Whenever we exercise compassion, it never goes unnoticed by God.
As Yeshua taught about the principles of righteousness in his Sermon on the Mount, he extolled the virtues of privately demonstrating compassion to those in need.
Matthew 6:1-4 – “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
One of the things we can learn from this passage is that God the Father can see what is done in secret. This realization alone has staggering consequences in the life of the believer. There is no time in our lives that God is not witness to. This is a principle that is present throughout the Bible, and has been an accepted reality among God’s people at all times.
When Samuel was tasked with identifying the king of Israel after the rejection of Saul, he approached the family of Jesse and reviewed his sons one by one.
1 Samuel 16:6-7 – When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly Yahweh’s anointed one is here before him.” But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what Yahweh sees, for humans see what is visible, but Yahweh sees the heart.”
David himself recognized this was the reality of the believer before Yahweh in all of life.
Psalm 139:1-6 – Yahweh, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, Yahweh. You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
The writer to the Hebrew congregation likewise describes this familiarity that God has over all.
Hebrews 4:12-13 – For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
While those who don’t know God might be taken aback by this level of transparency before God at all times, this should not be a point of contention or frustration, but one of rejoicing. If we are living before him with integrity and compassion, then we should not be ashamed of our private thoughts and interactions with others. Just as in marriage the husband and wife are familiar with each other’s personalities, habits, and quirks in private, so God understands the even the deepest layers of motivation that lie at the root of all of our thoughts and actions.
While no one enjoys their selfish or petty inclinations to be known, there is some comfort in knowing that the good that we do that may go unrecognized by others is still known to the One who searches our hearts. This is the very deepest core of our faith, as God has always desired for us to act sincerely and genuinely from the heart in all matters, and to do so in accordance with his instruction.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 – “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.”
But when we are disobedient to him, we tend to want to hide from his presence, just as Adam and Eve did.
Genesis 3:6, 8 – The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. … Then the man and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
However, when we begin to live out his Word from the heart, then there should be no need to feel ashamed before him. We should take comfort that God considers even the smallest things we do as having consequence for his kingdom and glory. That the God of the Universe knows each of us by name and cares about our actions and our intentions is a staggering thought. Like David, we cannot begin to comprehend how or why this can even be possible.
Psalm 8:3-4 – When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him?
So when we demonstrate compassion to others, this is not something to be taken lightly. The world may not recognize when we expend effort and resources on behalf of others, but God does. Yeshua instructed his hearers that God also takes action on behalf of those who do act compassionately in unseen ways. This is not compassion for the sake of shallow recognition by others, but compassion from the heart, just as God has intended all along.
Matthew 6:4 – “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
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