Listen to His Counsel with His Eye on You

Psalm 32:8-9

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule,
without understanding of bit and bridle, his ornament for curbing;
not coming near you.

“Oops, I did it again,” sang Brittney Spears, though without remorse. Unlike her, you may be frustrated that you confess your sins but still fail over and again. God says that he will counsel you “with my eye upon you” (v. 8).

Actually, the verse is ambiguous: commentators aren’t sure whether it’s God speaking to the psalmist or the psalmist instructing others from his experience. Ps 33:18 tells us that it is God who has his eye upon us. Yet, God also sends prophets, like Nathan, to rebuke straying kings. The poetic ambivalent can embrace both meanings: God counsels with his eye upon us, whether directly or indirectly through others.

It is also ambiguous what God sees. Does he see our needs or our sins? Again, the open-endedness can include everything: God sees when we need help, and he is there to rescue; God knows when we are like a mule, and he pulls the bridle. God sees you (singular pronoun in Hebrew), for he cares for each individual in whatever situation or sin you are caught in.

God is Watching You is another song that can be a counterpoint to Brittney’s. Sam Phillips’ lyrics cover the good and bad that God sees:
When you wake up in the night, God is watching you
When you’re dancing in the light, God is watching you
When you don’t need to use force, God is watching you
When you don’t ever feel remorse, God is watching you

What are the sins that you have ignored or covered up? For one, we all get easily sucked into online addiction these days, whether it’s staying connected, shopping, playing games, or worse, pornography. The excuse of “Just half an hour more” becomes half the night, wasting our life, health, and relationships. Like any addicts, we need to confess our transgressions and pray for deliverance. God is watching and ready to rescue.

Rev. Dr Maggie Low