by Eugene Higgins
The Eyes Have It
During the period of time when masks first became mandatory, and many small businesses were struggling financially, I stood outside a local store, mask in hand, waiting for the pizza to be finished and hand-delivered to me. (Since I hadn’t been looting, rioting, and burning down stores, the state did not give me a mask – I had to buy one myself.) When the nice lady, her mask in place, brought it out, I quickly put mine on and thanked her. She, in turn, thanked me. But she did this not only verbally, (and somewhat muffled), but with her eyes. She appreciated that we had “bought locally”; her eyes widened a bit and her eyebrows rose while, simultaneously, slight smile wrinkles appeared on either side of her eyes.
We say a lot with our eyes. The writer of the Proverbs told us that “the light of the eyes rejoices the heart.” One possible meaning of that is that the cheer and friendliness of someone’s eyes give our hearts joy. The Bible says a lot about eyes. And the scriptures often remind us of the eyes of the Lord. For instance, numerous times we read about an Israeli or Judaean king as having done good or evil “in the eyes of the Lord.”
- 1Ki 15:11, “And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.”
- 1Ki 16:25, “But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.”
While each king in those dual lines of monarchs may have imagined that he was supreme, answerable to no one, and a law to himself, he really was living under the eyes of the Lord Who would judge him. Sadly, even Asa, who “did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord,” had to be rebuked by the prophet with this reminder:
2Ch 16:9, “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.”
This truth lies at the heart of reverence – human beings living, consciously, under the eye of God, realizing the reality of Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Nothing can be hidden from Him. Neither blazing sunlight nor impenetrable darkness hampers His vision and knowledge. Psalm 139 says that “the darkness and the light are both alike” to God.
Just now in our world, a lot of things seem to be happening “in the darkness.” The past months have taught us, among other lessons, that things which once would have been laughed at as “conspiratorial” are not as far-fetched as we might have believed. There really do seem to be plans brewing – mostly socialistic, communistic, and tending towards societal upheaval – that make us wonder how little time is left before the Lord comes. My much older and significantly wiser sister, who has a way with words, mentioned that either we are completely wrong in our theology and we are already in the Tribulation, or the Lord must be coming very soon. Decidedly and unhesitatingly, I opt for the second possibility. In the meantime, just to steady our thinking, it may be helpful to remember that the God Who saw Hagar dying in the desert, Achan sinning in the city, Ananias and Sapphira deceiving the disciples, and forty fasting assassins plotting against Paul (and by the way did they ever eat again?) sees everything. Like the sun, which reaches the earth and from which nothing is hid (Psalm 19:6), the eyes of the Lord take in everything. He asks, “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD” (Jer 23:24). How complete is this knowledge, this awareness? Do you imagine the Lord Jesus was merely using hyperbole when in Matthew 10 He asked, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father”?
One day, perhaps not too far distant, a man will make a pact with the devil and will become (as far as we know) only the second person in history to be devil-possessed. In secret places he will conspire to make a covenant with the Nation of Israel, with the full intent of breaking it. God not only knows this, He has foretold it.
One day, perhaps not too far distant, that man will plot with other kings to overthrow organized religion and replace it with a resuscitated version of the Babylonian mysteries worshiped in Babel’s Tower so long ago. Behind it all will be the serpent who has lusted for power and worship from the moment of his fall from heaven. God not only knows this, He has foretold it.
One day, perhaps not too far distant, the words of that Beast, along with those of his cohort and the dragon, will contribute to the deception that will gather all the kings of the earth to a place called “Armageddon” (Rev 16:13-16). Whatever ulterior purposes that treacherous triad will have, God not only knows all about this, He has foretold it.
And one day, much sooner than all of that, the Man Who redeemed you and claimed you for His own, sealing you with His Spirit, is going to step from the throne into the azure blue and with the same authoritative voice that summoned Lazarus from his tomb He will call for His people. And just like that, “the trump of God will thrill you with its call so loud and clear and you’ll be called away to meet Him Whom of all you hold most dear.” Or, as another has tersely put it:
Heartaches all ended, schooldays all done,
Heaven will open, Jesus will come.
Now, put yourself, (mentally – thank God, despite my sister’s fears, we will never be there actually) into those days when the Beast, seemingly unchallenged, is parading across the world’s stage; when true believers in the coming King are being slaughtered. Would it not seem to someone living in those awful days as though wrong has triumphed, error has conquered, and evil has won? Twice over in the Book of Ezekiel we read about people who imagined God had forsaken the planet and was unaware of their evil:
- Eze 8:12 “Then said He unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, ‘The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.’”
- Eze 9:9 “Then said He unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, ‘The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.’”
But in this, too, God sees not as man sees. “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”
It is more than a little ironic, linguistically, that a year which we call “2020” should have so blindsided us and reminded us that we are not merely terribly limited but totally lacking in foresight. Who of us foresaw what this year would bring? Thank God there is One Who sees all and knows all. Whether it is Presidential elections, Parliamentary deliberations, or personal tribulations and trials …
God is fully aware
God is still on His throne
God is in complete control, and
God is working out His eternal purposes.
Let not your heart be troubled … Lift up your heads, your redemption draweth nigh.