Psalm 139 and Divine Comfort (Part 2)

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Opening Remarks and Plans for Future Guests

Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. I�m talking a little bit different tone today. We are here in the studio, at least I am here. We the royal we, Pastor Steve�s not here, Luke�s not here, who else is not here?

Pat, Steve, Luke, where are they? I think I can get Kim in, my wife. I�ve been promising that, and I think I can do it. So we�ll try. I�m going to bring some other folks in, some of my friends. I think I�ll bring in Taylor Sinclair, Taylor Swift, Pastor Bo and Carpenteria, Christ Church.

Who else have I asked to be on? My friend John, John the lawyer. Who else? I don�t know. I�m just going to start having some more guests. I think I might have Chad Van Hooser on. I�m going to talk about his new marriage book.

I just got that from Crossway. You know, I figured out how to get free books in life, that is have a podcast and say I�d like to review a book. They send you the hard copy. First, they say, �Can we give you the PDF

And you say, �No. Ship it. Ship it good. I saw Devo, I think, in 1980-ish and Mark Mothersbaugh was the lead singer. I think he�s still alive. One of the guys died. Anyway, they had those yellow suits on, right?

This is before the whippet thing with the little pyramid weird hats, the red hats. And so they took off their weird little outfits, the yellow outfits, and they threw them into the audience. I almost said congregation.

I think the pants or the shirt or something and everybody wanted me to rip it so they could all have a piece and I just remember sticking it up underneath my shirt to keep it. I kept it for years. I don�t know why I didn�t keep it longer.

Probably I thought when I was a child, I spoke like a child, I kept things like a child. You probably have thought that. You know what? In the past, I�ve given things away and I should have kept them, right?

Things that are valuable, sentimental. Maybe you got saved out of a licentious lifestyle and so then you became very, like I did, legalistic and got rid of stuff I shouldn�t have gotten rid of or I didn�t need to.

But anyway, the Lord knows, the Lord�s sovereign. You can�t take anything with you. When I thought I was going to die last year in the hospital, I had an iPhone. I couldn�t even take that with me, but that�s all I had.

I had to borrow a cord, couldn�t, that�s it. So naked we come into this world, naked we go out and I think the only clothing that you�ll ever take with you is the clothing of Christ�s righteousness. Right Christian?

That�s right. I think you can get the book, Gospel Assurance, go to Amazon, hopefully it�ll be ready to go by the time this airs. I think this will air sometime September 8th, 9th, 10th, something like that.

Psalm 139 as a Slow, Comforting Meditation on God’s Attributes

Today we�re talking a little bit more about Psalm 139. Psalm 139, a great psalm of praise, praising God for His attributes, that God is all-knowing, that God is near, and that God is powerful. And you have 24 verses, there�s four parts, and each part is nicely divided with six verses.

I mean we could just say, God�s with me. That�s true. But this whole thing is an explanation of that and it�s meant to be read slowly. I was reading about that this week, that sometimes we do things too fast.

This is one of those psalms that, okay, if you wanted to really get to the point, God is with you, He knows you, He�s there to help you, He understands. Christ Jesus, lo, I�m with you always, even at the end of the age.

We could say all those things, but He says it so many different ways with poetry that you would sing in a praise song. It just helps. You know, how music and lyrics really affect you, this is meant to do that and it�s meant to be read slowly.

I don�t mean, �Oh Lord, you have searched me. I don�t mean that. But with great contemplation and with great study, and it�s not one of those, �I�ve got ten pages to read in my Bible today and I just need to do it.

Kind of like sometimes I do with John Owen. Ten pages of John Owen a day keeps the Richard Baxter�s away and it keeps the Moscow Idols away too, for that matter. You know what? I think, maybe this is already happening, but someone, probably a Presbyterian, URC, something like that, needs to plant a church in Moscow, Idaho.

Because I don�t think the movement�s really sustainable and I think once people figure out, �Oh, we thought we kind of wanted to be around a lot of Christians and we wanted to be here in this enclave where, you know, the bars run by Christians, the cigar shops run by Christians, the schools run by Christians, the mayor�s a Christian, the homeschool co-ops all Christian I mean, whatever it is.

And then they realize, �Well, wait a second. They don�t even believe Sola Fide. They�re federal visionists. They�ve been condemned by Naparke and the Presbyterians. They understand this is not right.

It�s baptismal regeneration, wrong. Paedo-baptism, wrong. Receiving all the benefits of Christ and union with Him because of baptism, but keeping the covenant by cooperation and faith and faithfulness, wrong.

And the list goes on and on. You�re going to go, �Oh, this isn�t even real Christianity, and therefore what are we going to do? We moved all the way to Moscow, Idaho, and now what do we do? Oh, here�s for the people that are leaving.

Where do they go And so there should be like a little church there, a little� should we call it the enclave? I think what the Spirit of God is doing, it seems to me, that Psalm 139, just let this settle in.

It�s like, �Say, La. Just stop and let it sink in and just let it kind of wash over you, wave after wave of, �Oh, this is good. I mean, even the Anglican, Cramner, how does he begin Holy Communion?

�Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid. That�s Psalm 139. That�s Psalm 139. And what the psalmist is doing, remember, if you missed last show, is people are after him.

Enemies are trying to get him, right? Verses 19 and following of Psalm 139. And they�re malicious. They�re enemies. And he says, �I want you to slay them, and they hate you. I hate them. Loathe is the language used.

How do you comfort somebody who has these kind of enemies? King David had these enemies, and he receives comfort only, ultimately maybe, we should say, ultimately from the Lord himself, the triune God, Yahweh the Father, Yahweh the Son, Yahweh the Spirit.

And you�ll see, I think three times, �O Yahweh, O Lord all caps, �O God this Creator, powerful God, that�s how he�s going to find his comfort. And dear Christian, whatever trial you�re in, I direct your attention to ponder slowly, prayerfully, with great praise, your triune God.

God’s Omniscience in Psalm 139:1–6

God knows everything about you and everything concerning you. That�s the first six verses. We call this his omniscience. And in this section, these first six verses, you�re going to see things like know, perceive, discern, knowledge, searched.

He knows everything. He knows everything, therefore, about me. And here we have this theology in a very personal, practical, prayerful way. We are an open book to God. And remember, this is set in the tone of comfort.

If you think of omniscience, you�re like, �That could either be good or bad. That could either help me say no to sin well, that�s good, too. But when I say good or bad, this is either comforting or it�s, �Oh, I better get in line.

This is the comforting side, and this omniscience is meant to comfort you. �O Lord, Yahweh, triune God, you have searched me and known me. You look at me and you understand. And you feel this. It�s just so intimate.

God is everywhere. Nothing can be hidden, and therefore, we can�t be hidden. And what he�s driving to is what Peter says in 1 Peter 5, �Casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Some think this is like a thesaurus, �Search, examine, know, perceive, understand, discern, sift.

I don�t want to do that. I just want to say, �Christian, you can say, �God, you�ve searched me and you know me. You know everything about me. That means you know me. And remember, David was a king, right?

Yes, he does. The heart of the king, Proverbs 25, is unsearchable. How do you know what a king is thinking? He doesn�t have to say anything. Kings were set up in such a way they didn�t have to tell you their name, they didn�t have to talk.

They�re the one that was in charge. And here, David understands that God, while other people might not be able to search the mind of the king, God can. God examines and explores and digs. That�s what the word �search� is.

I read, just sometimes I have to read the dumb things. In the 60s, you know, you say words like �groovy� and, you know, �Hey, I dig that. Well, here, when it talks about �searching� or �digging� is the word, literally, that God digs you.

No. That would be awful. That�d be like the snugglers. God digs you, man. Hey, groovy, God digs me. Really? No, no. He digs into you to find out all about you. That�s maybe a little bit better. God, you know everything about me.

You know everything about me. Reminds me of the same language, the same idea, rather, of you go to the airport and they�ve got the beagles, and the beagles are sniffing for stuff. I came home from South Africa one time, and I knew I wasn�t supposed to bring any meat home, but I thought, �Well, I could have some seal biltong.

They�re kind of jerky, beef jerky or other animal jerky. And so I wrote down on the form, you know, �I have less than $500 in gifts. I have candies. I have snacks. I have this. I have that. I don�t have any produce.

I don�t have any plants. I don�t have anything illegal. I do have some beef jerky. That�s all I said, because I thought, �Well, if I get caught, they just take it, but it�s worth a shot, because somebody last minute gave me some beef jerky biltong.

And sure enough, the little beagle comes over, sniffs my bag and sits down. I�m like, �Oh, I�m so glad I wrote that thing down. You feel like you�re going to go to jail or something. Anyway, God�s X-ray eyes, as it were, MRI, CAT scan, He searched us.

He�s investigated us. He�s got the microscope out, the magnifying glass, and He just knows all about us, right? He just knows. He doesn�t have to try. He just knows. I watched that show, �To Catch a Smuggler and they�re trying to smuggle things in.

I�m sure smugglers get things passed, the trained dogs and the trained professionals. But here, the searcher of our hearts, no. He understands everything. The Lord knew David, and He praised him for that, scouring down to every little minutiae.

Yeah, I don�t have to tell you my name, I�m a king, but God knows. God knows. And God knows you and everything in your life. And you�ve got some situation going on, and He knows about it. He doesn�t learn, He just knows.

If you start going to the Congress, you know, the Library of Congress, or if you start reading things that are published. Back in 1979, someone said, �Knowledge is exploding at such a rate, more than 2 ,000 pages a minute, that even Einstein couldn�t keep up.

Now, here�s interesting, and I�m sure it�s even more now. �If you read 24 hours a day, from age 21 to 70, and retained all you read, you would be one and a half million years behind when you finished.

Ready, go. That�s kind of like, that�s like legalism. Go. I keep getting asked all the time now in interviews in New York, and here, and other places, �Are you an antinomian I don�t say it to them, but I think that�s the dumbest thing I�ve ever heard.

A, listen to my preaching. B, listen to No Compromise Radio. C, listen to Sanctify Law Gospel stuff. The third use of the law is for Christians to guide and to norm from the hand of Christ, from the Father.

Don�t look at a woman with lust. Remain pure. Don�t look at pornography. If you continue in sin, steps one, two, and three, and four for church discipline. I love your wife. Be faithful to your wife, right?

Don�t complain. Be thankful. Use your spiritual gifts. Preach the Word. But none of those are to stay saved or to get saved. It�s because we�re saved and out of gratitude we obey. Christians, you better obey.

That�s true, but that�s not everything we say. Who�s asking you to obey? What is the one who says obey? What�s he done for you? How great is he? That�s all we�re doing. And I think if you don�t understand the difference between first use and third use, then you�re like, �Hey, wait a second.

Maybe they�re antinomian. No, we�re just keeping categories categorically separate. You�re saved by faith alone? That faith�s not alone. Faith is a busy thing. Maybe what people should do, they should ask my wife, �Do you think your husband acts like an antinomian It�s no compromise radio, by the way.

You know, all the time, I ask, �How many times have you ever been in a relationship where I say to you, �Oh, you�re an antinomian and you don�t realize why? And I�m like, well, I�ve never been in a relationship where I�ve said, �Oh, you�re an antinomian and you�re like, �Are you insane.

It's no compromise radio, by the way. And there's something called RAM. Random Access Memory. How fast can this get pulled up? Well, that's not... God doesn't have that at all. He just knows everything perfectly, and He knows everything perfectly all the time.

He knows everything. No recall, no memory. He just knows. And He's praised for that. You say, what's the extent of His knowledge of me? And now the psalmist goes on to say, verse 2, God knows what you do.

You know me when I sit down and when I rise up. He knows what we do. This is a merism. Merism is a figure of speech, and it gives the two extremes. And so that means it covers the extremes and everything in between.

God created the heavens and the earth. Get the point? I've searched high and low. Get the point? God made everything. You've looked everywhere. But we say it with a figure of speech. And here it's a psalm.

It's poetry. It's a song. And we say, oh, God knows everything about me. He knows when I sit down, when I rise up. And that means when I'm resting, relaxing, sleeping, everything kind of passive, and then active.

When I rise up, when I walk, when I work out, when I shop, when I go places, when I go to work. He knows everything. He knows all things. He knows you. Nothing's overlooked about you. There's nothing that slips his notice.

When you're doing bad things, good things, everything else, he knows. He knows us. He cares, and he knows us. This is wonderful. This is supposed to be good. Pink said God knows everything. God knows all events, all creatures of the past, the present, the future.

He is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the life of every being in heaven, in hell, in earth. Nothing escapes his notice. Nothing can be hidden from him. Nothing is forgotten by him. He never errs, never changes, never overlooks anything.

And not only that, God knows what you think. Verse 2 goes on to say, you discern my thoughts from afar. You understand. And this is not just, you know, surface level stuff. This is intimate, knowing, motivations.

It's one thing to kind of generally know something about somebody, but knowing my intentions, knowing my reasoning, knowing my motivations, knowing the intent of my heart, Deuteronomy chapter 31, how I think, what I think about.

Yes, that's true. God is not just sovereign, not just holy, not just gracious, but he's omniscient. He knows everything. And by the way, that means he never learned anything. He can't learn. What could come into his mind that he didn't know, that he didn't have from eternity?

Who's taught God, right? You think of some of, you know, Romans 11. No, no. God knows everything. He knows everything perfectly. That means God's never surprised. He's never amazed. He never has some kind of flow chart.

He knows what you do. He knows what you think. He knows where you go. Verse 3, you search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Christian, this is meant to tell you that God knows about you, and he knows the trouble you're in.

He knows the trials you're going through. He knows the enemies. He knows the persecutions. He knows what's going on in the world. He knows about the finances, all these kinds of things. God, you know.

I mean, what if he didn't know? What if he was powerful, but he didn't know these things? Oh, other people know. And you could go to them, and they would probably try to help you some. But God doesn't know, so now what?

But since he does know, everything changes, and now David praises him for that. He knows where you go. This is winnowing language. He knows all the little tiny details. Right? You have GPS tracking. Maybe I can go under a bridge, and nobody will find me.

Maybe there's some places where there's no cell service. Oh, he's intimately acquainted with all our ways. That's good. That's excellent. You say, well, knowing all this, why would I worry about anything?

Ah, see? Now you're getting it. God knows also what you'll say. He knows what you do, what you think, where you'll go, what you say. This is pretty easy to outline, by the way, if you're a pastor, if you're a preacher.

I can't even mess this up. Even before there's a word on my tongue, behold, oh Lord Yahweh, you know it all together. People talk a lot. Now, I've read differing things on this. Some people say men talk less than women, and others say they talk about the same, and it's just kind of a...

Can we say a wife's deal? You can't say that anymore. I mean, just think of what we can't say anymore, and you're like, okay. You know, I think when I was a kid, you'd say something like, that person gypped me, and I'm like, wait a second.

That's short for Egyptian. I'm saying something about the Egyptians. I ought not to say he gypped me. Some gypsies from Egypt gypped me. No, I don't think I can say that. I have to say he ripped me off.

You know, if two people can't solve a problem, you know, some kind of Mexican standoff. I'm like, oh no, we can't say that. I'd probably get censored on the radio for doing it. I'm not saying to say those things.

But if some of the data that I researched is true, some say that women speak 20 ,000 words a day, and men speak about 10 ,000, and one guy said that they found something in women called language protein.

It just sounds so dumb. Well, whether you're a chatterbox or not, whether you're a man or a woman, whatever you say, he already knows what you're going to say before you say it. He knows everything. I mean, talk about duolingo languages, and he knows every language, every person.

I mean, that's pretty amazing. That is really amazing. Whether you stutter or you're eloquent, he knows every little detail. What does Thomas Watson say? What care would persons have of their words if they remembered God heard and the pen is going in heaven?

Yeah, that's true, but that's not what he's trying to do here. Yes, omniscience. Okay, I better be careful what I say. But here, it's just, you know all about me. It's the tone of comfort. It's the tone of, yes, he understands all about me.

God’s Protective Presence and the Good Shepherd

Verse five, he even knows what you need in terms of protection. Remember, David's got enemies. You hem me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me. This is not anything about, well, I better be careful not to sin.

That's true, but that's not the emphasis here. He's got his hand of protection and blessing on me. He's covering me like Moses in the cleft of the rock until he passes by, until the trials pass by. He's the good shepherd.

This good shepherd, he protects me and we know how good he is because the son has laid his life down for us as a sheep. He's not a hired hand. He's a shepherd. He sees the wolf coming and he doesn't leave, flee, lets the wolf snatch us, scatter us.

No, no, Jesus isn't a hired hand. Jesus actually cares for the sheep because Jesus said, I'm the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Just as the father knows me and I know the father, I lay down my life for the sheep.

Of course, if he's protected us in that area, why wouldn't he protect us in every other area? Jesus went on to say, for this reason, the father loves me because I lay down my life that I might take it up again.

No one takes it from me, but I laid it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down. I have authority to take it up again. This charge I've received from my father. Isn't that wonderful? So wonderful.

Well, my name is Mike Abendroth. We just started to go through the Psalms. Psalm 139 is the one I was thinking about, and we're going to continue that next time or in the future on No Compromise Radio.

You can get the new book, go to amazon .com, type in Gospel Assurance, Mike Abendroth, 31-day guide to assurance. Also, if you are interested in Israel, email me.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life transforming power of God's word through verse by verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at six. We're right on route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.