Psalm 33 (32):14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Furthermore, "The eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, and look into all the ways of men, and penetrate into the hidden places. He knew all things before they were made, even after they were made" (Sir. 23:27-29). We ought to walk in the presence of God, who sees everything, and who rewards everyone based on their actions, with a sense of fear, awareness, and respect, diligently carrying out His holy will to avoid offending His glory. "See therefore that ye walk carefully, not as the foolish, but as the wise," the apostle instructs us (Eph. 5:15). Indeed, dear friend, God observes you; all that you do, entertain, initiate, or devise, all that you cherish, disdain, find solace in, or are upset by, everything you pursue or flee from, how you regard Him, your Creator, and how you interact with your neighbor, He perceives. Every word you speak, every request you make and response you provide—He hears and will recompense you according to your conduct and the outcomes of your efforts. "Watch...," beloved, "do... carefully, not as an unwise man, but as a wise man!"

What Augustine recognizes about himself is a truth all must acknowledge. We—believers who acknowledge and honor God, who engage in prayer, and who seek His mercy—should feel embarrassed to engage in actions contrary to His glory and detrimental to ourselves. Indeed, we should experience this shame and fear, for “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). When before mankind, one feels ashamed to err; even more so should one feel this way before God! While we cannot see Him, He perceives us; He observes our works, our efforts, our thoughts, and hears our every utterance. “He that has an ear, does He not hear? And He that created the eye, does He not see?” (Psalms 93:9, etc.).

A king is displeased when his subjects act improperly; a master feels the same towards his servant, and a father is grieved by his children's misbehavior. This is well understood. Believers! Reflect on how grievous it is to provoke God when men, particularly those who acknowledge His name, commit lawlessness in His sight. Your injustices contradict His truth, your lies offend His honesty, your impurity violates His holiness, your malevolence mocks His goodness, your anger disregards His gentleness, and your hatred insults His love. Oh, how awe-inspiring it is to offend the Great, Good, and Merciful God! To think that we—mere dust, frail beings—would insult our Creator, our Redeemer, our Protector, our Provider, and ultimately, our greatest Benefactor, who surrounds us with His blessings daily, and without whom we cannot exist even for an instant. It is indeed a weighty and frightening matter to offend Him! For those who do so will face His righteous judgment unless they genuinely repent. God is filled with goodness, patience, and mercy, and He yearns for the sinner’s repentance; thus, He is slow to anger. However, if one remains unrepentant, they will confront His righteous wrath.

Before your king, master, or father, you experience shame and fear not only at the thought of engaging in fornicating acts and other wrongdoings but even for speaking empty words or laughing frivolously. Yet, before God, the All-Seeing and Awe-inspiring King, you shamelessly speak idle words, laugh, and commit grievous wrongdoings: acts of fornication, adultery, abduction, theft, falsehood, slander, condemnations, malicious speech, curses, and other shameless acts. Oh, Christian! If you find yourself in such a state, turn your gaze away and feel shame, for you profess faith in the Omnipresent, True, Almighty, and Just God who cares for you and all your well-being, rewarding everyone based on their deeds. The blind and impoverished believer is one who is ashamed to act unlawfully before fellow humans, no matter their social standing, but feels no such shame or fear before the Divine, who sees and knows all. If a man were to behold even a fraction of God’s fearsome glory, he would surely fall dead, realizing the gravity of his actions and how they offend the Source of his life and all goodness; he would weep and cry out for mercy. It is written of the wicked, “they have not set God before themselves” (Psalm 53:5), and thus they feel no shame in their lawless actions. Believers! Keep God ever before your mind, and recognize that wherever you are, in whatever you do or say, He is with you. Always strive to behold Him with understanding, as the prophet declares, “I have always set the Lord before me” (Psalm 15:8). With this awareness, approach Him in humility, sincerely repent, and mourn for your past sins, indecency, and words, seeking His forgiveness, frequently proclaiming, “I have sinned, Lord, have mercy on me!” And from now on, let this awareness engender a desire to avoid disorder and the breaking of His holy law, lest you come to recognize His vengeful hand in this world’s disgrace and feel shame for your transgressions. “Look, hear me, O Lord my God, and enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him’” (Psalm 12:4-5). “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. I am a stranger on earth; hide not Thy commandments from me. My soul is consumed with longing for Your rules at all times” (Psalm 118:18-20). “Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways” (Psalm 138:1-3).