Genesis 16:13
And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
At the desert fountain Hagar learned that the Lord is the God who sees her in loneliness and affliction, who hears suffering and shows mercy. He sees every person directly, in every place and in everything done. He looks on the lonely and discouraged with compassion and tender care as a loving friend guarding their good, not as a harsh watcher seeking cause to condemn. His sight reaches the heart and weighs every motive, thought and purpose, and stands as present witness and judge of every word, act and transaction by which character and destiny are decided. Remembering that God sees is to be a continual guard woven into daily life, keeping speech, conduct and secret thought pure and faithful even when no human eye is watching.
Hagar's Name for God
At the desert fountain Hagar recognized the Lord as the God who saw her in her loneliness and affliction. An angel was sent to remind her of her position and duty, yet also to comfort her with assurance that her suffering had been heard and that her descendants would be multiplied. The name given to her son, Ishmael, meaning God shall hear, was to remain as a reminder of mercy.
The name declares that God sees each person directly, wherever they are and whatever they do. Nothing in conduct escapes notice, and the depths of every heart lie open to inspection, in every place and in every action. Because God sees what is truly being done, work is to be done under His immediate eye with trust rather than dependence on human models or desire for credit, with careful examination and watchfulness against false appearances. This truth is to be kept continually in mind and woven into daily life, so that remembering His sight leads to revealing Christ in character.
God sees the one who feels alone and discouraged with compassion, tenderness and sympathy, giving personal attention even when no one else seems to care. His sight is not that of a tyrant seeking grounds to condemn and punish, but of a tender, loving friend guarding interests and governing motives and actions. Remembering that God saw him, Joseph refused inducements and threats and would not violate God's law.
The verse expresses that God sees the person who calls on Him in humble prayer and the one who is speaking. Saying Thou, God, seest me keeps God present in every human transaction and in every business transaction. Keeping Him before the mind and remembering that He inspects every transaction encourages just and equitable conduct, integrity, and doing what is just and true in dealings with one another. Hearing and obeying Christ's words averts great evils and strengthens the soul with heavenly principles, helping avert wrongdoing and fortify against it.
God's Searching Knowledge
Thou God seest me means that God sees each person and knows the heart, weighing every motive and discerning the thoughts, intentions, intents and purposes of the heart. His sight reaches inward to every motive, thought, intent and purpose, so a person is to live with an honest heart toward Him, bring choices to Him, and trust His guidance, for without Him there is no hope. Students in particular are to seek His counsel about their plans and let the Holy Spirit guide them rather than relying on human advice alone.
The same seeing means God knows what a person says, the motives behind plans, and actions and deeds and purposes of the mind, reading the mind's purposes. No selfish motive or hidden wrongdoing escapes His sight. Keeping this truth in mind is a constant spiritual reminder and a warning against hidden selfishness and sin, because people are accountable to Him.
God sees every human transaction and every act of human life, present as witness and judge. His unseen, scrutinizing presence takes account of what is good and evil, and no one can escape the record of choices. As Judge of all the earth He has accurate knowledge of daily life, and every person is judged by works and decides eternal destiny on that basis. Each one is therefore to realize His continual presence and to be placed in right relation to God in the preparation needed to see His face, and those managing the publishing work were to keep this continually in mind, act as under His eye, and deal honestly and justly in small and great matters. Children especially are to remember wherever they are and whatever they do that God sees each person in every place and in every action, that no one can hide ways from Him for even the deepest midnight gives no cover to the guilty, and that angels watch with deepest interest to see what characters they develop.
Living Under God's Eye
“Thou God seest me” is to be taken as a continual watchword and guard woven into the whole of daily life to reveal Christ in character. Remembering that God is watching protects integrity and faithfulness even when virtue is trampled underfoot, when wrongdoing appears to prosper, and when the faithful suffer under false charges. True religion governs the entire life because His eye reaches even in private to the secret thoughts of the heart, its motives, affections, and actions. Therefore nothing is to be done, said, written, or read that one would not want God to see, hear, or read, and foolish actions that would bring condemnation when done in His sight are to be avoided, whether others are watching or not. Joseph resisted sexual temptation for this very reason, because he remembered that his actions were seen by God.
Keeping this truth in mind restrains careless speech and conduct and helps resist temptation. God sees each person, so that awareness should guide conduct and keep the mind from cheap words and unseemly acts. Remembering His sight encourages reverence and words that honor Him.
Because God sees what is done, hears what is said, and can read what is written, living with constant awareness of this calls for using time in ways one would not be ashamed to have God observe. Keeping this truth in mind guards against imprudent, passionate and rash speech, against a domineering spirit, and against resolutions that people have no right to make. It guards especially against unjust decisions that restrict the liberty of others.
Awareness of His watchful presence rests with particular weight upon those responsible for others and upon those managing work, calling them to act under His eye and to conduct their decisions with courtesy and Christian politeness. They are to treat everyone courteously and kindly, with mercy and forbearance, respecting the rights of others and doing justice both in work and in dealings with one another, in small matters and in great. They are to remember their own fallibility, to seek God’s guidance, and to show kindness and pity toward those who err. Those who know God through His Word recognize Him as their counselor and make Him chief in all they do, knowing the motives behind words and actions are open before Him.