13 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:13-16 ESV).
For the next several days, I will explain what David wrote concerning God’s knowledge of the unborn. Let’s begin with vs. 13 which says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”
The subject is God and has been for the first twelve verses of this psalm. He alone knows not only our spiritual condition (vs. 1-6) but also our physical location (vs. 7-12). Why is this so?
It because the LORD formed out inward parts. The Hebrew word formed (qā·nîʹ·ṯā) means to create. The grammar indicates that this creative act occurred as a past, completed action with continuing results.
What is it that God formed? David said our inward parts. In the Hebrew (ḵil·yōṯ) it means the reins of a persons or their most vital organs. This includes the kidneys.
David continued to say, “you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Using metaphorical language, the psalmist evokes the image of a silk weaver who interweaves, intertwines and shapes. God does this during the nine-month gestational period. This activity occurs within the mother’s womb during three distinct stages: The Germinal Stage, the Embryonic Stage, and the Fetal Stage.
The Germinal Stage begins at conception when the sperm and egg cell unite in one of the two fallopian tubes. The fertilized egg is called a Zygote. Just a few hours after conception, the single-celled zygote begins making a journey down the fallopian tube to the uterus.
Cell division begins approximately 24 to 36 hours after conception. Through the process of Mitosis, the zygote first divides into two cells, then into four, eight, sixteen, and so on. A significant number of zygotes never progress past this early part of cell division, with as many as half of all zygotes surviving less than two weeks.
Once the eight-cell point has been reached, the cells begin to differentiate and take on certain characteristics that will determine the type of cells they will become. As the cells multiply, they will separate into two distinctive masses: the outer cells will eventually become the placenta, while the inner cells form the embryo.
Cell division continues at a rapid rate during the approximately week-long journey from fallopian tube to uterus wall. The cells develop into what is known as a Blastocyst. The blastocyst is made up of three layers, each of which develops into different structures in the body.
- Ectoderm: Skin and nervous system
- Endoderm: Digestive and respiratory systems
- Mesoderm: Muscle and skeletal systems
Finally, the blastocyst arrives at the uterus and attaches to the uterine wall, a process known as implantation. Implantation occurs when the cells nestle into the uterine lining and rupture tiny blood vessels. The connective web of blood vessels and membranes that form between them will provide nourishment for the developing child for the next nine months. Implantation is not always an automatic process.
Researchers estimate that approximately 60% of all-natural conceptions never become properly implanted in the uterus, which results in the new life ending before the mother is ever aware she is pregnant. When implantation is successful, hormonal changes halt the normal menstrual cycle and cause a whole host of physical changes. (Information accessed from http://www.verywellmind.com).
More to come. May we realize how holy, and awesome is our Creator and Sustainer.
Read and meditate upon today’s passage of Scripture. Have a blessed day in the LORD.
Soli deo Gloria!
The His Word Today Weekly Podcast begins Monday, September 5 featuring expository messages from the Epistle to the Ephesians.
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