know me? It means He knows my rest (“my sitting down”), my activity (“my rising up”), and my thoughts even before I know them (“my thought afar off”) (Psalm 139:2). It means He knows where I will go (“my path”), where I will stop (“my lying down”), and how I will behave in any situation (“all my ways”) (Psalm 139:3). It means He knows what I am going to say before a word even forms on my tongue (Psalm 139:4). Yes, if God “knows all things” (1 John 3:20), then He knows everything there is to know about me.

Reaction (Psalm 139:5-7) – Privacy is closely related to liberty for many, so it’s not surprising that the Psalmist’s initial reaction to what he’s realized is to feel trapped. The word translated “hedged” (Psalm 139:5) is almost always used in a negative sense in Scripture and refers to being besieged, tied up, or compressed. In fact, in Hebrew, adding a prefix meaning “in” to the word forms the word for “distress.” The Psalmist sees God’s knowledge as being inescapable and insurmountable (Psalm 139:6), and effectively asks, “Where could I go where God is not?” (Psalm 139:7).

Reflection (Psalm 139:8-13) – The Psalmist’s reaction gives way to a period of reflection upon the question he asks in Psalm 139:7. Though the question seems to have been asked in dismay, the Psalmist’s reflections quickly turn to delight as he realizes that God’s omniscience, combined with His omnipresence (all-encompassing nature) and omnipotence (all-powerful nature), is actually a good thing for him. The Psalmist realizes that he can’t escape God by flying to heaven even if he could, but then quickly realizes that he also can’t escape God by descending to the depths of “hell,” or sheol, the grave (Psalm 139:8). Since death and the grave are man’s enemies (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:26), one wonders if the Psalmist paused his writing here to say, “Thank God!” As he continues, he notes that since there is no distance that God cannot cross (Psalm 139:9) and no darkness that His gaze cannot penetrate (Psalm 139:11-12), there is never a reason to despair. God’s hand was not upon him to hedge him in (Psalm 139:5) but rather to lead him and even to hold him when needed (Psalm 139:10). The almighty God who knew him (Psalm 139:1) had also created him (Psalm 139:13) and had been with him every day since.

Resolution (Psalm 139:14-18) – A resolution is quickly made after this period of reflection: “I will praise you” (Psalm 139:14). God is not merely omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, but also omnibenevolent, always seeking to work good for those whom He has created. The Psalmist reflects upon his life and sees something “wonderfully made”; he reflects upon what God has done and calls it “marvelous” (Psalm 139:14). Which of us can’t say alongside of the Psalmist, “The Lord has been mindful of me, and that’s a good thing!” The Psalmist’s resolution of praise arises from considering the beautiful story God had written for him even before he was born Psalm 139:15-16). Instead of fearing the omniscience of God, he chooses to delight in the beauty of this attribute of God (Psalm 139:17-18).

Let’s pause at this point in the Psalmist’s journey to take note of something. People frequently misinterpret the significance of God’s omniscience, seeing in it some kind of mandate for human behavior, some inescapable destiny for each person. Though the Psalmist did describe feeling trapped as he realized all that God knew about him, there’s no sense in his words that he felt doomed to carry out God’s predetermined decree. God forming him and knitting him together (Psalm 139:13) didn’t change the fact that he was made as a free moral agent; God’s knowledge of his thoughts, words, and deeds (Psalm 139:2-4) didn’t change the fact that they were his choices. There isn’t a hint of fatalism or determinism in the doctrine of God’s omniscience for the Psalmist, and there shouldn’t be in our doctrine either.

Relation (Psalm 139:19-24) – After the Psalmist delights in God’s omniscience, he does something very important: he relates what he knows about God to the present problem he is facing. God’s omniscience is not a theological abstraction but a practical reality; though He knows the end from the beginning in the book that He is writing (Psalm 139:16), He longs for us to call upon Him to change the story’s direction. Knowing this, the Psalmist asks God to defeat the “wicked” and “bloodthirsty men” who surrounded him (Psalm 139:19).

It’s important to note how omniscience affected the Psalmist’s approach to God in prayer. The Psalmist prays with confidence (Psalm 139:23) knowing that he has evaluated his feelings (Psalm 139:22) and that he hates his enemies not simply because they are his enemies, but because they are God’s enemies (Psalm 139:20-21). At the same time, he prays with humility and a willingness to be led (Psalm 139:24), realizing he may have improperly evaluated the situation or done things himself to hurt God. God delights in those who like the Psalmist “come boldly to the throne of grace” while at the same time humbling themselves under His “mighty hand” (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 5:6).

God’s omniscience is not something to be feared but instead, coupled with his omnipresence, omnipotence, and omnibenevolent nature, is a reason both to serve Him and to call upon Him in fearful moments. May we like the Psalmist live in such a way so as to invite God’s watchful gaze (Psalm 139:23) rather than attempting in vain to flee from it (Psalm 139:7).

-Patrick Swayne  
patrick@tftw.org