Divine Surveillance

Happy Sunday. In recent years, surveillance cameras have popped up all over. Criminals are often caught because of cameras that seem to be everywhere. It's estimated that over 75 million US households have security cameras.

There are close to 60 million video doorbells in this country. There are nearly nearly 4,000 traffic cameras in my hometown of Atlanta. It's likely that you're being watched wherever you go. And some people are very much against this technology.

They feel that video surveillance strips them of their freedom and robs them of their privacy. People only really like surveillance if they're in control of it. Today's verse reminds us that we are always being watched. Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."

Let me do it again. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Now, this is good news. This is bad news.

It's good news if you're behaving, if you're good. It's bad news if you're living in a way you should not live, if you're evil. In the book of 2 Samuel chapter 11, you find the story of King David. In his worst moments, he commits adultery with a woman named Ba Sheba.

David was the king and he could do as he pleased. And as the story goes, Ba'ath Sheba became pregnant. Her husband Uriah was at war and there was no way that Baeba could have that baby with her husband out of town. It would be a scandal and David would be found out.

And to to stop being discovered, David sent Uriah to the front lines where the fiercest fighting would be. Uriah was killed. That was David's plan. David had gotten away with it.

Or so he thought. Let me read to you the first several verses from chapter 12. So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story. There were two men in a certain town.

One was rich, one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb and it grew up with his children.

It ate from the man's own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. And one day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man's lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.

David was furious. David said, "As surely as the L Lord lives, he vowed, any man who would do such a thing deserves to die. He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one that he stole and for having no pity." And then Nathan said to David, "You are that man.

The Lord, the God of Israel says, I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master's house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why then have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed?

For you have murdered Uriah the Hitittite with the sword of the Ammonites, and you have stolen his wife." David was busted. Although he was likely the most powerful man on earth, there was another. Almighty God saw that what David had done.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place keeping watch on the evil and the good. David learned a great lesson. God is watching. We will live better lives if we always remember that fact.

Now, we don't know exactly when David wrote Psalm 139. Some scholars think it was well after the incident with Basheba and Uriah. So, I like to think it's an older, wiser David. He's appreciating the fact that God is watching him now.

His behavior is different. Listen to some verses from Psalm 39. David said, "Oh Lord, you've examined my heart and you know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I'm going to say even before I say it, Lord.

You go before me and follow me. I can never escape from your spirit. I can never get away from your presence. If I go up to heaven, you're there.

If I go down to the grave, you're there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night. But even in darkness, I cannot hide from you.

To you, the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. David learned his lesson. His life changed for the better.

There are no secrets. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Pray with me. God, it would be great if we were all excited that you were watching us because you are.

You've seen our best moments and you've seen our worst. And help it to be our goal to please you. Help it to be our goal to let you be satisfied with what you see. Let us live lives that you would approve of.

It's in the powerful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. God bless. Have the best week.