Psalm 121 presents a comforting message: God is watching over you. All the time, in every place, even when you sleep, He does not sleep. The psalm is a reminder of God’s care for His people who keep His word. The comforting thought that God is watching over you has become the center of many encouraging notes and comments to faithful Christians. But God’s watchful eye is not a blessed thing for all.
Jeremiah 44 records how the rebellious remnant of Jerusalem had gone to live idolatrously in Egypt. Upon hearing God’s word, they rejected it in verse 16, saying, “As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths…” These were spiritually rotten people who refused God’s mercy at every turn.
When anyone refuses God’s mercy, only His justice remains to be received. Justice is what God’s watchful eye brought to them. He said in verse 27, “Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they are completely gone.”
For those who choose God’s mercy through obedience to His word, God’s watchful eye brings provision and spiritual safety (Matt. 6:33; Rom. 3:21-26). In contrast, those who stubbornly make themselves God’s enemies will receive His justice because they have rejected His mercy in Jesus Christ. They will have earned harm and not good from God (Rom. 6:23). God is watching over you. What that means for you depends on your response to His Word today. Choose God’s mercy; submit to His word and live in the comfort of His watchful eye instead of fearing His justice.