Proverbs 15:3
The Eyes of the Lord
1. This speaks of the omnipresence and omniscience of God.
a. He is everywhere. There is no escaping His presence.
b. He sees all and He knows all. He is observing everything in your life and mine.
c. His eyes are everywhere… even inside your head, your mind, heart, and conscience.
d. There is no escaping His presence… or His knowledge.
2. The eyes of the Lord are in every place.
a. Psa. 139:7-10 – God sees everything on earth, in heaven, under the earth, and in the sea.
b. That’s every place! The entire universe is under His watchful eye.
c. So is every detail of our lives.
3. God sees all and knows all.
a. He knows our deeds (Psa. 139:2)
b. He knows our thoughts (Psa. 139:2)
c. He knows our ways (Psa. 139:3)
d. He knows our words (Psa. 139:4)
e. He knows ME! (and you!) (Psa. 139:1) (how many hairs on my head… down to the tiniest details of our lives)
f. We can hide these things from men. We can fool our parents, our kids, our teachers, our spouses, our bosses, the police, the church leaders… but there is no pulling the wool over God’s eyes.
4. Psa.11:4-7 – God sits in heaven as Judge of all the earth… He is observing and judging.
a. But being in heaven does not mean He is a God who is afar off… or distant… or unengaged in the affairs of the earth.
b. He sits in heaven’s throne observing all… and taking notes… evaluating men’s lives.
c. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. Nothing escapes His scrutiny.
d. This means that not only can nothing can be concealed from the eyes of God, but also that everything is perfectly VISIBLE to God…
e. And because it is under His vision, it is being inspected… examined… scrutinized.
f. He sees our sins; our service; our home life; what we delight in; what we secretly lust after; what we grieve over; our hearts; our minds; our motives; our intentions.
5. John 3:19-20 – men love darkness.
a. The reason? Men think that if the lights are out, no one can see.
b. Many crimes occur at night… so that the criminal can hide his face and his deeds in the darkness.
c. Darkness gives a sense of safety to the criminal and the sinner… thinking that no one will see… no one will know.
d. They hate the light because light exposes them and their evil deeds.
6. Psa. 139:11-12 – There is no hiding from the Lord.
a. Even if we DO cover our deeds from men by means of darkness, we are not covering them up from God.
b. Darkness and light are the same to Him. He has night vision.
c. The eyes of the Lord are in everyplace:
• Heaven, earth, under the earth, the sea, the universe!
• In light and darkness…
• He observes our external deeds.
• He observes with equal clarity our thoughts, imaginations, motives, and intents.
(Now Solomon subdivides his main statement into two parts: evil and good)
A. He Beholds the Evil
1. Prov. 5:20-21 – He beholds the young man who heads off to the home of a prostitute.
a. Prov. 7:6-10 – note that this young man meets the harlot in the “black and dark night” (vs.9)… thinking that no one will see; no one will know.
b. God beholds the evil… even in the dark… as this man committed sin… and He observes when WE commit evil too.
c. Think about who God is the next time you are tempted to commit evil.
2. Psa. 66:7 – This truth is a check on our sinful pride.
a. God observes the nations and each individual in them.
b. He sees when proud, rebellious flesh exalts itself.
c. He sees this in us too… every exaltation of self is in the clear view of God.
d. He even sees self-exaltation when we try to cover it up with false humility… or with some other artifice or pretense.
e. Knowing who God is will keep us from exalting self… and it will help us keep self on the cross by faith.
3. He knows our sins (Psa. 69:5)
a. He knows all about our sins… regardless of how well we think we have mastered the art of covering them up.
b. Not one of them is hidden from God’s eyes.
c. Ps. 90:8 – He has set our secret sins in the full blazing light of His countenance.
d. If you think about this truth—it will become life transforming. Gazing upon God and His character ALWAYS has that effect on us!
B. He Beholds the Good
1. II Chron. 16:9 – He watches the good men do with a perfect heart. He is on their side.
a. He saw good old Joseph in the prison, suffering wrongfully. And the Lord kept good records of it all.
b. He saw the good the apostles were doing as they preached the gospel, and He saw how they were treated.
c. He saw Hagar being cast out of Abraham’s home… and she called God, “Thou God seest me.”
d. He saw the affliction of the children of Israel in Egypt. (Ex. 3:7)
e. He saw Daniel’s three friends in the fiery furnace…
2. He sees every ounce of injustice that is leveled against those who are doing good things… and He remembers.
a. He remembers the injustice done to His people and how they honored Him through it all.
b. He remembers those who committed the injustice and will never forget to BRING them to justice… one day.
C. This Truth is a Two Edged Sword
1. His eyes can tell the difference between good and evil. In fact, He is the Judge.
a. Heb. 4:12-13 – His Word is a two edged sword.
» It cuts deep into our hearts and separates between soulish and spiritual… and the thoughts and intents of the heart…
» It cuts both ways.
» It sometimes divides in order to exonerate the righteous.
» It sometimes divides in order to expose and condemn the evil.
2. Prov. 15:11 – He knows our heart.
a. There is no hiding from Him. There is no hiding behind lies, deception, or dishonesty.
b. He sees and knows all that is going on in our hearts.
c. Our own hearts can DECEIVE us. We might think things are not so bad. God knows the truth.
d. I have often heard believers use this thought as an excuse for their sinful behavior, when in reality, they should TREMBLE over this truth!
e. But when our hearts are right with God, this is comforting.
3. To those who are practicing good… this is a great comfort and encouragement.
a. Those who mistreat you and inflict injustice upon you are doing so in the clear vision of Jehovah… and will one day have to give an account to Him.
4. To those who are secretly practicing evil… this is a frightening and terrifying thought…
a. To those practicing evil: take heed! This is a warning. You will NOT get away with anything before the Lord.
5. Jer. 32:19 – He beholds for the purpose judgment… judging all works…
a. This means that the wicked shall not go unpunished. At the Great White Throne God judges according to works.
b. This also means that the righteous will not go unrewarded.
c. At the Bema, it is our works that are to be judged.
6. Justice eventually will be meted out to all… even though things seem so unfair today.
a. “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?”
b. It appears like evil men are getting away with murder today… but in light of eternity—no one ever gets away with anything!
7. Hence, a pure conscience is absolutely VITAL to the Christian life.
a. God knows our heart and motives.
b. Hence, He knows all about our conscience too… if we have violated it… ignored it… seared it…
8. This Proverb is about God… His Person… His attributes.
a. And the knowledge of who God is should have an effect on the way we live!
b. It should engender FEAR.
c. That godly reverence and fear of God should keep us from evil… and lead us to the good.
d. Knowing this truth about God has a wholesome effect on our lives.
• When you are thinking about cheating on a science test at school… or you are planning to not do your homework and think you can get away with it tonight… God knows.
• When you think that I can loaf at work today because the boss is away on a business trip… God sees.
• When you think that you can give a sweet and syrupy answer… and harbor bitterness in your heart at the same time… God sees our heart.
e. In countless ways… be cognizant of the presence of God… and of the omniscience of God, which will have a spiritually healthy effect on our lives.
• Keep God on your mind and heart throughout the day. Be looking unto Jesus… and be aware that He is looking back.
f. Ps. 139:23-24 – This should lead us to be HONEST before God… knowing that He knows the truth anyway!
• Lord, help us to see this!
• When things are not right in our lives, this is a terrifying thought. When we are honest with God, and walking with Him, this is exceedingly comforting.