Verses: Psalm 139Sample

Welcome to day 7 of memorizing and meditating on Psalm 139! David picks up right where he left off: in the womb.

“My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

The God who was knitting in the last verses continues His artistry here as He sees the frame being formed in secret. The phrase “intricately woven,” or colorfully wrought, points us to “a weaver of colored cloth or embroiderer of colored thread, a craftsman who decorates cloth with colorful patterns using a needle, and so revives and intensifies the same connotations as those of ‘you knit me’ (Waltke).” Pause in this moment and meditate on this truth! You were intricately woven by God Himself; you are his work of art. Spurgeon couldn’t help but respond to God in worship:

I was hidden from all human knowledge, but not from thee: thou hast ever been intimately acquainted with me. When I was made in secret. Most chastely and beautifully is here described the formation of our being before the time of our birth. A great artist will often labour alone in his studio, and not suffer his work to be seen until it is finished; even so did the Lord fashion us where no eye beheld as, and the veil was not lifted till every member was complete.

Not only does this Divine Creator see the unformed substance being formed within the womb, but he also sees the formed days though there were none yet. This points us to the amazing (and oftentimes uncomfortable) reality that God knows all things in the present, stands outside of time, and knows all things in the future. Walke commented,

“In addition to shaping human personality, God predestined the psalmist’s destiny by writing the mortal’s personal diary beforehand: upon your book they [all my days] were written.”

The psalmist reminds us God is not only Creator but also Ruler. It’s not as if He knits us within the womb and then crosses His fingers, hoping for the best. He is the Sovereign who forms both our frames and our futures.

While held throughout Scripture, this truth is never to be held to the exclusion of our accountability for our actions (“If God’s already determined what I’m doing, then what I do doesn’t matter.”). God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are always held together throughout the Bible. God is both King and Judge, ruling over all things and judging humanity’s actions. We cannot outrun or outsmart God. We are the created, and He is the Creator. May this give way both to humility deep within us and praise directed toward the frame and future forming God.

Memorize & Meditate

1. Pray David’s words from Psalm 119 to God: “Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your law.” Ask God to reveal Himself to you in His Word, that you might know Him more. To truly know Him!
2. Read Psalm 139:15-16. What stands out? What’s encouraging? What’s confusing?
3. In your journal, write out verses 15-16. The intention here is to slow down a little with the passage and linger.
4. Listen to Psalm 139:15-16 by Rivers & Robots.
5. As you spend a few minutes meditating on this passage, imagine a thick book, and in this book are chapters. Each chapter represents a different life - some shorter, some longer. As you consider that God knows each of your days, what hope might that bring you? In hard times or in joyful times?

Credits
Song by Rivers & Robots
Devotional by Joel Limpic.