Search Me and Know Me

Psalm 139 begins with David saying that “God searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.  You hem me in behind and before and you lay your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”

David recounts God’s greatness for knowing things about him that David doesn’t and cannot know.  God knew him when he was in the womb.  There is nowhere David can go to escape from God’s presence.  Darkness and light are the same to God.  Since David begins by saying that God already knows him intimately, why, in verses 23 and 24, does he request the following:

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

God already knows David’s heart.  He knows David’s anxious thoughts and offensive ways.  If God were to search again David’s heart, He would find nothing new.  So why request God to do this?

When you read through Psalm 139, you can see a progression of David’s wonder of God.  You begin to see that God is everything to him.  Then in love and admiration, David acknowledges his offense to wicked people and those who profane God’s name.  God means so much to David he cannot understand how others cannot love Him also. 

Then he realizes that he wants to know God more.  However, what if, like those who don't love God, there is something in David's life that is offensive to God?  He knows he loves God but could be offending Him and not know it.  What should he do?

Since God already knows him completely, he wants God to reveal areas in David’s life that are offensive to God so he does not also profane God’s name without knowing it.  He wants God to know him and be known.  David understands it is more about allowing God to show him what is wrong and trusting God to work in him to correct it.  Then David can have the godly relationship his Lord wants.

Oh that I can/will do the same.