The Mind of the Lord (Psalm 139)
As of late, the Father has been leading me through Psalm 139, a beautiful song written by David that tells us about the mind of the Lord. Note: To help you track with this blog, I encourage you to read Psalm 139.
In this Psalm, David pours out his heart declaring Gods thoughts, care, and intimate acquaintance with him. To me, there’s no better Psalm describing the nature of Fathers goodness, care and intimate involvement, as we see him saying:
“Lord, you know everything there is to know about me…you are intimately aware of me, Lord…This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength…Every single moment You are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that You cherish me constantly in Your thought." (1a, 3a, 17 TPT)
From David’s awareness of Abba’s intimate knowledge of him, he cries out“Search me and know my thoughts (23-24).” In other words, David is picking up on the mind of the Lord as contrasted with his own thoughts, and it’s quite clear that he wants his mind to mirror the Father’s. Just as David desires for Abba to search and know his own thoughts—in order to make them like His—we too need Holy Spirit to search us and teach us His thoughts. We need the Spirit to uproot any thought that does not line up with Abba’s mind toward us. Quite simply, we need Holy Spirit to reveal the mind of Jesus (see Ephesians 1:17-18).
Keep in mind, David had an awareness of the mind of the Lord, and is why he was identified as a “man after Gods own heart”—he was after Gods mind (what Abba knew and saw to be true), and was willing to dismantle and destroy anything that stood in the way of the knowledge of God. Perhaps this is why his first major battle was the slaying and beheading of Goliath—signifying the removal of the unredeemed mind and thoughts that exalt themselves against what God knew to be true.
Anyways, back to Psalm 139…
For eighteen verses (1-18), David is writing about the beautiful thoughts of the Lord, until (in verse 19) it seems as if he changes the subject. He says, “O God, come and slay these blood-thirsty, murderous men. For I cry out, depart from me, you wicked ones. See how they blaspheme your sacred name and lift up themselves against you, but all in vain (139:19-20 TPT).” Did you see that? I mean, he goes from a beautiful declaration of “When I awake each morning, You’re with me” (v. 18) to “O God, come and slay these blood-thirsty, murderous men” (v. 19). What happened to David that he would change the subject so drastically?
If you read this in the literal, natural sense (as if David is asking God to literally kill and slay people), it’s quite confusing and perplexing; but if you read with the eyes of the spirit, you’ll notice Holy Spirit, through David, is communicating a mystery, a deeper truth to us. Reading with the eyes of the spirit, while also staying true to the context of the Psalm (God’s thoughts), it’s as if David picks up on another frequency—one that’s trying to break the flow and hinder him from having the mind of Whom He’s writing about, the Father.
Let me explain…
We know it’s not the nature of Abba (revealed in Christ) to kill people—to “slay bloodthirsty men”—which is why I believe David is speaking (metaphorically) of wicked, twisted thoughts, not literal human beings. The entire context is Gods thoughts over him, and his thoughts towards God (17-18; 23-24). In other words, why would David move from speaking of God’s beautiful thoughts and right into asking this beautiful God to kill human beings? That just doesn’t make sense. However, David is prophesying—he’s speaking mysteries—and for this reason, I believe the term “men” is metaphoric, and represents our thoughts concerning God. In other words, David is in no way changing the subject of Abbas mind and thoughts, instead (as you read on), David is going deeper and deeper into the subject at hand.
LET HIS MIND BE IN YOU
I don’t think David is wanting God to literally kill a slew of men—I believe he’s speaking a mystery, a deeper truth: that God would search and uproot and slay any toxic (wicked, twisted) thoughts in his heart concerning His nature—not that He’d literally kill people.
David goes on to say, "See how they blaspheme your sacred name and lift up themselves against you, but all in vain” (139:19-20 TPT). Like David, Paul spoke in like imagery—of vain imaginations (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NASB)—thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, of what Abba Father sees and knows to be true.
David prays for God to dismantle any toxic thoughts concerning His nature; Paul speaks of demolishing, tearing down, and destroying such thoughts. While David prays for a slaying of wicked men (mindsets), Paul goes on to speak of putting on the new man by taking on the new mind revealed in Christ (Ephesians 4:17-24 TPT). Taking on the new man is allowing the mindset that Jesus has to be in us—it is the act of taking on HIS FAITH.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)
Let’s make this practical: I encourage you to start by taking a few minutes to declare the beautiful and innumerable thoughts of the Father over your life. If needed, use this Psalm (139) to guide you into this time of focus and worship. Get extravagant in your declaration, and let these declarations fill your mind. Take your time; refuse to rush through this. After you’ve spent some time declaring His thoughts over your life, ask Abba, by His Spirit, to uproot any thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Him, of anything that He knows and sees to be true about you.
-RA
