Way back, when I was just a
child, I remember singing a
particular song in church.
Being a child, the tune appealed
to me more perhaps than the
words, but the words I
understood fascinated me.
The song was in the old
“Christian Hymns” songbook,
and was also in “Sacred
Selections,” but hasn’t been
included in more recent
hymnals- I think because it
frightened some children.
The song was/is entitled,
“Watching You”.
Lyrics to “Watching You”
“All along on the road to the soul’s
true abode, There’s an Eye
watching you; Every step that you
take this great Eye is awake,
There’s an Eye watching you.
“As you make life’s great flight, keep
the pathway of right, There’s an
Eye watching you; God will warn
not to go in the path of the foe,
There’s an Eye watching you.
“Fix your mind on the goal, that sweet
home of the soul, There’s an Eye
watching you; Never turn from the
way to the kingdom of day, There’s
an Eye watching you.
(Chorus) Watching you, watching
you, Everyday mind the course you
pursue; Watching you, watching
you, There’s an all-seeing Eye
watching you.”
“Watching You”
I can’t imagine why this song was
dropped from more modern
hymnals;
Or why it would terrify some children;
And/or “creep out” many adults;
Can you???
However, there is a scriptural basis for
the concept of the song. Notice
with me:
• Prov.5:21
“For the ways of man are
before the eyes of the Lord,
and He watches all his
paths.”
• Prov.15:3
“The eyes of the Lord are in
every place, watching the evil
and the good.”
“Watching You”
I don’t doubt that J.M. Henson (writer
of the song) intended to emphasize
and underscore the omniscience
(all-knowing) and omnipresence
(everywhere present)
characteristics of God.
I do doubt that he actually intended to
frighten little children with the
notion of a huge “eye” glaring at
them all the time!
However….
There are things we should realize about the
Omniscience and Omnipresence of God.
• The omniscience of God refers to His ability to know
any and all things; that His knowledge is perfect.
Isa.40:28, “There is no searching of His understanding.” (KJV)
Job 37:16, “The wonders of One perfect in knowledge.”
Job 36:4-5, “One who is perfect in knowledge…mighty in
strength of understanding.”
Psalm 147:5, “His understanding is infinite.”
1John 3:20, “For God….knows all things.”
Rom.11:33, “Oh the depth and riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments
and unfathomable His ways!”
There are things we should realize about the
Omniscience and Omnipresence of God.
• The omniscience of God is only limited when and how He
chooses to limit it. For examples, consider:
Gen.11:5, “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower
which the sons of men had built.”
Is God near-sighted? Could He not “see” the tower of Babel from
heaven? Of course He could, if He chose to do so!
Gen.18:21, “I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely
according to its outcry, which has come to Me, and if not, I will
know.”
Again, could God not “see” Sodom and Gomorrah from heaven?
Gen.22:12b, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not
withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
God can see “the end from the beginning…the things that are not
yet done…” (Isa.46:9-10; 48:3-8) when He chooses to do so!
There are things we should realize about the
Omniscience and Omnipresence of God.
• The omniscience of God does not remove the “free
moral agency” of man.
Just because God knows in advance what will happen (i.e. what
a man will or will not do), and even predicts it, does not
necessarily mean that He causes it to happen.
For example: Tell me which one a youngster would choose
between ice cream and asparagus. Does your knowledge and
prediction of his preference influence his choice?
Consider Judas. Jesus knew and predicted what he would do in
advance, John 6:64 > 13:11,18-21.
Judas was certainly influenced by Satan, cf. Luke 22:3, but his
thoughts, desires, intentions and actions were his own choice,
John 12:4; Acts 1:25.
There are things we should realize about the
Omniscience and Omnipresence of God.
• The omnipresence of God means that He is
everywhere present.
This is closely related to the omniscience (all-knowing) and
omnipotence (all-powerful) of God. For if God is everywhere
present, He has full knowledge of all that transpires, and the
ability to act with all His power everywhere, Jer.23:23-24;
Psalm 139:1-16.
However, the omnipresence of God does not deny that He also
has specific location, Gen.11:5; 18:21.
How do we get our minds around these concepts?
There are things we should realize about the
Omniscience and Omnipresence of God.
• How do we get our minds around the concept of the
omnipresence of God, and at the same time accept
that He has location?
Not by “pantheism”- the notion that God is everything, and that
God is in everything.
Those possessing this notion, Rom.1:22-23 called “fools”.
Acts 17:24-29 also denies the concept of a pantheistic God.
So how are we to understand the omnipresence of God?
Think of it this way: God the Father is manifested in heaven;
God the Son was manifested on earth; and God the Spirit is
manifested everywhere! “God is everywhere and in every
place; His center is everywhere; His circumference nowhere.”
(W. Evans, The Great Doctrines of the Bible; p.33)
So, what should we glean from all of this?
• Certainly we should understand that God’s omniscience
and omnipresence allow Him to “see” all not only that we
do, but all that we think and intend- whether we act upon
it or not.
• This definitely has a “fear-factor” associated with it
because nothing escapes His awareness, John 4:15-19;
Acts 5:1-11. He sees it all. We should think about this.
• But these same concepts should bring great comfort also,
Matt.6:25-34; 10:24-33!
So, what should we glean from all of this?
• Psalm 139 is, as we’ve already noted, a primary text which
tells us of God’s omniscience (vv.1-6), omnipresence (vv.712) and omnipotence (vv.13-16). But note carefully how
David reacted to all of this in vv.17-24. The knowledge,
presence, and power of God gave him great comfort!
• The “all-seeing eye” of God “watching you” brings fear
only if we are walking the wrong path and seeking to hide
from Him. Such didn’t work for Adam & Eve or Jonah (cf.
Gen.3:8ff; Jonah 1:3ff), and it won’t work for us either.
• But if we truly love God, and endeavor to “walk in the light
as He Himself is in the light,” then the ever-present
nearness of God brings great comfort, peace, and
security! He knows your heart, and sees your struggles!