Ezra 5:5 (ESV)
But
the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them
until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter
concerning it.
The eye of their God was on them. What does that mean? In Ps 17:8 the Psalmist cries out, “Keep me as the apple of your eye.” Ps 33:18 says, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love.” In 2 Chron 16:9 the king is reminded, “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” For unbelievers, having the eye of the Lord on you could be frightening. We don’t want him to see us. We don’t like the idea of an almighty being who knows my every thought. For the believer walking in disobedience or rebellion the same might be true, yet the scriptures talk about it in the sense of assurance or confidence.
Because the eye of the God was on them, they were able to continue their work. Because the eye of the Lord is on us we can hope in his steadfast love. Because the eye of the Lord sees everything, he is there to give us strong support. The eye of the Lord is on those who are God’s people. The eye of the Lord is on those who cry out to him (Ps 17:8). The eye of the Lord is on those who have fear of God and faith in him (Ps 33:18). The eye of the Lord is on those with a blameless heart (2 Chron 16:9). It is on us for courage and encouragement, for protection and blessing, for assurance and motivation.
We sing about Santa Claus, “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.” The purpose is to scare our kids into good behavior or they won’t get any Christmas presents. That is hardly the purpose behind the scriptures talking about God seeing us. The fact that nothing escapes his view, the fact that he sees me in my circumstances, the fact that he knows exactly what I am facing before I do gives confidence, assurance, and courage to continue serving him no matter what I face. The eye of their God was on them, and for that they were blessed.
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