To say that "the eyes of the Lord are in every place" does not mean that God has innumerable eyes. Rather, all things are exposed to God and cannot be hidden from Him. God's Spirit fills the universe, but there is a paradox: God is a God who is both near and far. For God is both the invisible God who can seem so distant as well as the God from whom no one can hide. The true God keeps watch on a person's behavior and words. And our God can even discern a person's thoughts.
David said to the Lord, "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... Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?... Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You" (Psalm 139:2-12). God discerns every subtle way, so how can we be careless about our speech, behavior and thoughts?
God's vigilance on the people of this world is the foundation for judgment. His principle is to reward the good and punish the evil, thus revealing divine justice. Joseph knew the Lord always watched over him and that it was terrible to offend God, so he continuously refused the temptation from his master's wife. Joseph's actions not only pleased God, but they also incurred God's blessing—he became the prime minister over all of Egypt. Achan stole goods that should have been destroyed and hid them in his tent, thinking no one knew of the matter. But God saw it so clearly. As a result, Achan was destroyed along with the stolen goods he had coveted—he was stoned to death by his community.
We must realize that God's eyes are everywhere. He watches over both the good and the wicked. May we hear David's prayer in our lives, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my anxieties! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). Amen!
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