Day 453: A God who sees - Proverbs 20 vs 10 - 13

10 Differing weights and varying measures - both are detestable to the Lord. 11 Even a young man is known by his actions - by whether his behaviour is pure and upright.

12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye – the Lord made them both. 13 Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat. Proverbs 20:10-13 Christian Standard Bible

Are there things in your life you did in secret? Many of them may have been innocent, even good things, such as helping someone in need without telling the person or anyone else that it was you who did it. Sadly, most of us know of some things we did in secret because we knew they were wrong. We did them in secret so that no-one would know. Should vs 12 above change our thoughts about that?

The implication of those words is that, surely the One who designed our eyes and ears which are capable of seeing things even when it's quite dark, and hearing things even when they may be next door, is someone who is able to see and hear all that goes on in His world. As God said through the prophet Jeremiah: “Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him - do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” Jeremiah 23:24

The warning of this truth that God sees what we do in secret is seen in vs 10. The writer repeats there what God spoke through Moses some 400 years earlier when He commanded: “Do not have differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light.” (Deuteronomy 25:13) God fearing people must never be dishonest in business. Many people are dishonest in business - and because they may not get caught - they think they are safe. But what they forget is, firstly, the truth of vs 11. People may not always be able to prove someone's dishonesty – but they often see it and know it's there. Secondly, dishonest people who think no-one has seen what they do will eventually have to give an account of their lives to the God who sees.

But there's an encouraging side to this truth that God is someone who sees everything that goes on in the world. A woman named Hagar was the servant of Sarai, the wife of the patriarch Abram. When Sarai couldn't conceive children she gave her servant to Abraham to bear a child for her. But when Hagar became pregnant Sarai resented her and sent her away into the desert. But the angel of the Lord met her in her flight near a water-well, and said to her: “You are pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress.” After that experience Hagar used the name ‘El-roi’ to refer to the Lord because it meant “The God who sees me.” And the well where the angel had met her was named Beer-lahai-roi, meaning “well of the Living One who sees me”. (Genesis 16:11-14)

God both heard and saw the distress Hagar was in, and the unfair treatment she had received, and came to her aid. Yet she wasn't even part of His main plan to give Abram and Sarai a child of their own. If God heard and saw the cry of distress from Hagar, how much more will He hear the cries that go up from our lips when we are in distress, and perhaps being harshly and unfairly treated. Speaking to Christians in such a situation the apostle Peter said: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer.” (1 Peter 3:12) How precious it is to belong to a God who sees.

But, still on the subject of eyes, what was the warning the writer gave in vs 13.

The eyes God gave us are not meant to be used for sleeping the hours away. This is true not only for the physical world of work that needs to be done, it's true in the spiritual realm too. As Jesus faced the cross He asked some of His disciples to be with Him as He prayed. But each time he came to them He found them sleeping “because they could not keep their eyes open.” (Matthew 26:43). May we use the eyes and ears God has given us to be alert and watchful as we await Christ's return.