Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
God watches a person's daily life in activity and in rest, by day and by night, knowing where they go, what surrounds them, and every circumstance and movement, and He knows them intimately, personally and completely, being near and surrounding them so that no one can hide. That knowledge reaches the inner life, understanding thoughts afar off and before they are expressed, weighing every thought, impulse, purpose, imagination, motive and word, and nothing is hidden even in solitude and darkness, for darkness and light are alike to Him and secret sins are seen as clearly as if heaven's attention were centered on one person alone. This knowledge is too wonderful and high to grasp and beyond human understanding. Because He knows all, no one can deceive Him or avoid answering for conduct, for all dishonesty, unlawful appropriation and injustice are seen and weighed by His holy, everlasting, immutable law, while He keeps a faithful record of right acts and thoughts and of evil deeds and motives to finally reward each according to works. Prayer does not tell Him what He does not know, since He already reads hidden thoughts and the secrets of the soul, so sincere prayer may be private and need not be long or loud to be heard, and cherishing the thought of His constant presence should bring reverence, fear to sin, and courteous, tender, kind and wholly unselfish conduct toward others.
God's Complete Personal Knowledge
To compass the path and the lying down is to watch the whole of daily life in activity and in rest, by day and by night, attending to where a person goes and where he rests, to what surrounds him and to every circumstance and movement of his course. No part of life lies outside that watch; going out and lying down, ordinary actions and every way are under notice, and no action escapes. To be acquainted with all ways is to know a person intimately, personally and completely, being near and close to every circumstance and experience. That nearness surrounds before and behind and lays the hand upon each one, filling heaven and earth so that no one can hide or go anywhere apart from presence. The watcher never sleeps, unseen yet present, continually aware of actions and thoughts.
The knowledge reaches the inner life, searching and knowing sitting down and rising up and understanding thoughts afar off, even before they are expressed and before words are spoken. It looks upon the heart and sees all its workings, with thorough understanding of the mind and its true condition. Every thought, impulse, purpose, imagination, motive, action and word is seen, weighed and marked, with no concealed motive or deed excepted. Nothing is hidden even when it is hidden from other people, for what is kept from men and far from human view is still open to this inspection. What is done in solitude and darkness does not escape notice; nothing said, done or thought escapes, and the deepest midnight is no cover for the guilty.
Darkness and light are alike, night shines as day, and darkness does not hide. Secret and unlawful actions and thoughts are seen and judged, seen more accurately than men read one another, including hidden envy and jealousy, secret leagues, unrighteous conduct, and turning truth into falsehood. Each person's actions are seen as clearly as if recorded, and every act, word and thought is as distinctly marked as though there were only one person in the world and the attention of heaven were centered upon him alone. This knowledge is too wonderful and high to grasp and beyond human understanding. Christ's knowledge of His disciples was of this same kind, including the characters they would reveal in a crisis and the thoughts they would have before they themselves expected them.
Recorded and Weighed Judgment
Thou compassest the path and the lying down to surround daily life by day and by night, and to be acquainted with all ways is to search and know sitting down and rising up, to understand thoughts afar off and before they are spoken, to beset behind and before and lay the hand upon each person, with darkness not hiding and night shining as day and darkness and light alike. That complete knowledge makes every person accountable, so none can deceive God or avoid answering for conduct, for no action, purpose, or word escapes notice, including what is done in solitude and darkness and nothing said, done, or thought. It sees and understands all dishonesty in planning, all unlawful appropriation of property or means in any degree, and all injustice in dealing with fellow men. Those known actions are weighed in the balances for judgment by a holy, everlasting, immutable law.
God keeps a faithful record of words and actions that must be met, seeing each person's actions as clearly as if they were recorded and weighing both motives and deeds. He remembers right acts and right thoughts, daily work and good deeds, and every victory gained when tempted to do wrong and every temptation manfully resisted. He faithfully records evil deeds and secret sins, marking every motive and every deed and every thought of the mind, and He watches daily actions and circumstances including path and rest, as with a physician at a patient's bedside whose thoughts and conduct are known and whose care is recorded as faithful or unfaithful for the final judgment. He will finally reward each person according to works, and evil deeds will bring their punishment unless repented of and confessed and washed away by the atoning blood of Jesus.
Unlike human laws, which though sometimes severe are often transgressed without detection and with impunity, the law of God cannot be broken in secret. The deepest midnight is no cover for the guilty one, and though he may think himself alone there is an unseen witness to every deed, with the very motives of the heart open to divine inspection and every act, word, and thought as distinctly marked as though there were only one person in the whole world and the attention of heaven were centered upon him. Therefore no one must break His law or lead others to do so, even through deceit or excuses.
Living Under Divine Inspection
To compass the path and the lying down and to be acquainted with all ways means nothing is hidden and every word will be brought to light, and therefore speech about God calls for care. No thought, impulse, purpose, or imagination is hidden from inspection, and awareness of that constant presence calls for reverence. That reverence is to shape conduct toward others into what is courteous and tender and kind and respectful.
Prayer does not tell God what He does not already know, for He knows every circumstance and experience and is near and close. He looks upon the heart and sees all its workings, reads hidden thoughts, and knows the secrets of the soul. For that reason prayer may be offered privately and need not be long or loud to be heard. He hears sincere prayer and knows how to answer. His complete knowledge is also a comfort when human words are misunderstood, for He knows the speaker's burdens and what is meant.
Wherever a person is and whatever is done or said is in the presence of God, who sees and hears all and is acquainted with all ways. Cherishing that habitual impression causes fear to sin, a lesson the young especially should ever remember. Jesus is present with every person though unseen, surrounding the path and watching all ways, and therefore dealing with others, especially with the erring, should be in spirit and practice exactly as if He were visibly present. That thought is to be cherished rather than dismissed from the mind, with each soul answering the call to walk before Him and be perfect. Because the Lord reads even the thoughts of the heart and nothing is concealed from His all-seeing eye, children must learn to govern themselves while young, not giving way to fretful unkind feelings nor always having their own way, but sacrificing will and way to gratify and make others happy. That same knowledge that every thought is read, every action known, and every motive and deed marked, with reward finally according to works, should guard everyone who fears God from selfish acts. It always pays in the end to be wholly unselfish even when unappreciated in a world of avarice and selfishness and fraud, for God rewards every act of right doing whether those around appreciate it or not, and He blesses only unselfish workers.
God watches a person's daily life in activity and in rest, by day and by night, knowing where they go, what surrounds them, and every circumstance and movement, and He knows them intimately, personally and completely, being near and surrounding them so that no one can hide.
That knowledge reaches the inner life, understanding thoughts afar off and before they are expressed, weighing every thought, impulse, purpose, imagination, motive and word, and nothing is hidden even in solitude and darkness, for darkness and light are alike to Him and secret sins are seen as clearly as if heaven's attention were centered on one person alone.
This knowledge is too wonderful and high to grasp and beyond human understanding.
Because He knows all, no one can deceive Him or avoid answering for conduct, for all dishonesty, unlawful appropriation and injustice are seen and weighed by His holy, everlasting, immutable law, while He keeps a faithful record of right acts and thoughts and of evil deeds and motives to finally reward each according to works.
Prayer does not tell Him what He does not know, since He already reads hidden thoughts and the secrets of the soul, so sincere prayer may be private and need not be long or loud to be heard, and cherishing the thought of His constant presence should bring reverence, fear to sin, and courteous, tender, kind and wholly unselfish conduct toward others.
God's Complete Personal Knowledge
To compass the path and the lying down is to watch the whole of daily life in activity and in rest, by day and by night, attending to where a person goes and where he rests, to what surrounds him and to every circumstance and movement of his course. No part of life lies outside that watch; going out and lying down, ordinary actions and every way are under notice, and no action escapes. To be acquainted with all ways is to know a person intimately, personally and completely, being near and close to every circumstance and experience. That nearness surrounds before and behind and lays the hand upon each one, filling heaven and earth so that no one can hide or go anywhere apart from presence. The watcher never sleeps, unseen yet present, continually aware of actions and thoughts.
The knowledge reaches the inner life, searching and knowing sitting down and rising up and understanding thoughts afar off, even before they are expressed and before words are spoken. It looks upon the heart and sees all its workings, with thorough understanding of the mind and its true condition. Every thought, impulse, purpose, imagination, motive, action and word is seen, weighed and marked, with no concealed motive or deed excepted. Nothing is hidden even when it is hidden from other people, for what is kept from men and far from human view is still open to this inspection. What is done in solitude and darkness does not escape notice; nothing said, done or thought escapes, and the deepest midnight is no cover for the guilty.
Darkness and light are alike, night shines as day, and darkness does not hide. Secret and unlawful actions and thoughts are seen and judged, seen more accurately than men read one another, including hidden envy and jealousy, secret leagues, unrighteous conduct, and turning truth into falsehood. Each person's actions are seen as clearly as if recorded, and every act, word and thought is as distinctly marked as though there were only one person in the world and the attention of heaven were centered upon him alone. This knowledge is too wonderful and high to grasp and beyond human understanding. Christ's knowledge of His disciples was of this same kind, including the characters they would reveal in a crisis and the thoughts they would have before they themselves expected them.
Recorded and Weighed Judgment
Thou compassest the path and the lying down to surround daily life by day and by night, and to be acquainted with all ways is to search and know sitting down and rising up, to understand thoughts afar off and before they are spoken, to beset behind and before and lay the hand upon each person, with darkness not hiding and night shining as day and darkness and light alike. That complete knowledge makes every person accountable, so none can deceive God or avoid answering for conduct, for no action, purpose, or word escapes notice, including what is done in solitude and darkness and nothing said, done, or thought. It sees and understands all dishonesty in planning, all unlawful appropriation of property or means in any degree, and all injustice in dealing with fellow men. Those known actions are weighed in the balances for judgment by a holy, everlasting, immutable law.
God keeps a faithful record of words and actions that must be met, seeing each person's actions as clearly as if they were recorded and weighing both motives and deeds. He remembers right acts and right thoughts, daily work and good deeds, and every victory gained when tempted to do wrong and every temptation manfully resisted. He faithfully records evil deeds and secret sins, marking every motive and every deed and every thought of the mind, and He watches daily actions and circumstances including path and rest, as with a physician at a patient's bedside whose thoughts and conduct are known and whose care is recorded as faithful or unfaithful for the final judgment. He will finally reward each person according to works, and evil deeds will bring their punishment unless repented of and confessed and washed away by the atoning blood of Jesus.
Unlike human laws, which though sometimes severe are often transgressed without detection and with impunity, the law of God cannot be broken in secret. The deepest midnight is no cover for the guilty one, and though he may think himself alone there is an unseen witness to every deed, with the very motives of the heart open to divine inspection and every act, word, and thought as distinctly marked as though there were only one person in the whole world and the attention of heaven were centered upon him. Therefore no one must break His law or lead others to do so, even through deceit or excuses.
Living Under Divine Inspection
To compass the path and the lying down and to be acquainted with all ways means nothing is hidden and every word will be brought to light, and therefore speech about God calls for care. No thought, impulse, purpose, or imagination is hidden from inspection, and awareness of that constant presence calls for reverence. That reverence is to shape conduct toward others into what is courteous and tender and kind and respectful.
Prayer does not tell God what He does not already know, for He knows every circumstance and experience and is near and close. He looks upon the heart and sees all its workings, reads hidden thoughts, and knows the secrets of the soul. For that reason prayer may be offered privately and need not be long or loud to be heard. He hears sincere prayer and knows how to answer. His complete knowledge is also a comfort when human words are misunderstood, for He knows the speaker's burdens and what is meant.
Wherever a person is and whatever is done or said is in the presence of God, who sees and hears all and is acquainted with all ways. Cherishing that habitual impression causes fear to sin, a lesson the young especially should ever remember. Jesus is present with every person though unseen, surrounding the path and watching all ways, and therefore dealing with others, especially with the erring, should be in spirit and practice exactly as if He were visibly present. That thought is to be cherished rather than dismissed from the mind, with each soul answering the call to walk before Him and be perfect. Because the Lord reads even the thoughts of the heart and nothing is concealed from His all-seeing eye, children must learn to govern themselves while young, not giving way to fretful unkind feelings nor always having their own way, but sacrificing will and way to gratify and make others happy. That same knowledge that every thought is read, every action known, and every motive and deed marked, with reward finally according to works, should guard everyone who fears God from selfish acts. It always pays in the end to be wholly unselfish even when unappreciated in a world of avarice and selfishness and fraud, for God rewards every act of right doing whether those around appreciate it or not, and He blesses only unselfish workers.