Psalm 139:19-24
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Verse 19 seems like an abrupt transition. Why do you think David’s thoughts moved from praising God for his presence and power to asking him to slay the wicked?
Why are verses 23–24 good for us to pray daily?
Reflect
The more we ponder God and know him through his work and through his Word, the more we will stand in awe of him. He is too magnificent for us to comprehend, too good for us to deserve, and so wonderful that a million years spent worshipping him would be too little.
David has come to a place in this psalm where the reality of God’s presence and power have landed on him with force. What is his response? A rejection of all of those who are wicked and do evil. He knows that God sees them too. Yahweh knows their every thought and deed, even what they do in secret. There is no escape from God for the wicked. God’s presence means judgment for them and David wants no part of their rebellion.
David has chosen a side and committed himself to God. He eagerly awaits the end of those who oppose Yahweh. His words may sound harsh to our ears, but he doesn’t speak them with spite, but with resolve. David counts the enemies of God as his enemies.
Yet David is not self-righteous. He knows that he has the capacity to rebel and commit the evil that he has chosen to hate. He also knows that only God can root out a person’s sinful tendencies. Out of his love and mercy, Yahweh will lead those who commit themselves to him to a better way.
John Goldingay wraps up his thoughts on this Psalm this way: “The psalmist’s closing invitation to God to examine him is then an opening of himself to God’s checking whether this commitment is real. It is the earlier sections of the psalm that add bite to this self-opening. He has made clear that he understands how serious it is. There is no fooling God about the nature of our commitment to God’s ways. There is no escaping God if we pretend to be something other than we are.”[1]
[1] John Goldingay, Psalms for Everyone, Part 2: Psalms 73–150, Old Testament for Everyone (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press; Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2014), 202.
Be honest with yourself and God, how committed are you to living for God? Do you invite the Spirit to search your heart for any offensive way? Why or why not?
Respond
Pray verses 23 and 24. Personalize them for yourself. What is the Spirit bringing to mind?