When I am resting or when I am acting, you know me. You know when I sit down (my passive life) and when I rise up (my active life). That is, "Lord, you understand and know me in my conscious life. Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up The Hebrew word for "searched" is the word, "to dig." Literally what this man is saying is, "O Lord, you dig me!" Now that is how up-to-date the Bible is! The word means, "You dig into me and therefore you know me." It is not surprising that the word dig has come to mean in English, "to know or to understand." This is the way the psalmist begins, "Lord, you dig me!" In what way does God understand? O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me! (Psalms 139:1 RSV) In the first paragraph he asks, "How well does God know me?" The first sentence gives us his answer: In each paragraph the psalmist faces a question about himself in relationship to God. It is easy to follow the outline for it is already structured for us in the RSV. It is divided into four paragraphs of six verses each. If you are struggling with an identity crisis and you are not sure just who you are then I suggest you read carefully as we look together at this marvelous psalm. This 139th Psalm describes a man who is thinking about himself and his relationship to God. It contrasts sharply with the biblical view of man and especially the view which deals with man in relationship to God. Such an outlook tends to make us feel most insignificant. That view tells us that our earth is but a tiny speck in a vast universe, and we are struggling mortals on an obscure planet located in a second rate galaxy among billions of other galaxies in a great universe. Everywhere today one hears of those who are passing through an identity crisis., That is a fancy way of saying what people have been asking for a long time, "Who am I?" We all ask this question occasionally but perhaps it is asked more frequently today because of the prevailing scientific view of the universe.
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