|
by
Doug Ward |
Since its initial release in 1934, the song "Santa Claus is Comin' to
Town" has been a holiday favorite. I grew up hearing the song in the 1960s
and recall how it describes Santa's monitoring of children's behavior: "He
sees you when you're sleepin'. He knows when you're
awake. He knows if you've been bad or good..."
In
2025 these familiar lyrics seem a little disturbing. Santa sounds like some
kind of stalker. Who gave him permission to spy on the world's children?
Santa
and his "naughty and nice list" are fictional, of course. but the
song reminds us of an important truth: Our lives are indeed under scrutiny,
even if we are living "off the grid." A much older song, the Bible's
Psalm 139, portrays a God who is all-knowing and ever-present. The psalm's
author (traditionally David) reflects on these qualities of God. "O 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," he declares in verses 1-2.
God's
knowledge of us goes well beyond the capabilities of electronic surveillance.
"Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it
altogether," David marvels in verse 4. Because God is our Creator, his
knowledge of us is comprehensive, beginning before our birth. "For you
formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb," he
affirms in verse 13.
David
also recognizes that there is no hiding from God. He asks the rhetorical
questions, "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from
your presence?"(verse 7) The implied answer is-nowhere. With respect to
God, there is no such thing as privacy.
The
psalm, however, is not a complaint. Instead, David praises the God who is
always with him. He knows that even if he is far away from home and alone on a
dark night, he is not really alone (verses 8-12). God's constant presence is
comforting rather than threatening. As Dr. Daniel J. Estes of Cedarville
University explains in his commentary on the Psalms, David "feels nestled
in the Lord's protective grip, safe from assault in every direction."
David
is not afraid that he will face identity theft or blackmail because of God's
knowledge of him. That dismissive comment he once made about the Philistines
will not appear on social media. Rather, he knows that when his enemies accuse
him falsely, God will vindicate him. The One who knows everything about him
knows his best self and wants the best for him.
Like
David, we are fully known and never alone. Let us praise the God who knows and
loves us perfectly.
File
translated from TEX by TTH,
version 3.66.
On 01 Dec 2025, 15:20.
