Introduction: The character of God as revealed in the first 18 verses (i.e., His omnipresence, His omniscience, and His omnipotence) gave David comfort and hope. It ought to do the same for you and me. However, those same qualities of God condemn the wicked. He created them for His glory, He sees all that they do, and they cannot escape His presence, yet they reject Him as their God.
Transition: This reality led David to three conclusions.
1. God will destroy the wicked.
a. The wicked have shed innocent blood.
1) The word “bloody” is not used in the Bible as a curse word. Rather, it describes something that is covered in blood. Bloody men were men who had shed innocent blood.
2) Murders are bloody men or women.
3) Jesus said that being angry without a righteous cause deserves the same punishment as murder. (Matthew 5:21-22) “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.“
4) Doctors who kill infants through abortion are among those bloody men. Mothers and fathers who request and pay for the abortions are among the bloody men.
b. The wicked speak against God wickedly.
1) The word translated “wickedly” is much different than the word in verse 19. It describes thoughts or plans that are often evil.
2) They speak thoughts or plans that oppose God. They may oppose God openly or promote vices that God hates. This sounds much like the times of Noah before the flood. (Genesis 6:5) “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.“
3) The filthy talk that prevails in today’s music and is common even among young school-aged children fits into this category.
c. The wicked take God’s name in vain.
1) They treat the word “God” as an expletive in their daily conversations. Everywhere we go, we hear people saying, “Oh my …”. That is taking God’s name in vain. It should never cross the lips of a Christian.
2) Using God’s name to damn something is another example of this blasphemy. (Exodus 20:7) “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.“
3) We ought to never use God’s name in any context that cheapens it, harms it, shames it, or curses it. Similarly, we must reserve other Bible terms like “hell”, “damn” or “bloody” exclusively for discussing Bible themes, and never use them as curse words.
2. The godly will hate the wicked.
David speaks for the godly in verses 21-22.
a. Godly people side with God against the wicked.
1) David said that he hated the wicked with a perfect hatred. You may be thinking, “I thought that hate was evil.”
2) TWOT defines hate saying, “It expresses an emotional attitude toward persons and things which are opposed, detested, despised and with which one wishes to have no contact or relationship.”
3) The AHLB states, “Like a thorn, hate causes one to turn away from another.”
4) David did not say that he hated those who had mistreated him. No! He hated those who hate God. He wanted no contact with those who hate God. He hated them, not for anything they had done to him, but because of their sin.
b. Godly people grieve when the wicked oppose God.
1) David grieved (i.e., despised it) when the wicked rose up against God. They were taking a hostile stand against God.
2) Those who slam the Bible, curse God, mock creation and promote evolution, or persecute God’s people are working against God.
3) We ought to detest the anti-God statements of the media and society.
c. Godly people hate the wicked perfectly.
1) This describes a complete hatred for what they do. This is a hatred as much like God’s as possible – hating the sin, but still loving the sinner.
2) Godly people will not love any celebrity or sport figure who hates God. Our heroes ought to be those who are faithfully serving the Lord.
d. Godly people treat the wicked as enemies.
1) By the phrase, “I count them mine enemies” David was literally saying, “they have become my enemies.”
2) A person who is against God is also against those who desire to live like God in a godly manner.
3) Such persons are God’s enemies and thus become the enemies of godly people as well.
3. The godly will desire God’s evaluation.
They do not want unknowingly to be wicked.
a. The godly invite God to search them.
1) David asked God to search him or to explore his being.
2) He asked God to know his heart. This is to perceive, to discern, or to consider the contents of his heart.
3) As far as David knew, he and his heart were clean before the Lord, but to make certain, he asked God to take a close look.
4) On days when my brother and I cleaned the manure out of the barn, our clothing became saturated by the smell and as soon as we entered the house for lunch, mom would make a comment.
5) So it is in our spiritual lives. Living in a wicked culture, it is challenging to keep all the wickedness from our hearts. We need to ask God to search us on a regular basis.
b. The godly invite God to try or test their thoughts.
1) David asked God to examine his thoughts through testing.
2) A divine inspection of the heart will reveal any thoughts that have sinful motives, vengeful feelings, bitter tendencies, carnal desires, etc.
3) As David, we ought not to want any of these subtle thoughts to corrupt our actions.
c. The godly invite God to discern them.
1) David then asked God to “see if there be any wicked way in me.”
2) It is interesting to note that the word “wicked” here is completely different from the previous one. This word speaks of pain, sorrow, or even an idol.
3) If David was following any path that caused God pain or sorrow, he longed for God to reveal that to him.
4) This is a key. The right paths are not simply those that make life enjoyable, but those that cause God no pain.
d. The godly invite God to lead them.
1) David desired to have God lead or direct him in the way that would last a long time. Likely, he referred to everlasting life.
2) In are last youth activity, I spoke on the way that seemeth right to man compared with the way that is right in God’s eyes. Jesus called those two ways the broad way and the narrow way. As David, we ought to long for God to lead us on the narrow way that leads to eternal life.
Conclusion: This Psalm is an amazing Psalm about God’s omniscience, God’s omnipresence, and God’s omnipotence. These qualities have a bearing on all people, whether wicked or godly. This led David to three conclusions. 1) God will destroy the wicked. 2) The godly will hate the wicked. 3) The godly will desire God’s evaluation.
If you do not regularly pray a prayer similar to the last two verses of Psalm 139, I urge you to begin. You do not want to unknowingly adopt any of the ungodly words, thoughts, or habits of the wicked. When you pray these verses, if God reveals a need for change, yield to the Holy Spirit, confess it, and ask God to help you change.
