Psalm 139:1-13 “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.”
Text Psalm 90:8 “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.”
Previous to leaving for a trip, dad told us boys to stay in the yard. Defying his command we climbed the fence and went to the neighbor’s house. Shortly our father called our names and we quickly ran home. When asked if we left the yard my brother said we hadn’t; I responded with the truth and said we had. My brother wouldn’t have lied if he knew what I did; dad saw us at the neighbor’s. This is the point that Moses in making, God knows! Moses gives us two beautiful pictures of a God that knows all. Verse 8 reveals that you can’t hide sin behind God’s back. The phrase “set . . . before thee” means to place in front of or opposite of. Get the picture; just like two people setting across the table from one another, you are always in the personal presence of God. David said, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7). The answer is nowhere! Verse 8 reveals that can’t cover sin so God can’t see it. The phrase “in the light of thy countenance” means illuminated before His face. Imagine an actor that always finds himself in the spotlight. David said, “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psalm 139:12). Confronted with sin, David said, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Psalm 51:4); “That’s coming clean with God!”