They would outnumber the grains of sand
Psalm 139:17-18 - To think of God’s “wonderful counsels and works on my behalf” at all times and places should be a primary goal of our earthly existence.
“How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.”
Psalms 139:17-18 NIV
Just a short word before I dive back into Psalm 139. With today’s devotional, Barb and I have now published 1,000 studies of God’s Word here at Heaven On Wheels. I thank you for being with us on this journey, whether you’re a long-time reader or have just joined us. It is only fitting that God chose these two verses for me to write about today, as I find with each new day “How precious to me are your thoughts, God!”
David is expressing his amazement at how God not only knows his deepest thoughts, but also cares for him in so many ways. Precious is defined as “of high price or great value; very valuable or costly”, “highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality”, and “dear, beloved”. The king knew that God’s wisdom and providence were very valuable to him personally, and had been throughout his life. He felt God’s love intimately and unceasingly.
Spurgeon had this to say about verse 17:
“He is not alarmed at the fact that God knows all about him; on the contrary, he is comforted, and even feels himself to be enriched, as with a casket of precious jewels. That God should think upon him is the believer’s treasure and pleasure.”1
God’s thoughts are infinite, “they would outnumber the grains of sand” on a beach, even a universe filled with long beaches. God’s knowledge extends to all of His creation. It is estimated that there are between 1078 to 1082 atoms in the known universe. That’s between ten quadrillion vigintillion and one-hundred thousand quadrillion vigintillion atoms. Do you see why I chose the word infinite to quantify God’s thoughts?
Once again from Spurgeon:
“You know that people are very proud if a king has merely looked at them; I have heard of a man who used to boast, all his life, that King George IV. — such a beauty as he was! — once spoke to him. He only said, ‘Get out of the road;’ but it was a king who said it, so the man felt greatly gratified thereby. But you and I, beloved, can rejoice that God, before whom kings are as grasshoppers, actually thinks of us, and thinks of us often.”
David was constantly thinking of God, perhaps because he was so aware of how important God’s thoughts were to him. Whether asleep, waking up, or fully involved in his daily work, God’s presence was always with David. I love this commentary from 19th-century minister and writer Alexander Maclaren:
“He awakes from sleep, and is conscious of glad wonder to find that, like a tender mother by her slumbering child, God has been watching over him, and that all the blessed communion of past days abides as before.”2
British Old Testament scholar Derek Kidner had perhaps the most fascinating insight into the phrase “when I awake, I am still with you”:
“When I awake may therefore have its strongest sense, a glimpse of resurrection.”3
I’ll finish this short devotional with the words of Matthew Poole’s commentary, from BibleHub:
To wit, by my thoughts and meditations. Thy wonderful counsels and works on my behalf come constantly into my mind, not only in the day time, but even in the night season, which is commonly devoted to rest and sleep; whensoever I awake, either in the night or in the morning. These are my last thoughts when I lie down, and my first when I rise.
To think of God’s “wonderful counsels and works on my behalf” at all times and places should be a primary goal of our earthly existence.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, only You can know my deepest and innermost thoughts. I will never comprehend the scope and complexity of all that You have created, Your love for that creation, and Your continuing providence. Please accept this prayer as a small, but heartfelt, expression of my thanks to You. I offer this prayer in the name of Your Son and my Savior, Jesus. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
BibleHub was accessed on 10/22/2024 for commentary on Psalm 139, verse 18.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The Treasury of David: Volume 3" (Psalms 111-150) (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1988)
Maclaren, Alexander "The Psalms" Volume 3 (Psalms 90-150) (New York: A.C. Armstrong and Son, 1903)
Kidner, Derek "Psalms 73-150: A Commentary" (Kidner Classic Commentaries) (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1975)