Connect Job 14:16 with Psalm 139:1-4 on God's omniscience. Opening the Text • Job 14:16 — “For then You would count my steps but would not keep track of my sin.” • Psalm 139:1-4 — “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.” Job’s Plea and What It Reveals • Job longs for relief, yet he confesses that God “counts my steps,” a vivid picture of exhaustive knowledge. • “Steps” signals every movement, decision, and moment of life; nothing escapes God’s notice. • Job hopes for mercy: though God sees all, He could choose not to “keep track” of sin—hinting at grace foreshadowed in the gospel (cf. Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). The Same All-Seeing God in Psalm 139 • David expands what Job hints: God’s knowledge is not only of outward steps but inward thoughts, words, and motives. – Sitting, rising, walking, lying down: each action is under divine surveillance. – Thoughts “from afar”: before they crystallize, God discerns them. – Words “before” they reach the tongue: omniscience penetrates language before sound. • The consistency: Job 14:16 shows God numbering steps; Psalm 139 catalogs the same watchfulness across every domain of life. Key Truths About God’s Omniscience • Comprehensive: Counts steps (Job) and measures thoughts (Psalm). Nothing is trivial (Matthew 10:29-30). • Personal: “You have searched me and known me.” Divine knowledge is relational, not mechanical. • Moral: God’s omniscience includes sin, yet mercy is possible—He can choose not to “keep track” (cf. Micah 7:18-19). Further Scriptural Echoes • Proverbs 5:21 — “For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and He considers all his paths.” • Hebrews 4:13 — “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight…” • 1 John 3:20 — “God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.” Living in the Light of His Omniscience • Integrity: Since every step is counted, walk transparently (Psalm 26:2). • Comfort: The One who knows all also loves perfectly (Romans 8:38-39). • Repentance: Hidden sin is impossible; confess quickly (Psalm 32:3-5). • Guidance: Trust the God who sees the path ahead (Proverbs 3:5-6). |
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