God’s eyes are upon us

1. There are some interesting gadgets in the field of surveillance.

2. There are items that look like ink pens that tell people if they are near a surveillance camera.

3. Another item that looks like a pen is actually a 6X9 telescope.

4. Even “spy sun glasses.” are available.

5. These look like regular sun glasses but they allow you to look behind yourself.

IT IS NOT DIFFICULT FOR THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF BEING WATCHED.

a) We have neighborhood watch programs.

b) Various devices have been devised to monitor prisoners.

c) We have people watching our borders, our ports, military installations, etc.

2) Long before surveillance became popular, a lot of watching was taking place.

3) I have entitled this lesson, “the eyes of God.”

4) It is based upon the Scripture already announced – 1 Pet. 3:12.

a) This is a very interesting verse.

b) It becomes even more fascinating when we relate it to more passages in the Bible.

c) Keeping what Peter said in mind, I want to turn back to the Old Testament.

d) I am going to start with the book of Deuteronomy.

e) In Deut. 10 we are told about some history.

f) The original Ten Commandments had been broken.

g) Since the original set gone, a replacement set was made.

5) In Deut. 10:10 the Hebrews were told that God was expecting them to be obedient.

a) The Jews were warned that they could not bribe God (verse 17).

b) God had done mighty things for this nation and He was deserving of praise.

6) After this information we come to Deut. 11.

a) Let’s start with verse 8 – READ.

b) God’s people were about ready to enter into the new (the promised) land (Canaan).

c) God said this land was not like Egypt – verse 10 – READ.

d) Canaan was a special land, and one very interesting thing about it is stated in verse 12 – READ.

7) God had been “watching” over the land that would be inherited by His people.

8) Day after day and year after year God had His eyes (a metonymy for His power) on this territory.

9) There is a lot of land that people own that they do not watch.

10) Some pay so little attention to their property that their yards grow into weed patches.

11) God said He had been “watching” over the land that would belong to Israel.

a) Certain parts of the Bible help us understand God’s character and nature.

b) In this passage we have one of these texts.

c) God cares for His people so much, He has made Himself responsible for watching over certain things.

d) If we are a Christian, this should be an encouraging verse and point.

e) God has an interest in looking out for us and our best interests.

12) This point is made here as well as another place in the Old Testament, 2 Chron. 16.

a) If you want to start turning to the 16^th chapter of 2 Chron. 16, I will supply some background.

b) King Asa was reigning; he was the third king of Judah (the southern kingdom).

c) As Asa was on the throne, the king of Northern Israel decided to make war with him.

d) Asa concocted a scheme to stop the conflict and God was not pleased by the plan.

e) God said Asa should have trusted heaven for help instead of turning to a pagan nation.

13) Part of what a prophet said to Asa is what we want to read – verse 9 - READ.

a) God’s “eyes” (a figurative expression for God’s omni-presence) “rove the earth.”
A propeht said God is looking for righteous people who need help.

b) God wants to help those who are His people and in need of aid.

c) In the case of Asa, all the king had to do was turn to God.

d) God was aware of the need and He wanted to help.

e) Asa, however, decided to turn to the king of Syria for aid and make a political alliance.

14) If there is a verse in your Bible that deserves to be underlines, 2 Chron. 16:9 is it.

15) God’s eyes travel the earth “to show himself strong” (help) His people who need aid.

16) God actively seeks people who need His divine aid and is more than ready to come for and give aid.

a) Refusing to recognize this fact displeases God.

b) At the end of verse 9 we see Asa’s refusal to depend upon God so punishment was promised.

c) The prophet said this king would have “wars.”

d) King Asa tried to avoid war by his own wisdom but his choice led to even more conflict.

e) If we seek righteousness and pursue a godly live, heaven’s eyes will be upon us.

f) Before we cry for help, God will already be way ahead of us. God wants to help.

g) Asa didn’t want to hear that he had turned to the wrong source of help.

h) In verse 10 we find that he put God’s prophet in the “prison house.” Asa was in a rage.

17) Asa may have been really angry, but God’s prophet spoke the truth.

18) God is always looking at His righteous people and wants to help them with their needs.

19) Since God really wants to help the righteous (2 Chron. 16), we might ask a question.

20) Who is going to determine who is and who is not righteous?

21) Who will determine if a person is a child of God or a child of Satan?

22) In some respects we can make that judgment by using God’s word.

23) God is certainly in the business of making this kind of judgment.

a) My next passage also comes from the Old Testament, Ps. 11:4.

b) The writer pictures someone saying to him, “run to the mountains.”

c) We might liken the thought to “get into the house and bolt the door.”

d) There was some kind of danger in Ps. 114.

e) Like Asa, trust and reliance were being based upon human wisdom and strength.

f) An advisor or friend said the mountains would provide refuge.

g) The Psalmist said the mountains were the wrong place; God was the right source for help.

h) God could have used the mountains to provide safety. Just going to the mountains was not right.

i) The point was that God would be the one to chose the method of help.

j) Let’s pick up with verses 2-3 in this psalm – READ.

k) Wicked people were poised to do battle (verse 2).

l) The very “foundation” of society (verse 3) was being destroyed by ungodly people.

m) This almost sounds a bit like today; the social fabric of our world is being torn apart.

n) People were wringing their hands and saying, “What should” or “what can we do?”

o) Verse 4 – READ.

p) Even if the world seems like it is falling apart on every hand, God is “in His holy temple.”

q) God is taking note of everything that happens on the earth.

r) God’s “eyelids try the children of men.”

24) God looks at each person and makes a determination about them. Are they righteous or not?

25) Not one person is exempt from God’s judgment. Heaven sees all that is in us and our world.

26) Our outer actions and the most inner core of our being are fully exposed to deity.

27) As God performs something like an x-ray on us, He is very aware of who is righteous.

28) What He does with these righteous people is explained by the previous Chronicles reference.

29) God stands ready to help these individuals.

30) Someone may say they understand this but want to know how God helps people.

31) If I need a job, how will God help a righteous person get a job?

32) Like any other question, we turn to the Bible to find an answer to this question.

a) We do not find in the Bible God miraculously aligning people and jobs.

b) God used existing circumstances to help His people with their needs.

c) Many have called this help “providence.”

33) We may cite an example of divine help from an event early in the life of Jesus.

34) The Lord was young; Mary and Joseph were poor; they needed to flee to Egypt.

35) How would or could the young family get sufficient funds for such a trip?

36) It was a short notice trip so there was not time to work some overtime.

37) When the money was needed, some men showed up with some nice and expensive gifts.

38) There are some miraculous events in this story.

39) There is nothing miraculous about the basic points: help was needed and help was received.

a) In Mt. 12:1f we learn of a time when David and his men were hungry.

b) These men just happened to find a grain field that met their nutritional needs.

c) We read about a definite problem and a definite solution.

d) Was help provided to David and those with him? Yes. Was it miraculous? No.

40) God is not sitting back in a Lazy Boy till the second coming of Christ.

41) He is still active in the world and still helping His people.

42) Prov. 15:3 reminds us God is watching over the evil as well as the good.

43) In this same chapter (15:8), the Bible says the prayer of a righteous person delights God.

a) I have said before that I almost always have a cell phone with me for **.

b) When it rings, and this not too often, the news is usually not good.

c) If someone from the plant is calling me, they are asking for some type of help.

d) The preference would be for this cell phone to never ring.

e) Calls for help are not always the kind of call we want to receive.

44) Consider what God says about calls for help from righteous people.

45) God says He likes these calls. He welcomes these calls. He looks forward to them.

46) Unless a righteous person is asking for something that is wrong, God says “call on me.”

47) Here is the exact statement in the verse – READ Prov. 15:8.

a) A little later in this chapter we find this subject being addressed again.

b) Verse 29 – READ.

48) God’s eyes rove the earth to help those who are His people.

49) This is a great promise, and I’m pretty sure it is a promise all would like to have.

50) For this promise to be fulfilled, we need to be a Christian who is living as the Bible describes.

51) Is this the kind of life we are living?