“AH,” said an infidel, “if there be a God, He would never take notice of the children of men. God never regards man.”
“The day may come, sir,” said a Christian who was sitting opposite to him in the carriage, “when you will prove the truth of what you have just said.”
“I do not understand your allusion, sir,” said he.
“Well, sir, the day may come when you may call, and He will refuse; when you may stretch out your hands, and He will not regard you.”
Yes, Scripture is plain that God will, in another day, say to some, “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded:... I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh” (Prov. 1:24, 2624Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; (Proverbs 1:24)
26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (Proverbs 1:26)).
But, my reader, that is not God’s attitude today. The lie of the infidel today, as to God, is the lie of the devil. God has great regard for the children of men. The infidel mind of man would fain get rid of God; but in this the Bible designates him “a fool” (Psa. 53). We grant him the laugh at the ignorance of the heathen, who bow before the gods of wood and stone. “Eyes have they, but they see not; ears have they, but they hear not.”
But let him not forget that the God of the Bible sees, hears, and remembers.
Permit me to set before you what is said in Scripture concerning the all-seeing eye of God, and press upon you the solemn consideration of this tremendous fact.
“Hell and destruction are before the Lord: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?” (Prov. 15:1111Hell and destruction are before the Lord: how much more then the hearts of the children of men? (Proverbs 15:11)). If at one glance the all-seeing eye of God scans those vast regions of hades and hell, with all their misery, caused by sin, surely at a single glance He can equally scan the little thing called man’s heart, and make manifest every motive in it. This He has done, and declared it to be “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” He has asked the question, “Who can know it?” and answered it: “I the Lord search the heart” (Jer. 17:9, 109The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:9‑10)).
Outside the Garden of Eden “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:55And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)).
Again, in the Psalms we find this solemn sentence repeated, “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God” (Psa. 14;53). But there was none; the mass He saw to be living as practical atheists, as if there was no God. How intensely solemn, then, is this verse, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psa. 9:1717The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. (Psalm 9:17)).
But, thank God, “the needy shall not be forgotten” (v. 18). God hears, as well as sees; so that if you can but honestly put your hand upon your mouth and smite your breast, saying in your heart, “God be merciful to me the sinner,” then gladly we can turn you to the brighter things of the gospel of God’s grace. There we learn, in all its blessed fullness, that God has not only eyes and ears, but a gracious, loving heart. Oh, anxious sinner, God does regard you. He is vastly more interested in your blessing than ever you could be. His blessed attitude is of a Saviour-God, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:99The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)). He is not only willing to bless, but waits to be gracious. Listen to the Lord’s representation of what His heart is: “But when he [the prodigal] was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and covered him with kisses” (New Trans., Luke 15:2222But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: (Luke 15:22)). God is so attentive to the sinner’s cry that, to Him, there is music in a sigh and beauty in a contrite tear.
“God loves to hear the contrite cry,
He loves to see the tearful eye,
To read the spirit’s deep-felt sigh:
Come, anxious sinner, come!”
In the case of that proud infidel Pharaoh, king of Egypt, God would have him learn that He had carefully considered his defiant boast, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him, and let this people go?” God had noted all their woes. When the lash of the taskmaster’s whip fell on their backs, He saw it. The groan that followed, He heard it. “I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them” (Ex. 3:7, 87And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:7‑8)). Oh, sinners, what a God we have to do with!— “the God of all grace.”
Even when we were ungodly, without Christ and without hope in this world, He cared for us. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)). What the heart of God purposed the Son of His love accomplished. He “was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 4:25; 5:125Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)).
My friend, I say again, God does regard you. Listen to the Psalmist: “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light” (Psa. 36:5-95Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. 6Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. 7How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalm 36:5‑9)). May it be yours, dear reader, to know God and be abundantly satisfied with the river of His pleasure.
W. N.