God sees through these fig-leaves!

(Thomas Watson, "Body of Divinity")  LISTEN to Audio!  Download Audio

"My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from Me, nor is their sin concealed from My eyes!" Jeremiah 16:17

If God is a God of infinite knowledge, then see the folly of hypocrisy. Hypocrites carry it fair with men, but care not how bad their hearts are—they live in secret sin. They say,
"How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?"
"What does God know? Can He judge through thick darkness?"
"God has forgotten, He hides His face—He will never see it!"

But "His understanding is infinite!"
He has a window to look into men's hearts!
He has a key to open up the heart.
"Your Father who sees in secret."
God sees in secret.
As a merchant enters debts in his book—so God has His debt-book in which He enters every sin!

The hypocrite thinks to disguise and juggle with God, but God will unmask him. "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing." "For they have done outrageous things . . . I know it and am a witness to it, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:23

The hypocrite hopes he shall color over his sin, and make it look very good.
Absalom masks over his treason with the pretense of a religious vow.
Judas cloaks his covetousness, with the pretense of "charity to the poor."
Jehu makes religion a cloak for his selfish design.
But God sees through these fig-leaves!

He who has an eye to see, will find a hand to punish!

Since God is infinite in knowledge, we should always feel as under His omniscient eye. "I have set the Lord always before me." The consideration of God's omniscience would be preventive of much sin. The eye of man will restrain from sin; and will not God's eyes much more?

"Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes? the king roared." Esther 7:8. Will we sin when our Judge looks on?

Would men speak so vainly, if they considered God overheard them? What care would people have of their words—if they remembered that God heard, and His pen was writing everything down in Heaven?

Would they commit immorality—if they believed God was a spectator of their wickedness, and would punish them in Hell for it?

Would they defraud in their dealings, and use false weights—if they knew God saw them; and for making their weights lighter, would make their damnation heavier?

Is God omniscient, and His eye chiefly upon the heart? Then be sincere—be what you seem! "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Men judge the heart, by the actions.
God judges the actions, by the heart!