1. Focus on the Omniscience of God (v. 1-6)
First, God knows you (v. 1). He knows everything about you, every detail of your life. He is not searching and knowing you presently, He has already searched and known everything about you.
God knows your actions (“thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,” v. 2a). Everything you see, He sees. Everything you do, He knows about it. Hebrews 4:13 tells us, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
God knows your thoughts (“thou understandest my thought afar off,” v. 2b). God knows what you will think even before you think it. Think about that! God knew you were going to think about that. This is quite remarkable. We have no way of knowing what someone is thinking unless they speak it. We sometimes say, “A penny for your thoughts.” God has a lot of pennies.
God knows that which is unique to you (v. 3). The word “compassest” means “to scatter, to spread out.” Ex: when I was a kid, I would play with legos; I would scatter them out to see all the pieces.
God knows the words you speak (v. 4). Words are audible; other people can hear them. So it should be no surprise that if God knows your thoughts, He certainly hears all the words you speak. Every word is important to God. Jesus said this in Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
Illustration: Many years ago, little Johnny Sylvester was kicked in the head by a horse and doctors were fearful that he might not make it. Johnny told his father, “I wish I could see Babe Ruth hit a homer before I die.” A telegram was sent off to the New York Yankees in St. Louis, where they were playing the Cardinals in the 1926 World Series. A few days later, Johnny received autographed balls from both the Yankees and the Cardinals, including one the Babe had inscribed with these words, “I’ll hit a home run for you in Wednesday’s game.” Instead of hitting one homer, he hit 3! The doctors called the effect on the boy’s condition a miracle. Some months later, during spring training, an uncle of the boy approached Ruth and thanked him profusely. Babe Ruth smiled and said, “You’re very welcome.” After the uncle left, Babe turned to the reporters who were standing around and asked, “Who in the blankety-blank is Johnny Sylvester?” Aren’t you glad God never forgets who we are? He will never forget you or me.
God protects you (v. 5). The word “beset” means “enclosed.” Because God knows everything about you, you are precious to Him. He has enclosed you within His hand of protection. Jesus said that we are held within His and within His Father’s hand in John 10:28-29. That’s secure!
We see the psalmist’s response in verse 6. It should blow our minds that God’s mind is omniscient! God knows everything about everything. And here’s the convicting part: do you think God knows about your problems and struggles? Do you think God knows what you might be going through? Of course He does; and yet many times we act as though God does not know or understand.
2. Focus on the Omnipresence of God (v. 7-12)
The fact that God is everywhere should affect the saint and the sinner. This brings great comfort to the saint, but great fear to the sinner.
We see this in verse 7. It is a comfort to the saint (“Whither shall I go from thy spirit?” v. 7a). You cannot go anywhere without God. He goes with you to your job, to the store, to the mall, even across the country to visit relatives. He is your constant companion. But notice that this same fact should bring fear to the sinner. “or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” v. 7b. The sinner cannot escape the presence of God. Jonah found this out the hard way. The Bible tells us in Jonah 1:3, “[he] rose up to flee…from the presence of the LORD.” As a result of his disobedience, Jonah was cast into the sea and swallowed by a whale. But get this: even in the depths of the sea inside a whale’s belly, Jonah prayed and God heard him. God’s presence was with him even inside the whale.
Notice the places which the psalmist gives in verses 8-10. He is giving us two extremes: way up in the sky or way down in the earth (hell meaning the grave or a deep pit). From the highest point you can go to the lowest point, God is there. But He is not just there; while He is there, He will lead you (v. 10). God is not content to just be in our lives, He wants to be involved in our lives. This is so encouraging for the saint.
But again, the sinner cannot escape God’s presence. He may try to hide from God, but notice verses 11-12. God sees all the evil deeds done in the dark. He sees all the under-the-table dealings, all the mischief which happens in the streets and dark alleys. Darkness makes no difference for God because He can see in the dark. This reminds me of Ezekiel 8:12, where God says, “Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.”
Ex: hiding and jumping out to scare someone. God can’t do that because He’s always there.
Do you need the presence of God? You already have it. Jesus says to you, “and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20b). God also says to you, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5b). How encouraging this is!
3. Focus on the Omnipotence of God (v. 13-18)
It is interesting that the Psalmist here speaks of God’s power in relation to himself. If you want to read about God’s great power, read Isaiah 40. But here, God’s omnipotence is seen in relation to man.
God’s power in ownership (v. 13). John Butler says concerning this verse, “The word translated ‘reins’ means literally the kidneys. However, it was used in Bible times to express the emotions and feelings of a person much as we use the word ‘heart’ to express the same today. This means that God not only owns us physically, but the perimeter of His ownership also includes our emotions. Thus God owns everything about us.” God’s power is even seen in the mother’s womb with a new life.
The psalmist reacts to God’s power in verse 14 (read). He reacts with praise. Look at these words, “fearfully,” “wonderfully,” “marvellous.” You are God’s marvelous creation. We should always praise the Lord for His marvelous work in our lives.
The Bugatti Chiron is the world’s most powerful car, with a break horsepower of 1,479, with a max speed of 261 mph. Yet it is nothing in comparison to God’s power.
God’s power is seen in personal creation (v. 15-16). God planned out everything about you before you were made; He even wrote it all down in a book. God is the ultimate Planner and Designer.
God’s power is seen in His thoughts (v. 17-18). We talked about our thoughts, but God has thoughts too. His thoughts are always focused on you. You are constantly in His thoughts. “when I awake, I am still with thee.” Even when you’re sleeping, God is thinking of you, and when you wake up, God is still thinking of you. Is God always thinking of you? Yes, because that’s how powerful God is.
So how does God’s power relate to us? It relates to us in His creation of us, His ownership of us, and His thoughts toward us.
The Psalmist turns his attention to two main subjects which are important to him:
THE SUBJECT OF ENEMIES AND JUSTICE (v. 19-22)
The focus now shifts to enemies. The psalmist desires that God will slay the wicked, with whom he keeps no company (v. 19). The wicked will get what is coming to them. But what makes these people wicked? Verse 20 gives us the answer (read). They hate God, and they take God’s name in vain by their lifestyles and their words. As a result, they also hate God’s people. All this hate is not good. But look at the next two verses (read v. 21-22). If he were around today, the psalmist would be accused of a hate crime! This is righteous indignation. God is angry with the wicked every day, and we should be too. So let me ask, what do you hate?
THE SUBJECT OF PERSONAL PURITY (v. 23-24)
Before he ends this wonderful psalm, the psalmist places himself under the microscope. He wants God to focus on him. Notice his three desires in these verses:
—a desire to see what’s wrong (v. 23)
Compare with verse 1. God already knows, but the psalmist wants to know what’s wrong.
—a desire to get right (v. 24a)
—a desire to stay right (v. 24b)
We should pray this prayer every day of our lives. In order to keep your focus on God, keep the sin out of your life.
CONCLUSION
What a psalm! It’s encouraging to know that God is perceptive, present, and powerful. One word describes it all: sovereign. The challenge, then, is to keep your focus on God. Your family, your friends, your enemies, yourself, should all be in relation to God. The good news is this: God is focusing on you. It’s hard to focus on God when life is so distracting, but it’s absolutely worth it. And remember, you can never learn everything about God. So spend your life getting to know Him. Focus on the Almighty.
