September 28 2025, Sunday School Lesson

Nothing is Hidden from God

Lesson Text: Psalm 139:1-16

Related Scriptures: Job 42:1-6; Psalm 121:1-8;

Matthew 6:5-8; Romans 11:33-36; Hebrews 4:12-13

TIME: between 1011 and 971 B.C.

PLACE: Israel

Golden Text – “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7)

Introduction

The life of the mind and the life of the heart come together beautifully in Psalm 139. Each of the three sections noted below (vss. 1-6, 7-12, 13-16) contain a similar alternating movement – a reflection about God and then an awe filled response. In the first two sections, the response is more of a hushed awe than praise. There are different types of psalms, sometimes called genres. There are psalms that praise, give thanks, lament, teach, and reflect. Psalm 1339, however, shows the limits of genre-based interpretation. Is it a praise psalm (c.f vs. 14)? Is it a lament psalm (cf. vss. 19-22)? Is it a penitential psalm (cf. vss. 23-24)? Is it a wisdom (teaching) psalm (cf. vss. 1-6)? It depends on which verses one emphasizes! One thing is certain: the complexity adds to the psalm’s poetic beauty.

LESSON OUTLINE

1. THE INESCAPABLE GOD KNOWS US – Ps. 139:1-6

2. THE INESCAPABLE GOD PURSUES US – Ps. 139:7-12

3. THE INESCABLE GOD FASHIONED US – Ps. 139:13-16

QUESTIONS

1. What determines whether God’s thorough knowledge of us is comforting or disquieting?

2. How did Davind feel about God’s thorough knowledge of him when he wrote Psalm 139?

3. How did David describe God’s knowledge of him?

4. What is the main point of verses 8-10?

5. What did David say to anyone trying to escape God?

6. What can the Hebrew word Sheol sometimes mean?

7. What might David have been implying when he said that God is a light in the darkness?

8. What is one reason that every human life is precious?

9. When did Davind say God began caring for him?

10. What four truths did David reflect on regarding God’s presence with him in his mother’s womb?

ANSWERS

1. Whether God’s intimate knowledge of a person’s sins is happy news or haunting news depends on whether that person is walking in repentant faith.

2. As David moved from reflection on divine omniscience to his response, it becomes clear that he was happy and not haunted when he wrote Psalm 139 (cf. vss. 5-6).

3. David mentioned God’s knowledge of him three times in verse 6. First, David utilized a concept often used to describe the miraculous. God knowing and still loving sinners who believe His promises is a miracle. It is wonderful! Second, David used a Hebrew word that can mean high and exalted (cf. Isa. 12:4) but can also describe the kind of high ground used as a military defense (cf. Deut. 2:36). David was safeguarded and fortified in knowing that He was fully known and yet fully loved by the Lord. Third, David could not wrap his mind around th extent of God’s knowledge.

4. David toured the cosmos in verses 8 – 10. Whether he was in the heights, the depts, or the farthest reaches of the known world, God was there.

5. The second word is also used in Jonah 1:10, when the prophet fled from God’s presence. Whether or not David was traveling or running from God, as Jonah later would, he knew the presence of God’s Spirit was there regardless. The last line in verse 8 carries the meaning of “Behold, there You are! It was as if David were saying to himself or anyone who would run from God, “Surprise! You can’t outrun God!

6. In the Psalms, Seol can refer broadly to the place of the dead (cf. 6:5) or danger that threatens death (cf. 30:3; 116:3).

7. Verse 11 imagines circumstances in which darkness surrounded David. Sometimes the Psalms use darkness to indicate despair (88:6), danger (143:3), or judgment (107:10-12). Herein lies the beauty of God’s presence and pursuit – God’s presence is a light even in the darkness. Some people only feel God’s presence when their mood or circumstance are light, but Psalm 139:12 declares that He is in our darkness too.

8. Verses 13 – 16 reflect on the personal nature of God’s creation of each person. Psalm 139 has long assisted Christians in pursuit of biblical self-worth. If God carefully made all people, then each human matters greatly. Every person we meet at work, at church, or walking down the street matters and is worthy of dignity and respect, because every human is personally made by God in His image.

9. God’s personal knowledge, interest, and presence with David stretched back before his first breath. That is how pervasive His presence is. God was caring for David before and during his earliest development.

10. Regarding God’s presence with him in his mothers womb, David reflected on four truths (not necessarily in the test’s order here). First, God made his internal organs (vs. 13), which is the sense of the phrase “possessed my reins.” David used a term often translated as “kidneys,” but sometimes it simply refers to one’s inner parts. Second, God made his “substance” (vs. 15). David used a rare word here that seems to refer to the structuring frame of one’s body, or one’s bones. Notice that in verse 13, the first line refers to internal organs, then the second line uses the word “me.” In verse 15, the first phrase refers to bones, then the second phrase uses the word “I”. David was equating his physical body with himself. Some people today assume that their immaterial soul is their real self and that the physical body is less important to God. David would disagree, for he referred to his material body as the careful handiwork of God. Elsewhere, God commands worship not just from human souls but from human bodies (cf. Rom. 12:1-2, and one day He will resurrect physical human bodies (1 Cor. 15:40-44). Third, formation of David’s body is described as a knitting or weaving project (Ps. 139: 13, 15) both verses 13 and 15 compare God making human bodies to careful needlework. Knitters will appreciate the precision and care that this image involves. David was amazed at how personally involved God has always been with his existence. Master weavers or quilters do not knit without a plan for their handiwork. Fourth, David reflected on God’s omniscient plan for his life (vs. 16). God forming, assessing, pursuing, and seeing David would not make sense unless there was a plan for the handiwork.