Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Bible Doctrine Series-El-Roi

El Roi-Roi comes from the Hebrew root meaning “to see, to perceive, understand and know.” El Roi is the God who sees. A Christian working in real estate told of a man he’d met from a different denomination who has been visiting one of the houses of prostitution in Nevada. The Christian asked if he wasn’t concerned that God would see what he was doing. The man replied, “Oh, no. God is in His temple, and I’m in Nevada. There is no way He’s going to see me.” Do we think that God does not see us and know what we are doing on a moment-to-moment basis? Do we think He doesn’t care what we are doing? As we come to better understand each of God’s names, we more clearly comprehend His character. This named attribute describes His ability to not only see, but to understand everything. We can see this attribute even in creation. God saw each thing He created and saw that it was good. As the years passed, however, God saw that man’s thoughts and actions were evil. Not only did He see the physical man, he also saw the inward man. David, in Psalm 139:1,2,7, describes this attribute of God, “O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou doest know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou doest understand my though from afar. where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence?” David went on to say that it didn’t matter if he were in heaven, Sheol, or the remotest part of the sea; God would be there to lead him. Scripture continually reveals God as seeing and knowing all. The Scriptures tell us how God saw the oppression of His people in Egypt and raised up Moses to deliver them from their suffering. Man, however, is often deceived. Pharaoh, just like the real estate man’s friend thought God was not around. Man’s complacent attitude is exposed in Psalm 10:11 “He says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.’” Not only does El Roi see, but He endows His children with the ability to see from His perspective. Jesus gave sight to blind physical eyes; but He also told Nicodemus that a man must be born-again before he is able to see the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus validates the importance of seeing things from God’s perspective in John 5:19 we read, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” This is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which sets us free from the law of sin and death—doing only what the Father shows us to do. Consider the work the Lord Jesus Christ was sent to earth to do; that He might destroy the works of the devil. In the same way the Father sent Him, He sends us with this promise in John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.” We can only do the works that our Father prepared for us by exercising spiritual eyes given by El Roi—by seeing circumstances from His perspective. This is seeing things hoped for, giving substance to things unseen; this is the life of faith walked out in obedience. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

No comments:

Post a Comment