How Precious Are the Thoughts of God

How Precious Are the Thoughts of God
Psalm 139

• A Lament or a Praise Hymn?
• God’s Intimate Work of Creation
• Living With a Shared Value of Life

Questions for Further Study or Group Discussion

1. Read Psalm 139. What seems to be the main point of this psalm (it’s not as easy as you may think)? What theology is taught in this psalm? What difference does this theology make for the psalmist?
2. Consider verses 13-16. What do we learn about human life from these verses? How does this impact the esteem of ourselves? How is this different than positive self-esteem?
3. With the psalmist celebrating the intimate work of God forming a human being in the womb of her mother, how can he then pray, “oh that you would slay the wicked”? How does this prayer honor life?
4. Taking the theology of this psalm, how shall a Christian live in the midst of a culture that does not share this theology? What do you do to value life?