Sermon Resources - Dr. Toby Holt
How much do you really know — and how much does God know? In The Omniscience (Knowledge) Of God, Dr. Toby B. Holt preaches Psalm 139, verses 1-6, holding up a single coin to show that what we know is only a fraction of the available data, while God knows every fact and every possibility besides. David confesses, "O LORD, You have searched me and known me... and are acquainted with all my ways" (Psalm 139:1, 3) — a God you cannot hide from, who knows you intimately and loves you still. From a Reformed and Westminster perspective, this psalm unveils the omniscient, immutable God whose infinite knowledge governs all reality and possibility, and in whom faith finds rest.
0:00 — The Coin You Never Knew. What we know is a fraction of what can be known — but God knows every fact, and every possibility besides (Psalm 139:1).
5:18 — A God You Cannot Hide From. Unlike the limited pagan gods, the LORD knows you intimately — and loves you still (Psalm 139:1-3).
9:30 — Known, Not Studied. A spouse learns you by observation; God knows all things at once, and never grows or changes (Psalm 139:4).
13:11 — Hedged Behind And Before. God's knowledge fences us in for our good — though, like teenagers, we do not always want it (Psalm 139:5).
18:05 — Too Wonderful For Me. Some things we cannot fathom this side of glory; when God knew yet allowed our pain, we trust that Father knows best (Psalm 139:6).
Questions This Sermon Answers:
1. What does it mean that God is omniscient?
Omniscience means that God knows everything that is and everything that could be. Dr. Holt illustrates it with a single coin: the odds of guessing its denomination and the year it was minted are astronomical, yet that is only two variables of one object in one room. God, by contrast, "knows when the sparrow falls, how many hairs are on your head, the denomination of every coin." As Psalm 147:5 declares, "Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."
2. What does Psalm 139 say about God's knowledge of us?
Psalm 139:1-3 says, "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off... and are acquainted with all my ways." David confesses that God knows not only his outward actions but his inmost thoughts. This is a God from whom we cannot hide — who knows us intimately whether we like it or not, and loves us still.
3. Does God know not just what is, but what could have been?
Yes. Dr. Holt explains that God knows the full map of reality and the full map of possibility. He knows what time you rose yesterday "and how your day would have gone if you had risen an hour earlier or turned left instead of right; He knows every alternate ending." Romans 11:33 marvels, "How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" Yet this present reality is the one God has determined, lining everything up so that you are right here, right now.
4. Why did the pagan gods of the ancient world lack omniscience?
In the myths, no god was all-knowing: the Greek gods could be tricked, as when Prometheus deceived Zeus, and the Egyptian, Canaanite, and Philistine gods held only limited jurisdiction you could travel beyond. Dr. Holt observes that when sinful men carved their gods, "they never assigned omniscience, because sinful man does not want an all-knowing God — one from whom you cannot hide." The God of Scripture stands wholly apart, knowing all things.
5. How can God know our worst thoughts and still love us?
Psalm 139:4 says, "For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether." David, who wronged Uriah the Hittite, knew that God saw even his salacious and terrible thoughts and loved him still. As Dr. Holt puts it, "there are people who, if they knew everything about you, would have trouble loving you; God knows everything, and loves you still." That is the wonder of grace toward those fully known.
6. How is God's knowledge different from human knowledge?
Our knowledge is successive — acquired over time, often the hard way, the way a long-married spouse learns to read a face. But God's knowledge does not come by observation. As Dr. Holt teaches, "God does not grow or learn; He will not be a better God tomorrow for what He observes today; His knowledge is intrinsic to His nature; He knows it all simultaneously, and no fact will ever be added to it." This reflects His immutability and aseity.
7. What does it mean that God has "hedged me behind and before"?
Psalm 139:5 says, "You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me." Dr. Holt likens it to a child at the playground glancing back for mom and dad — God's nearness is a comfort and a protection. He hedges us by His Spirit through the conscience and by His Word, not because He is a cosmic killjoy, but because "He loves us and knows that if we do what He says, things go well." He provides safe lanes to travel in.
8. Why do we resist God's guidance like teenagers?
A small child wants a parent near, but the teenager does not want mom or dad "ten feet away at the mall, watching over the racks." Spiritually we say, "Keep me safe, but on my terms; let me find my own way." Yet God knows where the lion prowls and what is good and bad for us. Dr. Holt warns that we can be "perpetual teenagers" who think we know everything, when God says, "If you will but turn to Me and crack open the book, I will teach, guide, protect, and lead you."
9. What does it mean that God's knowledge is "too wonderful for me"?
Psalm 139:6 says, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it." Even David admits there are things above his pay grade. Isaiah 40:13-14 asks, "Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD... Who taught Him knowledge, or showed Him the way of understanding?" — and the answer is no one. God knows by virtue of being the Creator. The wise man therefore looks up to the source of revelation and does not neglect God's Word.
10. What is open theism, and how does Scripture answer it?
Open theism is the premise that God does not fully know the future. Some reach for it to relieve the pain of suffering, reasoning that perhaps God did not know. But Scripture insists "God is never shocked, never surprised, never out of the loop." Tell the disciples in about A.D. 32 that Jesus had to die and they would call it the worst possible thing — yet it was the exact thing God appointed for the greatest good, their salvation. Our confidence is not in what we know, but that He knows.
Key Theological Points:
1. The Omniscience and Immutability of God
God knows everything that is and everything that could be, and His knowledge never increases or changes. He does not learn by observation as we do; He knows all things simultaneously and "will not be a better God tomorrow." Psalm 147:5 declares, "His understanding is infinite," and Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us, "My thoughts are not your thoughts... as the heavens are higher than the earth." The Westminster Confession (2.1-2) confesses God as infinite in being, "most absolute," knowing all things by His own nature.
2. God's Exhaustive Knowledge of Reality and Possibility
The Lord knows not only every fact of what is, but every alternate ending of what could have been — "how your day would have gone if you had turned left instead of right." This exhaustive knowledge undergirds His sovereign providence and stands wholly against open theism, for "God is never shocked, never surprised, never out of the loop." Romans 11:33 marvels, "How unsearchable are His judgments!" The Westminster Confession (3.1; 5.1) teaches that God ordains and governs all things by His most wise and holy counsel.
3. The Comfort of Being Fully Known and Still Loved
To be searched and known to the depths, and yet loved, is the heart of grace. David, who wronged Uriah, was known by God in his very thoughts and loved still; so are we in Christ. Psalm 139:1 confesses, "O LORD, You have searched me and known me," and the answer to suffering is to trust that "Father knows best." The Westminster Confession (5.7) assures that God orders all things, even afflictions, to the good of His people, drawing them near and making them like Christ.
The Scripture Text: Psalm 139:1-4 (NKJV)
"O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether."
Continue studying: explore the full Book of Psalms sermon series, or browse the complete Reformed Sermon Archive.
About The Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt serves as the third President of New Geneva Theological Seminary (Colorado Springs, CO), founded 1993. An expository preacher with over 1.9 million sermon downloads on SermonAudio.com, Dr. Holt brings over 17 years of pastoral experience to his verse-by-verse Bible teaching. New Geneva offers fully online Reformed theological education — M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., and other degrees.
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