By Joe Chesser
When I was a
youngster, I heard often about the “All-Seeing Eye of God.” I was taught that
I’d better be good because God is always watching me and sees everything I do.
As a boy I even remember hearing and singing the song at church and at family
gatherings: There’s An Eye Watching You.
Some of the lyrics of the song are:
All Along On The Road To The Soul’s True Abode,
There’s An Eye Watching You;
Every Step That You Take, This Great Eye Is Awake,
There’s An Eye Watching You.
Watching You, Watching You,
Every
Day Mind The Course You Pursue;
Watching You, Watching You,
There’s An All-Seeing Eye Watching You.
Now, let me ask
you, if you were a youngster and heard fairly often about the “All-Seeing Eye”
of God, what imagery would come to your mind? I well remember the vision I had
of the “All-Seeing Eye” of God. I pictured an old, old man with long, white
hair and a long, white beard who was down on his hands and knees peeping
through a hole in the floor of heaven at me and everyone else on earth! A
childish notion? Yes, of course! Yet, not totally unique to me. Since 1782 the Eye of Providence was adopted
as a part of the symbolism featured on the reverse side of the Great Seal of
the United States. Check out the back side of a U.S. $1 bill; since 1935 the
Eye of Providence has been printed on it. The Eye of Providence has appeared on
state seals, city seals, coats of arms, and university insignias all over the
world. Enough history, except to say the idea of the “All-Seeing Eye of God” is
a wide-spread concept.
But far more
importantly, the biblical concept of the “All-Seeing Eye of God” is as real as
God Himself.- ·
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good” Proverbs 15:3. Because God is both
omniscient and omnipresent, no one can avoid or hide from the eyes of the Lord.
He “sees” everything that happens, both evil and good. This should be alarming
to those who are practicing evil, especially to those who think no one knows
what they are doing. On the other hand, this should be comforting to those who
love God and want to do His will.
- ·
The New Testament also teaches this: “For the
eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12. God knows
the difference between the righteous and the evil, and reacts to each
accordingly.
- ·
“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but
all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account”
Hebrews 4:13. If this doesn’t get your attention, you have a cold, cold heart.
Accountability itself can be daunting. But to those who are practicing sin,
accountability to God should be frightening (Hebrews 10.31).
- ·
“Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who
fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love” Psalm 33:18. For those who
place their hope in God, this is most reassuring.
So, regardless of
what your imagery the “All-Seeing Eye of
God” might be, knowing that God is always aware of everything you do, and even
everything you think, can be either
comforting or disturbing. It can be taken as an awesome blessing or it can seem
overwhelmingly horrific. The good news is that you get to pick which way it is
for you. Will you choose to be among the righteous and receive God’s blessings,
or will you choose to be among the wicked and receive a fearful expectation of
judgment (John 5.28-29)?
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