Introduction: We have all played the game “Hide and Seek”. You may call it by another name, but it is when everyone hides, and one person tries to find those hiding.
If we are not careful, we will try to play “Hide and Seek” with God. We run and hide from God and do things we know He does not like. We hope that he will not find us. How foolish! It is a waste of time to play that game with God because it is impossible to hide from God.
Transition: This evening, I want us to work our way through Psalm 139:7-12 to see why we cannot hide from God.
1. Psalm 139:7
a. Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
1) David asked God this rhetorical question, knowing that the answer was “nowhere”.
2) God’s spirit described here does not necessarily refer to the Holy Spirit because God himself is a spirit. While talking to the woman at the well in John 4:24, Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.“
3) The idea of this statement is that since God is a spirit and not confined to a body, He is everywhere at the same time.
b. Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
1) The word translated “presence” speaks of God’s face or his being.
2) David knew that there was no place on earth or in the universe where he could run away from God’s presence.
3) The doctrinal term for God being everywhere at the same time is omnipresent.
4) The omnipresence of God will give you something to ponder when you can’t get to sleep! This quality is so foreign to our being!
5) The fact that God is everywhere at the same time is frightening if we want to hide our sin from God, and it is comforting when we long for God’s nearness during trials. (Proverbs 15:3) “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” God sees us as we truly are.
2. Psalm 139:8
a. If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
1) As David looked up into the starry heavens, he knew that if he could zoom up to the stars, he could never leave God’s presence.
2) This statement is still true today, but it takes on an even greater magnitude for us. We now know that the most distant stars are trillions of kilometres away, beyond the most powerful telescopes.
3) God’s presence reaches beyond the highest star that exists.
b. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
1) The word translated hell is sheol, the place of the dead. Men assume that it is down somewhere. Thus, David uses it to contrast the height of the heavens.
2) Speaking of idol worshippers, God told the prophet Amos, (Amos 9:2-3) “Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:“
3) No matter how high we might go or how low we might descend, we cannot escape the presence of God.
3. Psalm 139:9-10
a. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
1) David could see that the light of the morning dawn quickly spread everywhere. He imagined travelling at the speed of light to the very end of the sea on the horizon.
2) Whether David comprehended that the earth was a globe, we do not know. He did know that the farthest point on the sea that his eye could grasp was a long way off.
b. Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
1) If David could have flown over the sea (as we can in jets today), he knew in his heart that even by speeding to that distant location, God’s had would lead or guide him.
2) He believed that God’s right hand of strength would hold him firmly.
3) We never need to fear that God is not near, even if we are 40,000 feet in the air flying in a jet.
4. Psalm 139:11
a. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
1) It is common for children to be afraid of the dark. Even as adults, there is something unsettling about the dark. For this reason, David presented this hypothetical statement, “Surely the darkness shall cover me.” The word he used for “cover” means to bruise.
2) Darkness can be frightening because we cannot see what is out there.
3) David knew that even if darkness threatened to harm him, God was still present.
b. Even the night shall be light about me.
1) Today, we have Infrared night vision cameras that can see in the dark.
2) God has perfect vision that surpasses the best infrared vision.
3) David knew that from God’s perspective, the blackest night was still light to God.
5. Psalm 139:12
a. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day:
1) In my youth, we used to love having other boys over in the evening and playing a game called “Kick the Can”. It is a game where everyone hides except the person who is the guard. He must protect the can (an old bean tin sitting in a lighted area) while the other players try to sneak up in the dark and kick the can while he is not looking. If the guard sees someone and gets back to the can first and calls their name, they are out and have to help him catch the others. If someone kicks the can, he wins and the game restarts. While you can plan Kick the Can in the light, it is much more fun in the dark, as the darkness hides the players.
2) The game would never work for God. He can see as well in the blackest dark as he sees in the shining daylight.
3) (Jeremiah 23:24) “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.“
b. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
1) Now that is an awesome thought! In God’s vision, there is no difference between darkness and light.
2) Once again, this is both convicting and comforting.
a) People typically do more sinful activities at night because they can hide better. While the dark may hide from humans some of the bad things men do, it does not hide any of their sin from God.
b) What a comfort it is to know that on the blackest night, God sees me and can protect me from any danger that is around me.
Conclusion: We cannot hide from God! He is present everywhere in the universe and beyond. No matter how high we fly or how low we burrow into the earth, God still sees us. When we are speeding across the sky in a jet, God’s hands are still with us to guide and hold us securely. Even in total blackness, God still sees us as clearly as in the noonday sun.
We have a great God. It is useless to try to hide from Him. It is peaceful knowing that he is always by our side. Ponder these verses! Better yet, memorise them.
