Psalm 139:

Intimacy with God



theme: what it means to be intimate with God, achieving intimacy with Him, how it affects our thinking, and how it affects our view of sin – around us and within ourselves

0. Introduction.
What is "intimacy with God"? How would you describe it? What would it look like in your life? How do we seek or achieve intimacy with God?
What, for example, constitutes intimacy with another person (e.g., spouse, boy/girlfriend)? In what way could a relationship with God be intimate?
Is it something we can easily achieve? Why?

1. He knows you. [v. 1-12]
How well does God know you?
What is your own response to v. 1-12? Does it scare you? Does it encourage you? Explain.

If we feel scared, it could be for the following reasons:

What does this passage suggest about problems you may have with loneliness?

How does understanding God's presence (as described here) give you a sense of security? Why is that important?
What problems result from insecurity? (examples: being oversensitive or easily angered...)

Is it possible to run away from God? Avoid God? Ignore God?
What kinds of avoidance behaviors do we often use?
In what ways do we sometimes ignore Him?

Why should this passage encourage us?


2. He's always known you. [v. 13-16]
What does it mean that you are "fearfully and wonderfully made"?
Do you have a sense of your uniqueness as a person made in His image?
Are you able to sincerely praise and thank God that you are "fearfully and wonderfully made"?
If not, why not?

How do we develop proper biblical self-esteem without becoming proud?
What do Ps. 147.11, 149.4 mean: He delights in those who fear Him?

What answer does this passage give about problems you may have with your self-esteem, confidence, self-worth, or self-identity?

We should be able to have a balanced self-identity rooted in who we are before God. A poor self-esteem or view of God will make us vulnerable to tempation and spiritual attack, as will pride. We can avoid pride when we realize our uniqueness, natural gifts and abilities, spiritual gifts, and all blessings are from God alone, not from ourselves, and are entirely due to His goodness and grace – that will guard against pride. Pride, incidentally, can sometimes be a mask to hide self-esteem or other problems. If you have poor spiritual self-esteem, you can begin by praying this passage until it begins to sink in, and let the Holy Spirit use it to change your thinking over time.


3. Response [v. 17-24]
a. Awe of God
Why does the psalmist respond in awe of God?
What brings you to feel awe towards God?
Do you regularly think about God such that you are led to feel awe?
Or do you take things for granted?

When you wake up, do you remember God? Sense His presence? Pray to Him as you get out of bed and start the day?
As you go throughout the day and your normal activities, do you remember God's presence with you? How about when you eat, go to sleep, etc.?

What does it mean to "practice the presence of God"? How do we maintain a sense of God's presence in our daily lives?

b. Hatred of sin.
      The righteous indignation or holy anger here is directed not against his own enemies, but against the evil and sin around him. This follows logically from the context because if we truly love God, then we should hate what is evil (Rom. 12.9), for He hates evil, and we are to have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16). If we love God and are walk closely with Him, we should care about His honor, and should care whether other people honor Him or revile Him.
      It is not personal hatred, but hatred of sin. Of course, we are commanded to love our enemies. Here it is expressed in hyperbole (poetic exaggeration), and we must be careful not to misinterpret it or take it out of context.
      Finally, this passage fits the typical langauge in Ancient Near Eastern culture of a loyalty oath in a covenant. If you enter a covenant with someone, you declare your loyalty to the person, including something like "your enemies are my enemies". So the talk here of enemies is not mainly about vengeance, but an expression of loyalty to God.

How should we react to injustice around us?
How should we react to those who commit injustice and sin in the world?
How should we deal with friends, colleagues, and relatives who are opposed to Christianity?

What does it mean to be loyal to God? How do we express it? How does it affect your thinking? How does it protect you from sin or evil?
How can our spiritual loyalties be misplaced?

c. Repentance.
      If we are close to God, we should be averse not only to evil around us, but to sin within our own hearts. This may not be just specific sins, but sin in general – e.g., general sin problems and tendencies like pride, or other spiritual/moral weakness.

How does God to test you and reveal your sin(s) to you?
What are 'anxious thoughts' and why are they a problem?
In what ways does God lead us toward His path in life?
Consider: What kind of sin exists in your heart, which you need to repent of ?

How do we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit? How do we let Him talk to us?

How do we listen to God in prayer or meditation?
Do you do so when you pray or meditate? (And what is meditation?)


4. General discussion.
In what ways does God intimately know us?
What would a more intimte relationship between you and God look like?

What does this passage suggest about the question or need of "finding yourself"?
How well does your personal spiritual life approach intimacy with God?
What is lacking, and how do you need to change?


5. Conclusion.
Spend 20+ minutes in sharing and prayer. Share and pray for each other about your relationships with God, and pray about breaking down particular barriers between you and God in your spiritual lives. Give thanks to God for how He made you and how well He knows you. Express awe and honor toward God. Pray also for repentance, general or specific.

EBS.
For an EBS, several key points come out rather beautifully, to which we can direct non-believers' attention: