The God Who Sees

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article by site founder, Connie Rice

Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed His characteristics through various names. A study of the names of God is a helpful endeavor to better understand His nature. God reveals His existence to us through His amazing Creation. Thankfully, He has also revealed who He is through the inspired text of the Bible (He did not have to do so). It’s important for us to read Scripture in order to know who He is. There is nothing better than God’s Word to help us understand Him, but we live in a time where there are also the writings of godly people that should not be read with the same authority of Scripture, but may prove helpful as well. Resources I’ve used to study the names and characteristics of God in addition to the Bible include:

In Genesis 16, the account of Hagar, Sarah’s maid who gave birth to Abraham’s first son, Ishmael, is given. The LORD sent an angel to minister to her and her son in the wilderness. Genesis 16:13a says, “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me’.” In Hebrew, the name is “El Roi”. In this passage, we see God’s care and concern even for those who were outside of the people He had chosen through which His promise of a Messiah was to be fulfilled.

Through Scripture, we can follow the lineage from Isaac (Abraham’s son with Sarah) all the way to the Jesus, who was God in the flesh sent to free all mankind from the bondage of sin so they could be reconciled to their holy God. Matthew 1 gives a genealogy to Jesus through the line of Joseph, his earthly father. All lineages given in Scripture before that were listed through the paternal line, so even though Joseph was not Jesus’ actual father, that record was important to the people of that time. There has been some discussion about Luke’s genealogy being attributed through Mary’s line. The “Got Questions” article, “What was Mary’s lineage?” may be helpful in understanding that topic.

Even though this particular name of God is only shown in this passage, other areas of Scripture also communicate that God sees everything and everyone, and that nothing is hidden from Him:

  • Job 28:24: “God looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.”
  • Psalm 14:2: “The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.”
  • Psalm 33:13-14: “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind.”
  • Psalm 94:9: “Does He who implanted the ear not hear? Does He who formed the eye not see?”
  • Proverbs 5:21-23: “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all your paths. The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.”
  • Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”
  • Hebrews 4:13: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
  • Psalm 33:6-15: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; He puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth—He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.”

When we look at these verses, we recognize that the Lord sees everything we do and say, and every thought that goes through our mind – and loves us anyway, even to the point of great sacrifice. That is absolutely incredible to contemplate! We also see that for those who choose to repent of their sins (anything counter to what God says) and choose to follow Him and His ways, then His majesty, power, sovereignty, and goodness bring us great comfort. On the other hand, if we are living out of our own wisdom and choose ways that are contrary to God’s will – His majesty, power, sovereignty, and goodness should make us tremble. Knowing the Bible is how we know God and how we should live. It is also how we know what is true, which keeps us from being deceived in these treacherous times. We learn that this life is short and that illness, death, and sin were not part of God’s original plan, but that the earth and everything in it is cursed because of sin. We also learn that we are in the midst of an intense spiritual war where an epic, mostly unseen tug-of-war is being fought for the souls of men and women, boys and girls. It’s time to pay close attention.

The end times prophesies given in Scripture are coming to pass before our eyes, and we need to urgently, yet lovingly, speak truth to all who will listen. We don’t need books or movies made by people – we are living the biggest adventure of all time, and the stakes are high! Will you choose God’s way or Satan’s way, goodness or evil? Life or death? Will you try to define good and evil for yourselves or will you trust the words of the One who created you and warned us of the times we are in? Remember, Satan is the father of lies and a master of deception. We need to know the Bible so well that we can easily discern whether what we are hearing is from God or from Satan, and so that we can live a victorious life with God’s supernatural love, peace, grace, strength, and courage to stand up for truth as we encounter the ever more trying times ahead. A great resource that uses Scripture and stays away from speculation is the half-hour “Prophecy Pros Podcast” (they’ve also written some helpful books). Other great authors on this topic are from David Jeremiah and Steve Miller.

May the God Who Sees Us be glorified as we allow the Holy Spirit to empower us to share His love and truth with love and grace. Then we can all look forward to Jesus’ return and our reunion in heaven with those who went before us and where there will be no more death, sickness, sadness, evil, or pain. To God be the glory!

© Constance Rice 2024

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