A webcam is a video camera that feeds or streams an image or video in real time to or through a computer to a computer network. It has eyes. It sees!
This is effectively what David was realizing as he thought through his relationship with God. As one who had agreed to serve Him, David was on webcam. All the time. There was no getting away from it, nor did he want to get away from it. This connection was his lifeline.
Hear his thoughts as he writes in Psalm 139.
Psalm 139:7–10 7Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
When we agree to serve God, a complete record is being kept of all that we say, do, or think. This is the work of God’s angels (they carry the name of God – Ex. 23:20-21. God Almighty works through His angels). Nothing is hidden from their “eyes.” Nothing will obliterate or falsify this record. Even if we die, this record reposes safely in His book of remembrance.
Malachi 3:16 16Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: And the Lord hearkened, and heard it, And a book of remembrance was written before him For them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
Where did David think he might possibly hide from God?
Psalm 139:7–8 7Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
What is the first place we look to find Him? ” If I ascend up to heaven, you are there.
Quite naturally, we should expect to find God in heaven. But David goes on.
Psalm 139:8 8…If I make my bed in hell [sheol, the grave], behold, You are there.
Christ is said to be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Romans 14:9 9For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living [those waiting for a resurrecton].
David says that no place on Earth can serve as a hideout from God. The webcam is always working. The highest mountain, the farthest reaches of the ocean bottom, darkness, opaque walls, nothing can hide us from God until the day when we shall appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:10 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Actually, we want His webcam watching us, don’t we? It is priceless. How else should we ever be able to receive for what we do?
In the symbolic story of Jonah, the prophet attempted to get away from the presence of God by taking passage on a ship going the opposite direction from Nineveh, where God had ordered him to go.
Jonah 1:1–3 1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
He fled, but could not get away with it. Even the deep could not insulate him from God’s watchful eye.
In the days of the early church, the believers in the Jerusalem Church sold their possessions and had all things common. This was the time when the Holy Spirit power was invested in the hands of men. Could Ananias and his wife cut off God’s webcam? They thought they could fool God. But their plot did not work. It is a lesson to remember.
Acts 5:1–4 1…a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
But they forgot they were dealing with GOD! Peter, with Holy Spirit Power, knew the whole story. Firsthand.
3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan [the thoughts of their own deceitful heart] filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
4While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
They thought that keeping back some of the money was a good safety net, just in case things didn’t work out well.
They paid with their lives.
Think about the Israelite Achan. At the conquest of Jericho he knew the law was “don’t take anything, lest you die.” But Achan couldn’t resist. Only a wedge of gold and a goodly Babylonian garment, but it was a serious violation.
Could he hide his act from God? Could he disconnect the webcam while he carefully took the items, and perhaps tucked them under his robes when no one was looking? Hear his own admission:
Joshua 7:21 21When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
It was all preserved on God’s camera. Nothing hidden at all.
Think about the wicked king Ahab. Did he think he could hide his wicked acts as his wicked wife Jezebel maneuvered the death of his neighbor Naboth?
No sooner did Ahab secure the land he coveted than Elijah received this word from the Lord, pronouncing Ahab’s doom.
1 Kings 21:17–19 17Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.” ’ ”
Did Ahab think He was hiding from God’s camera? Elijah told him it had all been seen.
1 Kings 21:20 20So Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord:
Isn’t this the spirit today? Many feel that God does not exist. They are free! They can do as they please, thinking:
Psalm 10:11 11He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.”
The passage from David’s heart concludes with this joyful note:
Psalm 139:10 10Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
Every covenant maker has the assurance that God will see, he will stay connected.
Our path may at times seem rough and steep, visibility may be poor, we may even have to take steps in the dark. But through it all we can know that God’s rod and staff are always there, supporting us.
Psalm 23:4 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
If we are faithful from our side, we have nothing to fear.
Notice how many times the promise is repeated. Always with loving watch-care for the good, and rejection and wrath for the disobedient. Always the condition is there. And isn’t that fair? How could God be just and not give according to what WE do?
It is all conditioned on our obedience.
Isaiah 1:19–20 19If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
The promise of God’s care for his loyal worshipers is absolute.
Ezra 8:22 22… “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”
Again from the Psalmist:
Psalm 4:3 3But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
The faithful are His special treasure, and His eye—His webcam—is on them.
Men may forget to watch and record, but not God. He will not forget.
Hebrews 6:10 10For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
For the faithful He has promised to be their shield, and exceeding great reward.
This was God’s promise to Abraham:
Genesis 15:1 1After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
Think of that: God being our “exceedingly great reward.”
How thankful we can be for this very favored position! We cannot hide from God, nor do we want to hide!
Thank God He has set up to record our lives. Thank God for His webcam, it is our surety of receiving for what we have done. And His reward will be abundant. Remember His promise,
Ephesians 3:20 20Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…
What will it be!
Proverbs 22:4 4By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life.
Riches… honor… LIFE! And the certainty that He will keep HIS side of the contract, the only IF is on our side.
God grant that we may live TODAY to supply a good record that will be for our credit when the great Day of the review comes and our record is opened, so that we may be given that “abundant entrance” into His everlasting kingdom!
Psalm 139:23–24 23Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Solomon also knew his life was an open book: “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.
Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 (NLT) 13That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
We cannot hide from God!