The Lord El Roi

You Are The God Who Sees!

   She had just experienced a devastating separation.  The family with whom she had associated for many years began dealing very harshly with her and as a result she was forced to run away.  This was the case with Hagar, the maidservant of Sarai and Abram.  Some time had passed since God had promised Abram and Sarai a child and so Sarai decided to take things into her own hands by letting Abram take her maidservant Hagar as wife.  Genesis 16:4 records the results by saying, “So he went in to Hagar and she conceived.  And when she saw that she had conceived, he mistress became despised in her eyes.”  Not only were there bitter feelings on Hagar’s part toward Sarai, but Sarai also was bitter toward Hagar.  The account goes on to say, “…and when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence” (vs. 6).  This word does not mean that Sarai physically abused her but rather that she looked down on her, depressed her, and was resentful toward her.

  Hagar fled deep into the wilderness toward Egypt due to the harsh atmosphere that developed.  “The Angel of the Lord” found Hagar by a spring and said, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” To which Hagar replied, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress” (vs. 8).  The Angel of the Lord then instructed Hagar to return back to Sarai and submit to her.  The Angel did not leave Hagar without providing her great comfort.  He promised, “I will multiply your descendents exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude” (vs. 10).  He went on to say, “Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son.  You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction” (vs. 11).  After considering what had just happened, Hagar “called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees(El Roi – A.S.B.); for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” (Gen 16:13).  We, like Hagar, should be able to cry out in comfort to the Lord, “You are the God who sees me!” 

 God Sees Me In

My Circumstances

  Sometimes, due to the fact that we cannot see or touch the Lord, we begin to feel distant from Him.  When situations in our lives arise that are hard to handle, we experience times of great sorrow, or there are difficult decisions to make, we may begin to doubt whether or not God really sees us.  Speaking about the vain repetitions of Pharisees, Jesus said, “Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matt. 6:8).  Jesus is not saying we should not pray, or even repeat our prayers, since He endorsed such things (Matt. 7:7-9; Luke 18:1-5).  The Father knows our circumstances, yet still wants us to pray, asking things of Him.  Shortly after reminding them that God knows what we need Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry… for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matt. 6:31-32).    We can have comfort in the fact that its not that He just knows our every need, but He also provides.   Jesus had just previously stated that if God would take such good care of the birds of the air, the lilies of the field, and even the grass, would He not also provide for us?  David observed this fact and said, “I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken…” (Psalms 37:25). 

 God Sees Me As Who I  Am

  We often get caught up judging people by how they appear on the exterior.  We do this by judging people’s physical appearance, but it can also be done when looking at someone’s spiritual health. To the outsider one may appear very spiritual and strong, yet be falling apart on the inside.  It could also be that someone appear weak spiritually on the outside, yet their spiritual health is very sound.  God does not have this problem in viewing us.  When God gave Samuel instructions about anointing a new king He said, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Sam. 16:7).  John wrote of Jesus that he “did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25).  When God looks at us He focuses not so much on the things we see, but rather the inner man - the heart! 

  This ability of the Lord could either provide much comfort or trouble us greatly – it depends on the condition of our hearts.  David later wrote, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off” (Psalms 139:1).  David later asked the Lord to search him, to try him, and to know him (vs. 23-24).  How comfortable would we be in praying with the same request?  Jesus reminded the church at Sardis that He knew their hearts and said, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1).  It may be that we can fool everyone else into thinking we are spiritual, but “the God who sees” knows what we really are.  He knows whether or not we truly “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).

 God Sees Me And How I Live

  There is an old great song that, regrettably, has been left out of many of our song books, which says, “All along on the road to the soul’s true abode, there’s an eye watching you!”  Prov. 15:3 tells us, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”  God is not watching us just when we are worshipping Him with the saints, but throughout every aspect of our lives.  Peter wrote saying, “He would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.  Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it” (I Peter 3:10-11).  These instructions touch us in our every day lives.  Peter, in the next verse, lays before us a reason to do these things by saying, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers…” (vs. 12). 

  David continued his words about the presence of the Lord by saying, “Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from You presence?” (Psalms 139:7).  In the following verses David goes on to describe that no matter where he goes or what he does, day or night, God is there!  Adam and Eve found this out to be true when they hid from God in the garden of Eden.  Jonah came to the same realization as David, but only after he had been tossed by a storm in a boat, swallowed by a great fish, and spewed back on land.  Sometimes we need to be reminded that “...there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13).

  For the one striving to live a righteous life this is a great comfort!  Jesus warned not do good works to be seen of men, like the Pharisees were so often guilty of, but rather do them knowing that the Lord is watching.  Jesus says that when we do things to please God to do them “to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6:18 - see also vs. 4, 6).  We do not have to gloat to the world, God will do it on the day of judgment. Paul wrote to Timothy, “The good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot  be hidden” (I Tim. 5:25).  Why can they not be hidden? One of the reasons is because God knows and cares!  For the one who is not striving to please the Lord in his life, it is not a comfort at all!  I Tim 5:24 says, “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.”

~ Aaron Beard