Sunday Sermonette: Harping on the contradictions

Psalms 138 and 139 and just more of the usual -- praise for Yahweh and disdain for nonbelievers. They are attributed to king David, which makes it rather odd that psalm 138 claims God is closer to the lowly than the high (or haughty), since a good part of the book is about how God made David and his descendants exalted. Psalm 138 also invokes the existence of multiple gods.

Anyway, I want to pay a bit more attention to psalm 139, which asserts that God is all-knowing, and even knows what's inside people's heads. Our friends at SAB have compiled a long list of what God didn't know and couldn't see. I'll just give you a sample.

God couldn't see Adam and Eve when they hid in the Garden of Eden.

And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord, amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? Genesis 3:8-9

After Cain killed Abel, he hid in the land of Nod from the face of God.

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid. ... And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. Genesis 4:14-16

God came down to see the Tower of Babel. (He couldn't see it from where he was sitting.)

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower. Genesis 11:4-5

When God and his friends visited Abraham, they didn't know where Sarah was.

The LORD appeared unto him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. ... And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. Genesis 18:1-9

God had to come down to Sodom to see if the Sodomites were as bad as he'd heard.

And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and, if not, I will know. Genesis 18:20-21

God didn't know that Abraham feared God until Abraham showed his willingness to murder his son for God.

For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. Genesis 22:12

After God lost a wrestling match with Jacob, he asked Jacob his name. (God didn't know who he was wrestling with.)

And he [God] said unto him [Jacob], What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.... And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face. Genesis 32:27-30

Before opening the mouth of Balaam's ass (Numbers 22:28-20), he asked Balaam who were the men that were with him.

And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? Numbers 22:9

God led the Israelites for forty years (on a trip that should have taken a few weeks) so that he could know what was in their hearts.

God led thee these forty years in the wilderness ... to know what what in thine heart. Deuteronomy 8:2

God didn't know if the Israelites would obey him or not.

Through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. Judges 2:22

If a prophet or dreamer of dreams tells you to worship other gods. Kill him. God sends guys like that every now and then to see if you love him enough.

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ... And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death. The Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 13:3

God has tested Hezekiah to see what is in his heart.

God left him [Hezekiah], to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 2 Chronicles 32:31

Before God and Satan played their cruel game with the lives of Job and his family, God asked Satan what he'd been up to lately.

And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Job 1:7, 2:2

The Israelites set up kings and princes without God's knowledge.

They [the Israelites] have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not. Hosea 8:4

A Psalm of David.

138 I give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
    before the gods I sing thy praise;
² I bow down toward thy holy temple
    and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness;
for thou hast exalted above everything
    thy name and thy word.^[a]
3 On the day I called, thou didst answer me,
    my strength of soul thou didst increase.^[b]

⁴ All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,
    for they have heard the words of thy mouth;
⁵ and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶ For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
    but the haughty he knows from afar.

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    thou dost preserve my life;
thou dost stretch out thy hand against the wrath of my enemies,
    and thy right hand delivers me.
⁸ The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
    thy steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
    Do not forsake the work of thy hands.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 138:2 Cn: Heb thou hast exalted thy word above all thy name
2. Psalm 138:3 Syr Compare Gk Tg: Heb thou didst make me arrogant in my soul with strength

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me!
² Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up;
    thou discernest my thoughts from afar.
³ Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,
    and art acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
⁵ Thou dost beset me behind and before,
    and layest thy hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high, I cannot attain it.

⁷ Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?
    Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, thou art there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there thy hand shall lead me,
    and thy right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, “Let only darkness cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
¹² even the darkness is not dark to thee,
    the night is bright as the day;
    for darkness is as light with thee.

¹³ For thou didst form my inward parts,
    thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.^[a]
    Wonderful are thy works!
Thou knowest me right well;
¹⁵     my frame was not hidden from thee,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance;
    in thy book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.
¹⁷ How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    When I awake, I am still with thee.^[b]

¹⁹ O that thou wouldst slay the wicked, O God,
    and that men of blood would depart from me,
²⁰ men who maliciously defy thee,
    who lift themselves up against thee for evil!^[c]
21 Do I not hate them that hate thee, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe them that rise up against thee?
²² I hate them with perfect hatred;
    I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴ And see if there be any wicked^[d] way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!^[e]

Footnotes

1. Psalm 139:14 Cn Compare Gk Syr Jerome: Heb fearful things I am wonderful
2. Psalm 139:18 Or were I to come to the end I would still be with thee
3. Psalm 139:20 Cn: Heb uncertain
4. Psalm 139:24 Heb hurtful
5. Psalm 139:24 Or the ancient way. Compare Jer 6.16

 

1.