For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. (Deuteronomy 11:10-12)

The Eyes Of The Lord

As Moses reflects on the previous forty years of Israel’s history, he reminds them of the promises God made to them before leaving Egypt. God told Moses at the burning bush He had heard the cries of the Hebrews and their sorrow, and He would deliver them to a land flowing with milk and honey. After the rebellion of Israel at Kadesh Barnea and forty years of wilderness wandering, God’s promise was to be fulfilled under the leadership of Joshua. The land of Canaan was given to the Hebrews by the power of God.

Canaan was unlike Egypt. In the land of Egypt, the people had to work hard to bring about a productive land. God gave the people a land with vineyards, groves, gardens, and cities well established and abounding with harvest. The inhabitants would be driven out, and the promised land would be given to the people of Israel. Not only would the Lord help them drive out the inhabitants, but the eyes of the Lord would always be upon it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

The land of Canaan was given to Israel through the promise of God. His presence would oversee the land to bless it and bring about a bountiful harvest. Moses reminded the people if they obeyed the word of the Lord, their crops would never fail; God would open the good treasures of heaven to give the rain in its season and grant them plenty of goods in the fruit of their bodies and the increase of livestock. Canaan would be a land of milk and honey with the eyes of the Lord watching over it every day.

Israel received the land and enjoyed the bounty of God’s blessings for a time. In less than seven hundred years, the people had rejected God and fallen to the hands of the Assyrians. One hundred thirty-six years later, Jerusalem burned, and the Temple of God was destroyed. The once blessed nation among all nations lay in ruin and would never regain its glory. They remained in bondage to another nation until 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and razed the Temple to dust. The nation of Israel would never return.

Jesus did not come to rule over the nation of Israel. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom that was not of this world. The kingdom He established was the church, His Bride, His Body, and His people. God had promised to keep His eyes upon the nation from the beginning of the year until the end of the year. The eyes of the Lord are upon His people, the church. This nation is the one for which the Lord your God cares. He is not looking down on a building but upon the spirits of His children who serve Him faithfully. The joy of being a Christian is knowing the eyes of the Lord are always upon them, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.

As a doting Father, God looks over the lives of His children with love and care. He promises not to allow more to come upon them than they can handle. Jesus asked the Father in prayer to teach His children to seek the protective care of the heavenly Father from the evil one. God is not a message lost in a book but a personal relationship of a loving Creator who wants to care for His children. The rich storehouse of blessings are available but for the asking. There are so many blessings waiting for the child of God to seek for and ask. God looks upon your life every moment of every day – from January 1 to December 31. He cares. He knows. He works. Isn’t that a wonderful thought to have?