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Psalm 139:13-18 - Awesome Attributes of God! Part Three - OMNIPOTENCE

Psalm 139:13-18 (NIV) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

CONTEXT

A. The omniscience of the Lord (139:1-6)
B. The omnipresence of the Lord (139:7-12)
C. The omnipotence of the Lord (139:13-18)
D. The holiness of the Lord (139:19-24). [Andrews SB]

WORD STUDY

Omnipotence. Exclusively an attribute of God and essential to the perfection of His being. It is declared in such Scriptures as Genesis 17:1; Exodus 15:11-12; Deut. 3:24; Psalm 62:11; Psalm 65:6; Psalm 147:5; Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 6:13; Matthew 19:26; Ephes. 3:20; Rev. 19:6. By ascribing to God absolute power, it is not meant that God is free from all the restraints of reason and morality, as some have taught, but that He is able to do everything that is in harmony with His wise and holy and perfect nature (see Matthew 23:19; Hebrews 6:18). The infinite power of God is set before us in the Scriptures in connection with His work of creation (Genesis 1:1; Romans 1:20), His work of upholding the world (Hebrews 1:3), the redemption of mankind (Luke 1:35, 37; Ephes. 1:19), the working of miracles (Luke 9:43), the conversion of sinners (1 Cor. 2:5; 2 Cor. 4:7), and the complete accomplishment of the great purpose of His kingdom (Matthew 6:13; Matthew 13:31-32; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 Cor. 15; Rev. 19:6). The New Unger's Bible Dictionary.

INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW

This psalm contains the clearest expression of the attributes and character of God to be found in the Psalter. [Believer's SB]

God's omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence are the subjects of David's meditations in this beautiful psalm. [Bible Knowledge Commentary]

This poem can be divided into four parts: the Lord's all knowing (vv. 1-6); the Lord's universal presence (vv. 7-12); the Lord's unlimited power (vv. 13-18); and the Lord's holiness (vv. 19-24). [Andrews SB]

The best and clearest illustration of God's power is perhaps found in creation. http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/xian/omni.html#r1

God's character goes into the creation of every person. When you feel worthless or even begin to hate yourself, remember that God's Spirit is ready and willing to work within you. Because of Jesus Christ we are new persons, so we should have as much respect and regard for ourselves as our maker has for us. [Life Application SB 2019]

God plans what each individual will be, even before that soul is born into the world. It is for the individual to decide whether he will follow the divine blueprint or not. [SDA Bible Commentary re vs. 16]

COMMENTARY PEARL

He Calls You By Your Name
   We all want to know that we belong to someone. That we aren't an accident or wandering around this planet with no meaning and no purpose.
   You weren't born by a random act of the cosmos. God made you with intention and God made you wonderfully. He has redeemed you and knows your name.
   You are not the maker; you are made. The good news today: God is not created in your image or how you might think He should be. You are created in His. He decided that He wanted you in His universe. He imagined and fashioned you. You are not accidental. Nor incidental. You are divinely crafted.
   When you come to believe this, you have the most powerful truth to combat the lie that God doesn't love you or that you aren't worthy of His affection. He made you, and He pursues that which He creates. The same goodness in Him is alive in you today. His love for you is deep, echoing throughout all time. Unending, immutable, and purposeful love.
   Dear Jesus, Your love allows me to live today with joy and purpose. Help me to look on myself with the same kindness and care that You do. [Grace and Glory by Louie Giglio]

COMMENTARY

   The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some men of science claim, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating energy. God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, for man was made in His image. As a personal being, God has revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus, the outshining of the Father's glory, "and the express image of His person" (Hebrews 1:3), was on earth found in fashion as a man. As a personal Savior He came to the world. As a personal Savior He ascended on high. As a personal Savior He intercedes in the heavenly courts. Before the throne of God in our behalf ministers "One like the Son of man." Daniel 7:13.
   The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declares of Christ that "all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1:16, 17, R.V., margin. The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.
   The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. "The Lord's throne is in heaven" (Psalm 11:4); yet by His Spirit He is everywhere present. He has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His hand. ED 131-132

CLOSING PEARL

David would be shocked at how easily the unborn are destroyed today. Millions of abortions occur every year, and political and social acceptance may numb believers to this ongoing reality. Here David shows God's love for the unborn and their mothers and fathers. Pray and work for the protection of these lives. While every life is precious to God, unborn children warrant special care because they are "the least of these" (Matthew 25: 40) - the most vulnerable, who do not yet have a voice and cannot defend or take care of themselves. [Life Application SB 2019]

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY

Psalm 139:13-18 - Awesome Attributes of God! Part Three OMNIPOTENCE
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180916-2104.html

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/