Psalm 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
In our text the word “reins” literally refers to “a physical organ”. Spiritually it refers to the soul and heart, the inner being of man, the seat of emotion and affection. The Psalmist acknowledged that as God’s child, God was directing his inner being. That is what a true child of God does. At salvation, the repentant sinner places his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit indwells the person. The person gives up his fight against God and submits himself to the will of God.
As saved people, we do not fully submit to God’s will. As we grow in the Lord we submit more to His will. The Psalmist is not bemoaning the fact that God has taken control. He is directed to acknowledge this fact and again describe the massive change that takes place in the saved person’s life. As we study God’s Word, we discover a much different response to God’s salvation than the lies that New Evangelicalism has been promoting. The Word of God is truth. God does not want people to be deceived. There is no benefit to lying to people about salvation and keeping them from listening to the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. I know there were conflicts in my heart and soul as I was being taught by New Evangelicals regarding Christianity. Thankfully, the Word of God is more powerful than the lies of man. As I studied God’s Word, and as I submitted to God’s Word, God opened my eyes and understanding to the truth. No doubt there are others who are struggling with this matter. Many people choose to limit their exposure to the Word of God and choose to let “soothsayers” convince them contrary to what the Bible declares.
David noted that God was watching over him even while in his mother’s womb. David was not born a saved person. In the physical realm, God is there from the moment of conception and before. As we have noted, there is no place where a person can escape from God. God designed the process of the development of that new life in the womb. As that child is developing, the parents of that child also have an active part in its development. Anger and anxiety in the mother will affect the child, as will fear. Joy and peace will also affect its development. Man has discovered that the baby can hear the mother and can sense the mood of the mother. God knew this all along. Since that being in the womb is a person from the moment of conception, it only stands to reason that it will have some understanding of its surroundings. It is not a mere “fetus” that becomes a human being at some point in the womb.
The Psalmist declared that He would praise the LORD. He knew that he was fearfully and wonderfully made. Even with our flaws, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are not the product of chance as the evolutionist declares. The deformities in man are the result of the fall. Some of them are brought on by decisions the mother makes prior to and during the pregnancy. Of course our wicked society does not accept that fact, but that does not change the facts.
The Psalmist declared God’s Works to be “marvellous.” God’s Work in the design of a baby in the womb and of the laws that are at work as that child is developing are beyond human understanding. Most doctors today do not understand how this wonder unfolds. Most just accept the evolutionary lies and thus they assume that the murder of unborn children is not really murder. They would love to create test-tube babies, but have not been able to do so just yet. They are tampering with God’s “wonders” and the consequences are not good now and will be disastrous in the end for those who defy God.
David was convinced of God’s “sovereignty” in his soul. No, he was not a Calvinist. They have tried to steal and redefine that word for their own evil plot. God is in control. He is Jehovah God. He is the Almighty God.
In verse 15 David understood that his substance was not hid from God. God knew all the parts of his body before they even developed. The child in the womb is developed in secret. Today we have ultrasound equipment that seeks to invade that secrecy. They claim that it is necessary to have the ultrasound to monitor the development of that child in the womb. That way they can “advise” the mother if there is something wrong and that child should be murdered. Those who are saved need to demonstrate their trust in the LORD as David wrote here. God knows what is happening with that child while it is in the womb. The mother needs to have her confidence in Him and trust in Him to guide that development for His glory. Far from the view of the naked eye, things are happening inside the mother’s womb as that egg is fertilized and begins to take on the shape of the person it will be. There are things that we do in “secret” that are not a secret at all to God. He is there and He watches over all things. His design was for man to be born without flaws. That all changed when Adam sinned. In spite of that sin, we can still agree with the Psalmist that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
In verse 16 we see that every part of your body was laid out by God before it even became a part of you. Every member was written in God’s book. There are deformities in us as people due to the fall. None of those deformities are a surprise to God. He will help us to live with those deformities and still be able to praise Him as David chose to do.
David also noted that were was a continual process of development within the womb. We know that process is about 9 months. David did not need to go to some corrupt university to learn about human development. He received his training from the Creator. There was no distortion in his learning.
In verse 17 David admitted that his thoughts toward God were precious, highly valued. This is because David chose to know the LORD. He chose to believe in Him. He trusted God. He was amazed by God’s greatness.
When we are saved, God opens our understanding in a wonderful way. We see things in a way that is much better than what the world sees. Christians have a front row seat to the greatness of God. We have a much better understanding of things than the world has. A genuine Christian doctor or nurse would have a much clearer understanding of life than their ungodly counterparts. We need some good Christian doctors and nurses. We should understand that most colleges and universities are poison to the mind of those who attend them. We do not have the capacity to screen out the trash propagated there. God’s Word should be the foundational source of our development.
In verse 18 David knew that God’s greatness is greater than the sand on the sea shore. We should be growing in our awe of God the longer we live as Christians. Our conversations should be more about God and His wonders the longer we live as Christians. We should be sounder in Biblical doctrines the longer we are saved. That should be the result of God’s wonderful gift of salvation.
My observations of “Christians” does not bear that out. I see a greater tolerance for corruption and false doctrine. I see a weakening of faith, not a strengthening of faith. It does not need to be that way. The younger generations that are following those of us that are older, need to be encouraged to put their trust in this amazing and wonderful God. They need to see that He is all that He declares Himself to be. We should be able to praise Him for His marvellous works.
David understood, that when he went to bed, he could have full confidence in God. When we go to sleep, we are not aware of our surroundings. We do not know what is going on around us. Some people are “lighter” sleepers than others. Some people can sleep through storms and other noisy events. Others wake up with the slightest change in sounds. Regardless, we can trust that God will be with us through the night and in the morning. If we die in our sleep, we know we will be in the presence of the LORD if we are saved.
The true child of God can have full confidence in the true God. It is a blessing to know the true God.
Pastor Bartel
