David P. Kautt
On Sunday morning, January 24, 2010
Psalm 139:13-16: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”37 years ago, the political, the social, the moral – yes, the spiritual ‘landscape’ of our country changed. 37 years ago, January 22, 1973 to be exact, the Supreme Court of the United States of America – in it’s infamous Roe v. Wade decision – discovered the so-called ‘emanations and conundrums’ of the Constitution, a supposed ‘right to privacy’. It was this right to privacy that cleared the way for what we now know as ‘Abortion on Demand’ in our country, even though this supposed privacy right is nowhere specifically stated in the constitution. As far as I cam concerned, January 22, 1973, and every other day in America since then, was, and is a sad day. For this once great country - which in its founding documents, DID specifically acknowledge the God-given right to LIFE – had moved drastically and dramatically in the direction of being a country and culture of death! Now, we even had leaders, such as our President, who indicate that if their own daughters were to “make a mistake” as teenagers, and become pregnant out of wedlock, those leaders wouldn’t want their daughters to be PUNISHED with an unwanted child! It really is very sad. Sad for all the tens of millions of little boys and girls whose lives have been snuffed out – some even at the point of being only inches away from being delivered alive – into this world. And, yes, sad – very sad – for all the women who are and have been deceived, manipulated, and even coerced into destroying their children, and then left with the deep emotional, psychological, and even physical scars of such a choice. Pro-choice, that’s the side – the dark side of the pro-death philosophy – that no one wants to talk about or advertise.
What is your stance, your position on the issue of life? Are you undecided? Pro-choice? Pro-life? Is this issue merely and only a political issue? Or, does it have a moral, even a significant spiritual component? Should folks like me sit down and be quiet about it? Or, should preachers and church leaders address the issue?
The word abortion is not strictly found in the Bible. So does that mean we should end this message right here? No, Beloved, please listen - though the word abortion is not found in this Book [the Bible], the concept is. Take a look at Exodus chapter 21, verses 22 and following. Much more, the message of this Book pertaining to life – the message of this passage from the book of Psalms under-scores the fact that this issue is not simply and only a political football. No, it is a matter with deep and profound moral and spiritual implications.
Now, having said all that I have said, I’d like to suggest to you that the unborn child – for that matter, the week, the helpless, the vulnerable at any stage of life – are worthy of and in need of our best efforts to protect them. Here’s why, take a look. Psalm 139:13. The first reason why life should be precious and protected, is because God is ultimately the Possessor of it! Psalm 139:13, the old King James Version says it like this: “For Thou hast possessed my reins…” My deepest inner most parts. Literally, my kidneys, are held in His hands! We often sing a sweet little children’s song during Vacation Bible School – I’m sure you know it. It goes something like this: “He’s got the whole world in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands, He’s got the whole wide world in His hands.” To think that God’s hands – the Mighty Maker’s hands - are that BIG, that strong is an amazing thing, isn’t it? Oh, but listen, my friends – Thou has possessed… Thou has grasped and held and upheld, not only the planets and the galaxies, but my kidneys – my inmost parts. What does that say about God’s hands?! It says that not only are God’s hands big and strong, but also that they are tender! Even before you were born God had His hand upon you! Look further at what that powerful 13th verse says. My translation, the New King James Version, says that not only is God my Possessor, He also is my Creator: “For you, O God, formed my inward parts, you covered me [literally ‘wove’ me, knit me together] while I was still living in my mother’s womb.” So, why should we protect the unborn?
Why should we count their lives precious? Because they are precious to God! Because – as their Possessor – you see it, don’t you? As their Possessor, the unborn belong to God! They are His!
There’s a second reason why we must begin to look at this issue of life differently – why we must regain the moral high ground and re-fashion our culture and country into a country and culture of life. And that is because each and every little life – precious as each on is in the sight of God – is not only POSSESSED by Him, and MADE by Him, but look at verse 14. Meditate on the fact, the amazing fact, that each and every life created by God [covered and woven together by Him in a mother’s womb], is precious and deserving of protection, because each and every life was meant to worship Him! To stand in awe of Him! Verse 14, read it again with me, will you! The text says,
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are YourI want you to stop and think about the words of the psalmist David here, his Holy Spirit inspired words – “Fearfully and wonderfully made”. I am not a scientist – a biologist, an anatomist – or a medical doctor. And even if I was, it would be difficult to find words – scientific, technical sounds words – to say it any better than this, don’t you think?! And, what is this passage saying to us? It is saying that whether it be the outward, visible parts of who we are – hands and hair, eyes and nose – or whether it be the hidden parts – the parts seen only by microscopes and cat-scans, yes, my Loved Ones – the parts, like our minds, our will, our motive – the parts that only our Creator God sees – “I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I am a marvelous work of God” – what that description intends to help us see and understand is not the scientific so much as the sacred. Yes, the sacred. Number one, I am not an ‘accident’, a mere product of chance! Nor am I a mistake! No! Rather, wrap you minds around this one, will you? Rather than being an ‘accident’ or a ‘mistake’, God my Creator has endowed me with a certain, innate ability to perceive, to know full well deep in my soul, that He has made me! Yes, this verse – about being fearfully and wonderfully made is all about something very sacred!
works, and that my soul knows very well.”
How sacred, you ask? Reason number two – so sacred that it helps me realize that as someone made in God’s image – fashioned fearfully and wonderfully – I am meant to worship Him! That’s my purpose! To praise, to give thanks to – to stand in awe of – my amazing Creator! “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” I am a marvelous work of God – my soul knows all of that full well – so what? And so, I will praise Him! I will praise Him!
Why should we protect the unborn? What is it about life – life at all stages, and all ages – that should be precious? Verses 15 and 16 - allow me to point you in the direction of a third and final reason why, derived from these verses.
Psalm 139:15-16: “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret,The issue of life is much, much more than a political issue. It is the fact that each and every life BELONGS to God that makes it precious! And, it is the fact that each and every life was meant to worship God that gives it meaning and purpose! And then, number 3. It is the fact that each and every life – unborn, recently born, weak, in-firmed, elderly, even deformed – is known by God that gives it hope!
and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my
substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days
fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”
Hope! Now there’s a word never discussed by those who advocate abortion on demand, the so-called right to privacy and our tragic culture of death!
Hope! It’s a word filled with huge amounts of meaning when you look at it through this ‘lens’ [the Bible]. We even have a saying along those lines, don’t we? It goes something like this, “If there’s life – there’s hope!” Wherever there is life, there is hope! Psalm 139:15-16, what could be more hope-building for a broken-hearted woman whose husband divorced her? What could be more hope building for a teenage caught up in the horrible clutches of drugs and alcohol? What could be more hope building for the patient receiving the awful news, “You’ve got cancer’ than these hope-BUILDING word? “My frame – literally, my bones are not hidden from you – even though I was skillfully wrought in the secret place, your eyes saw me!”
Why should we protect life? Because each and every life is KNOWN by it’s watchful Guide! Hurting? Broken? Torn? Shaken? Do those words describe you? Listen, my Dear Ones, there is hope! God, your Maker sees you! Much more – look at verse 16 again – and hear these hope-building words. God has a plan for you! God has a plan for you! “Your eyes – the all seeing, gracious eyes of your Creator saw your unformed substance – even before anyone else knew you existed. God saw you, and the Bible says that in God’s Book, all the days He has fashioned for you, He has written there!
Why should we protect life? My friends, it’s time to stop killing! Why? Because each and every life is precious – each one belongs to God! Because each and every life has meaning and purpose – each one was intended to worship God! And, last of all – we should protect life – why? Because each and every life - guided and governed by God as it is – has hope, hope because each one is known by God!
Psalm 139:13-16: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”
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