Memory – Psalm 139.7-10 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
Several times I have encouraged you to read the text within its larger context. There is no doubt that to rightfully understand the nuance of Scripture this is a fundamental principle (it is also true of almost everything you read). In part, it is learning to grasp the Sitz im Leben of the text; that is, the “setting in life.” This may require a bit of contextual sympathetic intuition. The nineteenth century historiographer Wilhelm Dilthey was a pioneer in of modern hermeneutics, and he suggested “reading between the lines.” So, then, you are looking beyond the causal events; you are seeking to understand the subjective impact of events in history and the lives of its authors. From a viewpoint of understanding Scripture this entails more than getting the information about the text imbedded in your brain; it is getting the truth of God’s revelation rooted in your heart (cf. Colossians 2.6-7). Mere knowledge about God and biblical doctrine, no matter how sound, is not radically life changing. It is when the compelling indwelling Spirit of God draws you into the heart of God that you recognize that Jesus is the theocentric center of your life.
One means of pursuing after God is to linger for a time on those texts of Scripture that seem to open for you principles and truths about the Triune God that will strengthen your inner spirit. Last week we noted how David opened and closed his Psalm on the comfort of God’s knowledge of the inner workings of his heart. As by now you've read through the Psalm several times (hopefully), you may have been struck by several other extraordinary things about David’s relationship with God. One, being the assurance that he cannot escape the presence of God. This is not for the purpose of temporal or future judgment; rather it is a declaration of God’s constant providential love and provision. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Even in the darkest hours when David was running and hiding for his life as King Saul in his jealous rage was pursuing him, the future king found rest in the assurance of God’s provision. So, too, for the Christian believer; there is no darkness in Christ: … I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8.12). Again, I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness (John 12.46). David may have the light of God (cf. Exodus 13.21; Psalm 27.1) in mind in verse 139.5 You hem me in, behind and before and lay your hand upon me. God knows the end from the beginning and that is a comfort for Christians.
This Psalm reminds me of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem The Crossing of the Bar; so, let me close with it.
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
and after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
One means of pursuing after God is to linger for a time on those texts of Scripture that seem to open for you principles and truths about the Triune God that will strengthen your inner spirit. Last week we noted how David opened and closed his Psalm on the comfort of God’s knowledge of the inner workings of his heart. As by now you've read through the Psalm several times (hopefully), you may have been struck by several other extraordinary things about David’s relationship with God. One, being the assurance that he cannot escape the presence of God. This is not for the purpose of temporal or future judgment; rather it is a declaration of God’s constant providential love and provision. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Even in the darkest hours when David was running and hiding for his life as King Saul in his jealous rage was pursuing him, the future king found rest in the assurance of God’s provision. So, too, for the Christian believer; there is no darkness in Christ: … I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8.12). Again, I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness (John 12.46). David may have the light of God (cf. Exodus 13.21; Psalm 27.1) in mind in verse 139.5 You hem me in, behind and before and lay your hand upon me. God knows the end from the beginning and that is a comfort for Christians.
This Psalm reminds me of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem The Crossing of the Bar; so, let me close with it.
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
and after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
RSS Feed