Date:   01/16/05

Text:   Psalm 139

Title:   Life Under God

Theme: Since life, from beginning to the end, is from God, therefore it is sacred and we are to treat it with dignity and respect.

Introduction:

  On 1/22/73 , the US Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand. Since then, about 4000 infants have been aborted on an average day. With the legalization of the RU486 pill (Mifeprex), it is becoming more difficult to have an accurate figure. However, this Supreme Court ruling has also awakened the conscience of many in this and other countries. It forces us to take a serious look about life: who am I, where do I come from and where am I going? Even though there is less and less public debate on the issue of abortion in the election of public offices, this issue of abortion, about when life begins, and about partial birth abortion is still a hot button issue. Whenever we discuss this, it evokes strong emotions.

  Many Christian churches have set apart the week of 16 th to 23 rd of January to remind believers about the sanctity of human life. One of these Sundays is designated as Sanctity of Life Sunday. This morning, in our study of Psalm 139, we'll see a simple yet profound truth that human life, from the unborn child to the elderly, the healthy and the physically or mentally challenged, is from God; therefore it is to be treated with dignity and respect.

  The first section of this chapter is a summary of doctrines on God's attributes.

I.   God is all knowing. 1-6

  The doctrine that God is all knowing is a familiar one to Christians. If God is not all knowing, then can he still be God? Here, David brings this familiar doctrine to a personal level. In vs. 1, “ 1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” This all knowing God, knows David, knows me very intimately. How so?

  Vs.2a, “ 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;….” He knows our outward activities. Vs.2b, “…you discern my thoughts from afar.” He knows my inner thoughts. Vs.4, “ 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” Not only God knows what I am thinking, but also the thoughts that I have not yet fully formulated and expressed. Vs.3, “ 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.” He knows my everyday acts, my life-style.

  In other words, God knows my every move. He is like the mother, knowing exactly what the child is up to. With just one look, a mother can detect if her child has done something bad. It's like the camera that Houston city wants to install at some of the traffic lights to catch drivers who are speeding or running red lights. Or like the CEO of a large company being placed under house arrest. He wears some kind of bracelets so the police can monitor his whereabouts. We don't like being known by others in this way. We feel it is an intrusion of Privacy. We are being watched, restricted and confined, and we don't like it. But what about God's knowledge of us?

  Vs. 5, “ 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me..” One of the highlights for many parents is at night when you tuck your kids to sleep. You put the blanket or sheets under and over them, making it fit. What is the purpose? So the child feels secure and comfort. God hems me in, behind and before. He covers me with his hand to protect and comfort me. You see, God knows me thoroughly; he is not trying to catch me when I do something wrong. But he knows me so well as to protect and comfort me.

  And in vs.6, “ 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” David is saying that knowing that God so thoroughly knows him, is beyond his comprehension. It is far too wonderful

II.   God is all Present. 7-12

  God knows the ins and outs of David, why? God is everywhere.

  First, there is the eternal dimension. Vs.8, “ 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” Whether I go to heaven or Sheol, meaning hell, you are there.

  Second, the spatial dimension. Vs.9-10, “ 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” If I start from east and keep going to the west and then east again, you are still there.

  Third, the temporal dimension. Vs. 11-12, “ 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” Even when David is being covered by darkness, God is there with him.

  No matter what situations he finds himself in, God is there. God is everywhere. Its almost like the story of the famous Chinese monkey. No matter how far he jumps, he is still within the five fingers of Buddha.

  Because God is everywhere, therefore he knows me thoroughly. Certainly some may think of this as restrictive. But what is the purpose of God being everywhere in my life? vs. 10, “ 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” God is everywhere in our life so he can lead us and hold us. Not to scare or threaten us, but to guide and direct us. Think of some of the dark moments in life. When we are confused about life's direction, he is there with us. When we face that financial crisis, he is there with us. When we experience the mixed emotions of an unplanned pregnancy, he is there with us. When we grieve over the loss of a parent, or an unborn child due to miscarriage or death in the womb, he is there with us. When we are in the shadow of the valley of death, when we are in the deep waters and fire of life, he is there. He is every where. He is like a 24/7 surveillance camera, knowing our every move. He is not there to scare us or try to catch us when we sin. He is there to guide and lead us in all circumstances of life.

III.   God is all Creating. 13-18

  Why does he know us thoroughly? Why is he present in every aspect of our life? This is like asking why do you care, and guide that child in your family? The answer is found in 13-18.

  Vs.13, “ 13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.” The word form means made, create and possess. Inmost parts refers to our inmost feelings, our emotions. Vs.15, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.” Frame is a reference to our bony structure, our skeletons. When we are 12 weeks old in the womb, hands and feet are clearly visible. Vs.16, “ 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.” It is about us in the embryonic stage. When we are only 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 cell stage, when there is not even the visible form, God knows us, he is there. The scripture is saying that when we are still in our mothers' wombs, when there is no recognizable forms, God is there creating us, possessing us. Moreover, vs. 18, “…..I awake, and I am still with you.” God is there when we are in our mothers' womb. When we awake from death, he is still there. Why does he know us so thoroughly? Why is he everywhere in our life? It is because he is the one who created us. He is the one who possesses us, from before birth till eternity. And David says, vs. 17, “ 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand…..” The thought that God knows us completely, he is everywhere in our lives, he has created us, this is too precious, too vast to grasp and understand.

  This is the soul of Psalm 139. When we are in the dark place of our mother's womb, before we even have that recognizable form, God is there. No matter under what circumstances this life begins, God is there. It is sacred and therefore it is wrong for us to terminate this life through abortion.

  Human logic can be confusing. When we find out that we are pregnant, if we feel that we are not ready, or the birth of this child is not convenient for us, then this child is not a life, not sacred and therefore can be aborted. But, if we feel we are ready, then this child, whether it is 4/8/16/32 cell stage or 2 months old in the womb, we treat this as a sacred life, protect it and welcome it into the world. It is as if the sanctity of the unborn child depends on our emotional, financial and professional status. However, the scripture is very consistent on this. Whether or not we are ready, whether or not this child is ‘healthy', whether or not this child is formed under some very extraordinary and tragic circumstances, this child is God's handiwork. From the very beginning of this life, God is there, actively creating him/her. This life is sacred.

  For this reason, when there is a miscarriage, we feel sad, because a life is lost. When we are considering abortion, it is never an easy decision. Deep within us is an intense struggle going on; should we or should we not. For this reason, no one can really have an abortion and act as if nothing has happened. We want to bury or get it out of our memory and therefore don't want to talk about it. When the issue is brought up, we feel uncomfortable and want to avoid the subject. For those who have had an abortion, there are after effects, known as post abortion syndrome. One may experience depression and anger. We may feel depressed or mood change on the anniversary of the abortion. When we see others getting pregnant, there may be jealousy and anger towards them and self. When we see another infant, we feel sad and want to cry. When we see other children growing up, we keep thinking of the age of our aborted child. All such emotions really point to the truth that each child is created by God. Each life is very sacred.

IV.   How shall we then live? 19-24.

  Knowing that we are created by God, God knows us thoroughly and he is ever present in our lives, how then shall we live? Vs. 19-22, “ 19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! 20 They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain! 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.” Simply put, when I know my life is from God, then I will align myself with God. I'll hate what God hates. I will stay away from evil ones and evil acts.

  On the contrary, 23-24, “ 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” David says, Search me, because I don't know myself fully. So please search me to see if there are still sins in my life, if there are evil ways in me. And help me to walk in your path, in ways pleasing to you.

  So what does all this mean to us? I would like to give several suggestions:

•  I understand that this is a difficult subject to some of us. There may be some of us, for whatever reasons, may have had abortions. Now you know that this is not pleasing to God. You need to ask God to forgive you. I John 1:9 says, “ 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If you have already confessed your sins and your conscience is still bothered by your past, I will encourage you to seek a Christian counselor to help you deal with this past abortion and be freed from the bondage of a wounded conscience.

Don't let anyone trivialize your grief, saying don't worry, it will go away soon. We have seen individuals who after 10 or 15 years of the abortion, began to feel severe guilt and depression. Don't be afraid of seeking help so we can assist you to rebuild your inner life. God has already forgiven you, therefore don't be so hard on yourself.

•  To others, my I encourage you to volunteer your time to help out in some of the local Pregnancy resource centers. Doing your part to help individuals in crisis pregnancy situations to choose life because a baby's life is very sacred.

•  You may also consider financially supporting some of these agencies. I know different Pregnancy resource centers are trying to raise funds to purchase ultrasound equipments. This will help the mothers visually see what is inside their stomach is not just a blob of tissue, but an actual head, hands and feet that can be recognized.

•  I understand this last suggestion is not easy for us Chinese. How about considering adoption as a way of helping those young mothers ?

Would you consider becoming a voice for the voiceless ?

Conclusion:

Several years ago, I cam across this story by a doctor. “During one delivery, I realized the baby had only one leg. I knew something wrong had happened during the pregnancy. I thought about how this child will grow up and how disappointed the mother would be. Looking at the clock in the delivery room, I know that if I would only delay my hand movement by a few seconds, which no one would notice, then this baby would die due to lack of oxygen. But I continued and delivered the baby. As expected, the mother was shocked. She stayed in the hospital for several more months to deal with her emotions. During this time I blamed myself for not yielding to the temptation at delivery time.

Every year, our hospital would have an elaborate Christmas party for the staff. This past year, three lovely young musicians on the stage played softly in unison with the organ. There was the young harpist. She played extraordinarily well, her face was upturned as if the world that moment were a wonderful and holy place.

When the short program was over, there came running down the aisle a woman I did not know. "Oh, you saw her," she cried. "You must have recognized your baby. That was my daughter who played the harp-the little girl who was born with only one good leg 17 years ago. We tried everything at first, but now she has a whole artificial leg on that side. Best of all, through all those years, she learned to use her hands so wonderfully. She is going to be one of the world's greatest harpists. She is my whole life and now she is so happy . . . And here she is!" The sweet young girl had quietly approached us, her eyes glowing.

Impulsively, I took the child in my arms. Across her warm young shoulder I saw the creeping clock of the delivery room 17 years before. I lived again those awful moments when her life was in my hand. As the last strains of "Silent Night" faded, I found comfort I had waited for so long.”

Was that baby's life really in the doctor's hand? She was ultimately in God's hands which created, knitted and hemmed her in and knew her every breath and movement even before her own mother knew anything.