Glad Tidings Church Burlington

“Orientation”
Where the Psalmist’s gaze is oriented toward God and things look hopeful. (Adoration)

“Disorientation”
Where the Psalmist’s gaze is oriented away from God and things look grim. (Distraction)

“Reorientation”
Where the Psalmist moves from disorientation away from God back to orientation toward God. (Re-alignment)

Omniscience – All Knowing
Omnipresence – Always present

“God is Personally Knowledgeable” – v. 1-6
“God is Present Everywhere” – v. 7-12

The testimony of Scripture (Bible) to which we gain the majority of our understanding about who God is, reveals over and over again that God not only knows what has happened, but He also knows what will happen. And this is not only true on a Meta level of the world, but David reveals in Psalm 139 that this is true on a personal/individual level.

This knowledge about us does not come from God reading and studying documentaries about us. No – It comes from the fact that God has uniquely created and formed us and is intricately involved in our lives. (Doesn’t control our lives, but intricately involved).

John Calvin - “The Lord had declared that "everything that he had made was exceedingly good". Whence, then comes this wickedness to man, that he should fall away from his God? Lest we should think it comes from creation, God had put His stamp of approval on what had come forth from himself. By his own evil intention, then, man corrupted the pure nature he had received from the Lord; and by his fall drew all his posterity with him into destruction. Accordingly, we should contemplate the evident cause of condemnation in the corrupt nature of humanity-which is closer to us-rather than seek a hidden and utterly incomprehensible cause in God's predestination.”

Greg Boyd - “Modern Christians are inclined to not expect evil and so are baffled but resigned when it occurs. New Testament writers, on the other hand, were inclined to expect evil and fight against it. Modern Christians attempt to intellectually understand evil, whereas New Testament writers grappled with overcoming evil.”