Imagery in Scripture – God’s Eyes

(Note: This is the third article in a four-part series. I invite you to read my introduction, where I shared what I discovered in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Click here for the previous article I wrote on God’s mouth.)

I want to take a different approach from what I took in my previous two articles in this series. With God’s hands, there did not seem to be major differences between His hands and ours, other that perhaps His are bigger. The word picture or literary device of assigning a human body part to God the Father (who does not have a literal body) merely extended our understanding of what human hands do to what is revealed in Scripture that God does for His people. The article on God’s mouth took a similar approach. However, when I reflect on God’s eyes, there seems to be some obvious distinctions between what His eyes can do and what ours can do.

Human eyes have many limitations. We can only see clearly in one direction at a time. We have peripheral vision, but it’s always out of focus. We see a little bit to the right and left, as well as up and down, beyond what we can focus on in front of us. We can sense movements, which usually causes us to turn our head in that direction to look more intently at the stimulus. We cannot see behind us or outside of our normal range of vision. We cannot see long distances; that requires a telescope. We cannot see objects too small for the naked eye; that requires a microscope.

Another shortcoming considers light levels. We can see in daylight, but we cannot see in pitch black conditions. Also, we cannot see through solid objects. We cannot see what is in someone’s head or heart. Some of us need glasses with trifocals to see clearly. We can be temporarily blinded when a foreign object like dust blows into our eyes. Other limitations come to mind. We miss things. Our eyes can get tired, bloodshot, infected, tear-filled, blink, and are closed for hours at a time every night when we sleep. We cannot see everything, everywhere, all of the time.

In contrast, God’s eyes have no limitations. He sees everything, everywhere, all the time. Psalm 139:1-6 informs us that God knows what we do, think, and say because He sees us. King David writes, “O Lord, you have searched for me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar . . . Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” He sees the far reaches of the universe at the macro level and every detail at the microscopic level because He made it all. He sees through the darkness. (See Ps. 139:12.) He knows our thoughts and the intentions of our hearts. God’s eyes do not get tired, blink, or close at night.

As I have done before, I will share my observations about God’s eyes from Ezra and Nehemiah. I will discuss a few other Scriptures where more is seen about the eyes of God so that we can know Him better. Lastly, I will ask my readers to consider how to respond to what they know about God’s eyes.

God’s eyes in Ezra

As I listed the verses I noticed that mentioned God’s body parts and man’s response with those same body parts into a chart that I hastily drew in the lower half of the last page of the book of Ezra, I found only one verse that directly referred to God’s eyes. I was somewhat disappointed in that result, as the other cells in my chart were full of references. The one verse I did find does intrigue me still. Let me unpack what is written and what is later implied in this book.

In Ezra chapter 5, we see that Jews begin rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. the Jews encountered opposition from outsiders. Their intent was to stop this project. Ezra reports that “the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews,” and thus their work continued (Ezra 5:5). This brief observation using the literary device of anthropomorphism reveals to us much about the character of God. He is always present and is always watching His people. (See Ps. 139.) He will act on what He sees. Because He is watching and acting on our behalf when we are about His business, we can rest assured that He will provide for us and protect us when we need it.

Although I did not find any other verses that specifically mentioned God’s eyes, what God saw, etc., the many references to God’s hand that I discussed in the first article in this series seem to imply that God had to have seen what His people needed before He acted with His hand of protection and providence.

God’s eyes in Nehemiah

I only found two references to God’s eyes in the book of Nehemiah. However, what I lacked in quantity was made up for in quality. These verses were even more intriguing than the one I just discussed in Ezra.

Nehemiah gives us a great eye-witness account of the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem. After he is made aware of the condition of the wall, Nehemiah prayed. His beautiful expression of praise and thanksgiving, confession of sin, and supplication for success in the work which he and his people will attempt grabs the readers’ interest. Nehemiah asks God to “Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying” (Neh. 1:6). I have to wonder, Why did Nehemiah ask the LORD to keep his eyes open in addition to His ears?

The Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary sheds a little light on this verse. They indicate: “Nehemiah asked God to look at him and listen to him as he prayed. These words were designed to encourage the one praying, for God does not turn His ears from or close His eyes to His people (Exo. 2:23-25).” The prophet echoed back to God what he knew about His attributes. The verse referred to comes out of the Israelites groaning from their long period of slavery in Egypt. We read in v. 24 that “God heard”, and in v. 25 we read that “God looked”. The understanding that Yahweh heard the prayers and looked out for the welfare of the Israelites implied that He still does those things.

God’s eyes throughout the Bible

In addition to Ps. 139, there are several other references throughout the OT and NT where what God sees is mentioned. The term “eyes of the Lord” are found in 146 places. Here are just a few:

• “It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (Deut. 11:12)

• “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Judges 2:11, 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, and 13:1)

• “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2 Chron. 16:9)

How should my eyes respond to God’s eyes?

When I reflect on what God did with His divine eyes, three appropriate human responses come to my mind: we are to consistently seek the Lord, confess our sins, and minister to those who are truly suffering.

Knowing that God watched over His people, the Israelites diligently sought after Him through forsaking unclean practices and celebrating the Passover (Ezra 6:21), and later, the public reading of Scripture, worship, and prayer (Neh. 8:1-3). God relentlessly pursued a relationship with me out of His lovingkindness; the least I can do is to make every effort to pursue my relationship with Him.

Knowing that God can see through my facade to read my fleshly thoughts, words, and desires should cause me to respond in confession of my sin. Many of those things that God sees in me just don’t belong there.

Knowing that God sees the suffering of people He loves should cause me to pray for them and look for opportunities to minister to those that usually make us uncomfortable: the lost, the last, and the least of these.

I trust that this study opened your eyes to the truths that God sees everything, which is why He is all-knowing. This brings comfort when we need it, but it brings correction and confession when we need that as well.

About the author:

Russell E. Gehrlein (Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Retired) is a Christian, husband of 43 years, father of three, grandfather of five, and author of the book, Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession: A Biblical, Theological, and Practical Approach to the Doctrine of Work, published by WestBow Press in February 2018. He received a Master of Arts in biblical studies from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in 2015. He is passionate about helping his brothers and sisters in Christ with ordinary jobs understand that their work matters to God and that they can experience His presence at work every day. He has written more than 320 articles on a variety of faith and work and other topics; many of them have been published or posted on Christian organization’s websites, including the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, Coram Deo, Nashville Institute for Faith + Work, Made to Flourish, The Gospel Coalition, and Christian Grandfather Magazine.

Learning Karate by Waxing Cars

(Note: This article was posted on the Coram Deo blog.)

Last week, I had an interesting discussion with our unit chaplain. He had given a lot of thought to a scene in a classic movie that had some implications for integrating our Christian faith in our work and relationships. His main point is that we don’t always see the results of our hard work. If the end result of what we are pursuing is worth the effort, we need to press on by faith, regardless of the feedback we receive.

Let me briefly summarize this scene and then discuss it from a biblical perspective. I think it will be a valuable discussion.

Wax on, wax off

Mr. Miyagi, the old man with a mysterious past and some mad Karate skills agrees to train Daniel. In this scene, Daniel is complaining that all he has been doing over the entire weekend is helping his coach with various chores like waxing the car, painting the fence, and painting the deck. His muscles are sore. He is exhausted. What is worse is that he is discouraged. He has not seen any connection between what he was asked to do and learning the basics of this martial art. He wants to quit.

With some persuasion, Mr. Miyagi gets Daniel to stay. He shows him how each of the tasks he asked Daniel to do would enable him to execute a basic defensive Karate move. It is hard to remember how cool it was when I saw this scene for the very first time. I was just as amazed as our main character was to see it come together.

What Mr. Miyagi was trying to put across is that learning new skills takes time. There are a variety of ways to learn the muscle memory needed to be able to do these defensive moves without thinking. Waxing cars (circular motions from the inside out) and painting the fence and deck (using vertical and horizontal motions) were the tools the master teacher used for our Karate Kid to learn the skills that would help him later on.

Feedback loops

In our deep theological discussion of this particular scene, the chaplain referred to “feedback loops.” Daniel wanted to quit was because he got no feedback during the tasks he was doing. He did not see the results he expected.

The chaplain talked about small loops, where we receive feedback on our efforts early and often. Much of the time we see large loops, where feedback is late in coming, is infrequent, or never arrives at all. When we see a little progress towards meeting our goals, feedback spurs us on. If no feedback is received, we get discouraged.

Positive feedback which motivates us to keep on doing what we are doing comes in many forms. It can come in words of encouragement or gratitude. Or we see the results of our labors; i.e., we closed the deal, a student’s grades improved, our congregation is growing in faith and numbers, or maybe we saw some hope in the possibilities of a new relationship we have begun to pursue. It might just come from the still small voice of God whispering to our renewed hearts to continue to follow what He has called us to do.

Perseverance is the key to success

I would like to now focus on the application of these things we have discussed.

Whether we are trying to learn a new skill, improve job performance, pursue a relationship, or become a more faithful Christian, the one trait that is required in all of these endeavors is perseverance. We may not get the encouragement we think we need or deserve, but we press on anyway, knowing that God loves us, that He has good plans for us, and that suffering and trials build up our faith.

Looking back over my winding vocational journey through math education, ministry, and with the military, I can honestly say that there were quite a few jobs that I had where I was not sure God’s purposes for me were at the time. However, I do know now that God was present with me every step of the way. There was divine purpose in every chapter of my life, no matter how difficult it was (i.e., being fired from youth ministry in 1985, failing at recruiting duty in 1992, etc.) What I learned from each of the painful jobs I had been given helped me learn new skills, built my character, and made me a better Christ-follower.

Trusting the Coach

Like Daniel-San in the movie, we just need to learn to trust our coach. Let me spell it out. We need to trust the triune God to bring us where He wants us to be. We may not always see the reasons why we are doing the difficult tasks that He may call us to do, but we have to believe that good will come from it if we persevere. We can trust God based on what He has revealed to us in His word regarding His divine attributes.

In Peter’s second epistle, he tells us that God provided everything we need to live a godly life through his divine power. The main resources Peter mentions here is knowing God and His precious promises (2 Peter 1:3-4). When we know who He is and what He promised to do for us, it keeps us motivated to pursue our relationship with Him. Peter breaks it down further so that we know that God has the primary role in our sanctification, but we have a part to do as well. Without our cooperation, we cannot live the abundant life.

Peter lists a number of things Christians need to do to enable God’s divine resources to take effect. We are to “make every effort” to pursue these character qualities by faith through disciplined practice of them in the power of the Holy Spirit: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and brotherly love (2 Peter 1:5-7). As a result of this pursuit, Peter says, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8). In other words, the more we practice the basics (wax on, wax off), the more Christlike we will be.

Closing challenge

I trust that whatever season of life you are in, as a young person learning new skills or pursuing a special relationship, or as a seasoned employee who is in the position to give back to others, you are pursuing the tasks that God has called you to do with perseverance. You may not see how it is all going to come together, but if you can trust God, you will gradually grow in skills, knowledge, and Christlikeness.

I leave you with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul. Meditate on this when you need it: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).

About the author:

Russell E. Gehrlein (Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Retired) is a Christian, husband of 43 years, father of three, grandfather of five, and author of the book, Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession: A Biblical, Theological, and Practical Approach to the Doctrine of Work, published by WestBow Press in February 2018. He received a Master of Arts in biblical studies from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in 2015. He is passionate about helping his brothers and sisters in Christ with ordinary jobs understand that their work matters to God and that they can experience His presence at work every day. He has written more than 320 articles on a variety of faith and work and other topics; many of them have been published or posted on Christian organization’s websites, including the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, Coram Deo, Nashville Institute for Faith + Work, Made to Flourish, The Gospel Coalition, and Christian Grandfather Magazine.

Imagery in Scripture – God’s Mouth

(Note: This is the second article in a four-part series. I invite you to read my introduction, where I shared what I discovered in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Click here for the first article I wrote on God’s hands.)

What comes to your mind when you imagine God’s mouth?

Does it have a white beard around it and perfect teeth? Do you hear God’s booming voice? I am hoping you would think about God’s capacity to speak. He certainly does not do so with a literal mouth, but figuratively.

When Scripture refers to something that God said, it is merely a literary device to help us see that God is not silent. He has always spoken to His chosen people through His word and through His prophets. He still speaks.

The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology informs us that one of the Hebrew words used for mouth, which is translated “word” in the Bible when referring to divine communication points to “the source of the declarations as coming directly from God himself. . . As the expression of his being and character, the word of the Lord is the supreme means by which God makes himself known to his creatures.”

I will begin with Ezra and Nehemiah and share my observations about God’s words. Next, I will discuss man’s mouth, and how they relate to one another. I will list a few other Scriptures where more is revealed about the mouth of God (in a figurative sense) so that we can know Him better. Lastly, I will ask my readers to consider what to do with their own mouths in response to what they know about God’s.

God’s mouth speaks in Ezra

Although we may not see this body part mentioned specifically in Ezra, like we did with God’s hands and like we will as we unpack references to God’s eyes and ears, we do see what God’s mouth does. In several places, we read that God gave His words that were spoken and/or written through Jeremiah in Ezra  1:1, Moses in Ezra 3:2, David in Ezra 3:10, and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah in Ezra 5:1.

In Ezra 6:18, we see that as the temple was dedicated, the Jewish leaders installed the priests “according to what is written in the Book of Moses.” This reference to one book is actually the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch. This same source was referred to in Ezra 3:2 as “the Law of Moses,” which is interesting because it was God’s Law. God gave it; Moses wrote it down.

I want to call attention to the attitude of humility towards God’s Law that was exhibited by King Artaxerxes in a letter he wrote to Ezra the priest expressing his support to the rebuilding of the temple. He wrote, “Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?” (Ezra 7:23).

God had put this pagan king of Persia at just the right time and place for His glory. He understood God’s authority was above his own. He knew enough about God to know there would be both short and long-term consequences for lack of obedience to God’s specific instructions about temple worship.

God’s mouth leads in Nehemiah

In the sequel to the book of Ezra, we see that Nehemiah also makes reference to God’s mouth.

There is a moment when Nehemiah goes out at night to inspect Jerusalem’s walls. He casually mentions that he “had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem” (Neh. 2:12). God spoke to Nehemiah’s heart, giving him a vision to take charge of repairing the walls around God’s city.

Nehemiah encourages the rebuilding team by reminding them that God’s hand was with them. He says in Neh. 2:18, “I also toldthem about the gracious hand of my God upon me.” Nehemiah boldly proclaims, “The God of heaven will give us success” (Neh. 2:20). This knowledge of God’s omnipresence during the long days and opposition from their enemies is based on God’s own revelation of His divine attributes, which was highlighted in Ps. 139:7-12 and other places in the Scriptures.

Man’s mouth teaches, prays, and leads in response

As Ezra arrives in Jerusalem, he is referred to as “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses (Ezra 7:6). We read in v. 10 that “Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” He took this job seriously. His calling was to take the promises, commands, and narratives in God’s word and enable God’s people to understand and obey them. God gifted Ezra, and countless other teachers, to use their mouth to glorify God.

When Nehemiah hears of the broken condition of the wall around Jerusalem, he sat down and wept. He prayed in response. He acknowledges God’s character, as revealed in the OT Scriptures: “the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands” (Neh. 1:5). He fervently prays that God would hear “the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel” and confesses the sins that he and the Israelites had committed against God degrees and laws (Neh. 6-7). When his team were insulted, Nehemiah prays that God would destroy their enemies (Neh. 4:4-5).

Not only did Nehemiah pray regularly for the work and for his teammates, but he also used his mouth to lead the rebuilding project in response to God’s vision. To be prepared against the many threats from those opposing the work, Nehemiah took charge, posted guards 24/7 (Neh. 4:9), and directed a detailed defense plan (v. 13). He rallied the troops to fight and reminded them of God’s promises (v. 14).

Lastly, God’s word, spoken by the prophets led to shouts of praise. After the wall was rebuilt, we see the Israelites gathered to hear Ezra read “the Book of the Law of Moses” (Neh. 8:1). He read it aloud and “all the people listened attentively” (v. 3). Ezra praised the Lord, and the people worshiped the Lord (v. 6).

God’s mouth throughout the Bible

The first book of the Bible highlights God’s mouth. We read in Gen. 1:3, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” God created everything by using His mouth and speaking it all into existence.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Jesus’ connection to this topic and His part in the creation narrative mentioned above.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made” (John 1:1-3). John continues, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Jesus’s pre-incarnate involvement in creation is a mystery. By John calling Jesus “the Word,” we get the impression that God’s voice, which was rarely audible was now going to speak to His followers face-to-face.

How should my mouth respond to God’s mouth?

Like these two prophets, we need to read, listen, and respond appropriately to God’s holy word as revealed in both the Old and New Testaments. As followers of Christ, committed to walking with God, and being filled with His Holy Spirit, we cannot hear God’s voice to us personally without reading and applying His word regularly. We need to grow in our understanding of His truths to guide us.

For those of us who have the spiritual gift of teaching, we need to dive in to the word of God a bit deeper than most. If we are gifted to preach God’s truth or share the gospel with unbelievers, we should do so with a holy boldness. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

I trust that this in-depth look at how God speaks to His people encourage you to seek His face.

(Note: I invite you to read the next article in this series here.)

About the author:

Russell E. Gehrlein (Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Retired) is a Christian, husband of 43 years, father of three, grandfather of five, and author of the book, Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession: A Biblical, Theological, and Practical Approach to the Doctrine of Work, published by WestBow Press in February 2018. He received a Master of Arts in biblical studies from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in 2015. He is passionate about helping his brothers and sisters in Christ with ordinary jobs understand that their work matters to God and that they can experience His presence at work every day. He has written more than 320 articles on a variety of faith and work and other topics; many of them have been published or posted on Christian organization’s websites, including the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, Coram Deo, Nashville Institute for Faith + Work, Made to Flourish, The Gospel Coalition, and Christian Grandfather Magazine.