God Sees It All

The LORD looks down from heaven
And sees the whole human race.
From his throne he observes
All who live on the earth.
He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
Psalm 33:13–15

The roots of secret erosion go deep into the soil of humanity; some of these cases are so notorious they have found their way into the biblical record. Elisha’s trusted servant comes to mind. Quiet, faithful, and loyal to the prophet, Gehazi entertained private thoughts and materialistic greed. Who would have ever guessed? Nothing external sounded an alarm . . . but when the test came, the once-trusted servant was trapped.

Then there was King David’s own General Joab, tenacious in battle and a time-honored friend, who started strong but ended weak. This man of military might died in dishonor and was buried, not in Israel’s equivalent to Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors alongside other national heroes, but by a cabin in the wilderness. What happened to Joab? How could he have done such a thing? Chalk up another one for erosion.

And Demas—we dare not omit his sad scriptural obituary from Paul’s pen: “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me.” A trusted friend, no doubt a traveling companion who once talked and prayed with Paul, who knew the hardship and heartaches of ministry as well as delightful moments of accomplishment shared together, was lured by a lesser loyalty. Tragic, indeed.

The path of the faithful is littered with the mute remains of those who once sang great songs of louder praise before their simple faith slid into cynicism and spiritual defeat.

Several times Jesus spoke of “your Father who sees in secret” (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18 NASB 1995). A firm belief in the omniscience of God—His knowing all things at all times—will go a long way in restraining our tendency to rationalize or think we can operate in secret. God sees it all because He cares about every single detail of our existence.