The Eyes of the Lord

“The Lord seeth not as man seeth.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

And how does the holy Lord look on things? Have we any guidance as to what it is that distinguishes His sight from that of the children of men? Yes, certain hints have been given to us about the character of His discernment. Here is one. “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” The Lord’s eyes survey the secrets of the inner life.

That great truth has frequently been taught as though it were only a fearful thing and clothed in unrelieved gloom. We have thought of those searching eyes as the eyes of a policeman and not the eyes of a lover. We have regarded them as intent on looking for unlovely things and not for things that are lovely. They are eyes of suspicion rather than of trust. They are dross-finders rather than gold-finders. And so the great truth has been perverted. Certainly there are aspects of the truth which ought to move us to serious disquietude. But there are other aspects which should inspire us with joy. The Lord looks upon the heart and He sees the hidden fault. But he also sees the precious things which He puts among His jewels.

A poor widow drops a coin into the treasury and human observers see only a mite. But the Lord looks upon the heart and He sees untold millions in the gift. All the movements of the soul are known unto Him. He sees the desire that has never yet found fulfilment. He sees the hidden heartache which never hangs a black flag out of the window. He sees the prayer before it had uttered itself in words. He sees the love which has no adequate means of expression. The Lord sits over against the heart, and He knows every silent, stealthy thing that moves across its floors. He knew what was in man.

And here is another hint about the eyes of the Lord: “As the heavens are high above the earth, so are My thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8). It is the captain’s view of things at sea which is so different from the landman passengers. The captain can interpret the heavens. He knows the path across the trackless sea, the big waves have no terror in their approach, the night shineth even as the day. The landman is the victim of immediate discomfort. He cannot read the language of the skies. He sees things out of proportion. The breeze is a squall, and the rolling is a tragedy. And so it is in the affairs of life. We are landmen on the sea. The captain sees with other eyes than ours. Our great Captain plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.

J.H.J.