Commentary - Psalm 139:13-18

Bird's-eye view

After establishing the omniscience (vv. 1-6) and omnipresence (vv. 7-12) of God, David now turns to the Lord's work as the profound miniaturist, the divine artist who fashioned him from his very first moments. This section, from verse 13 to 18, is a hymn to the intimate, personal, and sovereign craftsmanship of God in the creation of every individual human being. David moves from the macrocosm of God's infinite knowledge and presence to the microcosm of the womb. It is a celebration of the fact that the God of all immensity is also the God of intricate detail. This is where theology gets its hands dirty, right down to the molecular level. The psalmist confesses that he is wonderfully made, and this knowledge leads him to praise. It concludes with David overwhelmed by the sheer volume and preciousness of God's thoughts toward him, reinforcing the personal nature of God's sovereign care.

This passage stands as a biblical bulwark against the modern conceits of materialism and abortion. It teaches us that we are not cosmic accidents, but rather bespoke creations of a loving God. Our value is not determined by our utility, our wantedness, or our stage of development, but is inherent from the moment of conception because God is the one who does the work. He is the potter, we are the clay, and the work begins long before we draw our first breath.

Outline

Commentary

13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

The word "For" connects what is about to be said with everything that came before. Because God is omniscient and omnipresent, it follows that He is the one who was present at our beginnings. David says God formed his "inward parts," his reins, his kidneys. This is not a detached, assembly-line process. The verb for "formed" here has the sense of acquiring or creating. God is the one who put you together, piece by piece. He did not delegate the task. Then David shifts the metaphor to weaving. "You wove me in my mother's womb." This is the language of a master craftsman. Think of a complex tapestry, with countless threads of different colors and textures. God is the weaver, and the womb is His workshop. This is an intimate, hands-on, personal work. And notice, this all happens in secret, in a place no human eye can see, which is precisely David's point. God's work doesn't require an audience.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

The only appropriate response to this truth is praise. "I will give thanks to You." Why? "For I am fearfully and wonderfully made." The knowledge of God's craftsmanship in our own bodies ought to provoke awe and wonder. We are not just wonderfully made, but "fearfully" so. This points to the profound reverence we should have for the Creator. We are His handiwork, and that should make us tremble. The Vulgate renders part of this "acu pictus sum," meaning "I am painted as with a needle," a beautiful image of exquisite detail. David then generalizes the principle: "Wonderful are Your works." He sees the general truth of God's magnificent creation reflected in the particular truth of his own being. And this is not some abstract theological point he is affirming. It is a deep, personal conviction: "my soul knows it very well." This is knowledge that has sunk down from the head to the heart. True theology is always doxological.

15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And intricately woven in the depths of the earth;

David expands on the theme of God's sight. "My frame," my substance, my bones, "was not hidden from You." Even in the "secret" place of the womb, God's eyes were there. He then uses a striking phrase: "intricately woven in the depths of the earth." This is poetic language. He is not saying that human beings are literally formed in the center of the planet. He is drawing a parallel between the darkness of the womb and the unseen depths of the earth. Just as God knows what is in the deepest mine, so He knows what is happening in the womb. The phrase "intricately woven" again emphasizes the complexity and artistry of God's work. It carries the idea of embroidery, of many colors. We are God's masterpieces, formed in a hidden studio.

16 Your eyes have seen my unshaped substance; And in Your book all of them were written The days that were formed for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

This verse is a sledgehammer to the pretensions of modern man. "Your eyes have seen my unshaped substance." The word is "golem" in Hebrew, my embryo, my undeveloped form. Before there was anything resembling a baby that a modern sonogram might pick up, God saw a person. He saw me. This is the foundation of the pro-life position. Personhood begins at conception because God's seeing makes it so. But it doesn't stop there. God's foreknowledge is also a predestinating knowledge. "In Your book all of them were written, the days that were formed for me." Before David had lived a single day, the entire course of his life was already written in God's book. This is meticulous sovereignty. God did not just create us and then let us go; He ordained all our days before the first one dawned. This is a staggering thought, and it is either a terrifying reality for the unbeliever or a profound comfort for the child of God.

17 How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

David's mind reels at the implications of this divine, sovereign care. He has considered God's knowledge, His presence, His creative power, and His predestinating purpose, and it all leads him to this exclamation. "How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God!" God's thoughts are not just numerous; they are precious. They are valuable, weighty, glorious. The God who ordained all his days thinks about him. This is the opposite of a cold, deterministic fatalism. This is a personal, loving, covenantal sovereignty. And the sheer number of these thoughts is overwhelming. "How vast is the sum of them!" God's mind is infinite, and His thoughts toward His people are therefore infinite.

18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

David attempts to quantify the unquantifiable. If he were to try to count God's thoughts toward him, they would be more numerous than the grains of sand on the seashore, a classic biblical image for a number beyond human calculation. This is not just poetic hyperbole; it is a statement of theological fact. God's attention toward His children is constant and unceasing. And this leads to the final, comforting conclusion of this section. After a night's sleep, a period of unconsciousness, David wakes up to find that nothing has changed. "When I awake, I am still with You." God's presence is not intermittent. His care does not take breaks. He was with David when he went to sleep, He was with him through the night, and He is with him when he wakes. For the believer, to be is to be with God. And that is our ultimate security.

Key Issues

Application

First, this passage should fill us with a sense of profound gratitude and awe. You are not an accident. You were fearfully and wonderfully made by the God of the universe. This truth should lead us to praise, as it did for David. It should also inform how we view ourselves and others. Every person you meet is a work of God, and this should cultivate in us a deep respect for human dignity.

Second, these verses are a call to arms in the fight for the unborn. Our culture has declared war on the occupants of the womb, calling them tissue, products of conception, or potential life. God calls them persons whom He is intricately weaving together. We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, armed with the truth that God sees their unshaped substance and values it.

Finally, the doctrine of God's meticulous sovereignty should be a source of immense comfort and stability for the Christian. Your life is not a series of random events. Your days were written in His book before time began. This does not eliminate our responsibility, but it grounds our lives in the unshakable purpose of God. When you lie down to sleep and when you wake up, you are still with Him. His precious thoughts toward you never cease. Trust this God. Rest in His sovereign care. He who began a good work in you, even in the secret place of the womb, will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.