Psalm 139; Exod. 34:29-3529And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 30And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 32And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 34But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. (Exodus 34:29‑35); 2 Cor. 3:1818But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18); 2 Cor. 4:1-6
Everyone at some time or other must have to do with God. People do not like to think of or admit this, so you find many who seem to have some kind of vague idea that they will be able to pass in the crowd, and that God will not require any account from them. But this is all wrong; "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God." nom. 14:12. Look at the opening verses of Psalm 139: "0 Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising." And in verse 3, "Thou... art acquainted with all my ways." Now think for a moment of the intimate knowledge God has of all our actions. This is very solemn, and not a pleasant thing for a sinner to learn, but it is the very first step to blessing.
The psalm divides itself into two parts: from the first to the thirteenth verse, and from the fourteenth to the end. In the first part the soul finds itself thoroughly known and exposed, and the desire is to get away from God. This is found to be impossible. Then, when it is, as it were, cornered, it learns God's heart and works, and the result, the second part, is praise.
Have you ever observed that God condescends to mark every little circumstance connected with you, that He responds to the little things as well as to the big? Even the seed you sow in your field is quickened by God. Each individual seed is acted on by His power. I have been struck with this lately in reading Deut. 22:66If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: (Deuteronomy 22:6) and 7. Think of God telling them even what to do with a bird's nest! Here we read, in the second verse, that He understands our thoughts. Now men are sometimes ashamed of their actions, and do not like to have them known; but what do you think of your thoughts being exposed? No one would like that. Well, God knows them all. "Thou understandest my thought afar off." And again, "There is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, 0 Lord, Thou knowest it altogether." The result of finding this out is simply to make one honest with God. It makes a man tell God the truth about himself. Are you honest with God when you pray? Do you tell God the truth about yourself, and do you ask for what you want? People often deceive themselves in prayer. They do not want or expect what they ask for at all, and they would be very sorry if they received it.
In verse 5 we read, "Thou halt beset me behind and before." The presence of God is everywhere. All around you, wherever you go, you are never out of it, though you may not be consciously aware of it. You may desire to get away from it, but it is impossible. You cannot get away. Even darkness cannot hide you from Him. "The darkness and the light are both alike to Thee." It is thus the soul is compelled to have to do with God. If you do not, be assured of this, you must have to do with Him hereafter.
Do you remember the two thieves? One of them was honest about himself, and just in time. He condemned himself, and acknowledged that the judgment which had overtaken him was just and "the due reward" of his deeds. He turned to the Lord Jesus, who hung on the cross beside him, acknowledged Him as Lord, and got far more than he asked-an entrance into paradise that day in company with the Lord Himself. Depend upon it, having to do with God is the beginning of blessing. Saul, in Acts 9, was brought into the conscious presence of God. There he learned what he was, and what he had done, and that the One against whom he had sinned was his Savior. Thus he was converted.
In verse 14 of our psalm we have, "I will praise Thee." Many can talk of God as Creator; but it is another thing to talk of Him as Redeemer. In our psalm the soul not only knows His works, but knows His thoughts and finds them precious. What do we know about His thoughts and heart? We get them unfolded in John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16): "For God so loved the world." The gospel all comes from God's side. The rejecters of it are reckoned among the "fearful" in Rev. 21:88But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8).
If God would save sinners, He must do it in a righteous way. Judgment must fall on another. The cross of Christ shows this. The Lord Jesus was the only One of whom it could be said, "He was obedient unto death." It is not obedience on our part to die. We have no right to live; He had; He never forfeited by sin His right to life. But in Isa. 53 we read that it pleased the Lord to bruise Him and that the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. This was the work of redemption, and God thinks so much of it that He raised Him from the dead, and set Him on His own throne in glory.
What a contrast there is between us who behold His glory now and Israel who beheld the glory of Moses. They saw the glory in the face of Moses when he came down from the mount with the tables of the law (Exod. 34:29-3529And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 30And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 32And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 34But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. (Exodus 34:29‑35)). It was the glory of the law they had broken, and it condemned them. But we behold the glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Beholding His glory does not condemn us, but instead we are changed into the same image (2 Cor. 3:1818But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)). We get an instance of this in Stephen (Acts 7). He looked up, "saw the glory of God," and the result was to change him into the same image. It made him like Christ, and, like Him, he was able to pray for his murderers: "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." Practical conformity to Christ is the result of beholding Him in glory. I am not afraid to look at the glory when it is in the face of the Man who died for me. People talk of clinging to the cross. I should be very sorry to cling to an empty cross. There is no sense in it. Christ is not on the cross now, nor is He in the tomb. If He were, I should have no Savior and no peace. But He is exalted now, and the higher He is exalted, the more it brings out the glory of the One who died for me; He couldn't be there in glory if my sins were not atoned for.
Who can fathom the thoughts of God? Impossible! The psalmist even says he cannot count them, and in Eph. 2 we find that He waits for coming ages to show by us (His people) the exceeding riches of His grace. His thoughts "are more in number than the sand."
As I learn God's thoughts, do I want to get away from Him? Oh, no! But I have still more to learn; for as soon as I find God is on my side and find myself at home in His presence, then I find out the enmity of the world. It is as contrary to God now as ever it was, and in Scripture I read that "the friendship of the world is enmity with God." Are you keeping up a friendship with the world? You say you must have to do with it. True; but you still can go through this world as a stranger, not as a friend. God says, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate." If you are faithful, you will have little trouble, for they will soon separate from you. Look at Deut. 11:18-2518Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. 22For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; 23Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. 24Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. 25There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. (Deuteronomy 11:18‑25) and see what the word of God was to be to the Israelites. They were to lay it up in their hearts. It was to be in their hands, their mouths, and their houses to control them. Christians find it hard to get on because they do not use the Word in this way. If they did, they would be invincible. If they were more faithful, the world would take sides against them. In verse 23 of our psalm, Psalm 139, we have one who knows God's thoughts, and what is his language? "Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts." Am I afraid now of His making any discoveries, or His heart being turned from me? No. We have many discoveries to make about ourselves. God has none. He knew us when we had done our worst. He knows all.