The Eyes of The Lord

Is it a comfort or a terror that God sees everything, even the secret things of the heart? Of course, it should terrify us in one sense that we cannot hide from God, but the all-seeing eyes of the Lord are most often presented in a way of comfort.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV) — 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

Notice that God is looking throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless. David considered this attribute of God as very encouraging.

Psalm 139:1–6 (ESV) — 1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Isn’t it good that you do not have to inform God of anything? As David said, this knowledge is too wonderful for us to comprehend. He goes on in Psalm 139 describing not only the knowledge of God but also His care.

Psalm 139:7–12 (ESV) — 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Since God is spirit and is omnipresent, we must understand that God often presents Himself in the Scriptures in terms that we can understand. This is called an anthropomorphism. Therefore, we see God described with hands and eyes as well as emotions like we have. We have understood, however, that He is far above us in perfection and knowledge so that as we appreciate the description using terms we can understand, we need to realize He is so much greater than our minds can begin to comprehend. Hence, David says, “God’s knowledge is too wonderful for me.” Consider how David continues in Psalm 139.

Psalm 139:13–18 (ESV) — 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. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

How precious is the knowledge of God. There is not one thing about us that is kept from His knowledge. So, here’s the mystery: His unconditional love is not hindered by His knowledge. He knew all about us before the foundation of the world, yet He sent His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for our sins.

1 John 3:1 (ESV) — 1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Ephesians 1:3–6 (ESV) — 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

2 Timothy 1:8–9 (ESV) — 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

God is not surprised by our sin, He knew all about it before He made us. Yet, His plan for us is to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as adopted children taken into the family of God, His purpose for us is to take on family traits following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ Who also provides the power and grace to change. This is why Paul expressed his prayer for our eyes to be enlightened. God sees everything but knew about everything long before anything happened, but in our present condition we need enlightenment and as Paul prayed, we depend upon God to enlighten us. The things about which we need enlightenment are the hope of His calling, the great inheritance that is ours in Jesus Christ, and the mighty power God has provided for us to live for Him as seen in the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Ephesians 1:15–20 (ESV) — 15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

So, when you come across a verse that talks about the eyes of the Lord, know that God is talking about His magnificent attribute of omniscience in terms we can understand. As we think about His knowledge of every crevasse of our being, we can take comfort in knowing the word of God because despite our many failures, God’s love is unconditional and our value is in the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, as the text says, His eyes cover the earth as He seeks for those who are living for Him that He might give them strong support. Sadly, the people who would have benefitted from the encouragement from this text acted foolishly in pushing away from Him. Therefore, His great promise was a word of terror.

Consider the promise as well as the warning.

Godspeed,

Bob Brubaker, Pastor

Christ Community Presbyterian Church

Clearwater, FL