The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Psalm 34:15 gives strong encouragement to the practical righteousness David has just taught. The man who desires life must keep his tongue from evil, keep his lips from guile, depart from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it (vv.12-14). Then David declares God’s regard for such a man. Jehovah sees him and hears him. This is instruction to God’s people, sung before Him, concerning His favorable attention toward those walking in the fear and obedience just commanded. Practical righteousness matters to God, and He watches those who practice it.
“The eyes.” Scripture speaks of God’s eyes to describe His perfect knowledge, observation, and regard in language men can understand. God is a Spirit and has no creaturely limitations, yet nothing escapes His sight. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Men see appearances, miss hidden circumstances, forget details, and judge imperfectly. Jehovah sees the whole life at once. The righteous man may be unnoticed by men, misunderstood by enemies, or overlooked in his quiet obedience, but he is never outside the sight of God.
This truth should make practical holiness serious. The conduct named in the preceding verses takes place before God’s eyes. He sees whether the tongue is restrained, whether guile is refused, whether a man departs from evil, whether he actually does good, and whether he pursues peace (vv.13-14). Religion performed for human approval is poor religion. Joseph resisted temptation because he understood that sin was first against God (Genesis 39:9). The eyes of Jehovah make secret obedience meaningful and secret wickedness dangerous.
“Of the LORD.” David speaks of Jehovah. LORD in all capital letters is the King James Bible’s usual way of representing the ancient Hebrew tetragrammaton, JHVH. The One watching the righteous is not an uncertain human observer but the living God who knows perfectly and judges rightly. Nor does He only observe as a spectator. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (II Chronicles 16:9). Divine sight is joined to divine action.
“Are upon.” The phrase means more than that God knows righteous men exist. The next verse gives the contrast: “The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth” (v.16). God sees both classes, but He regards them differently. His eyes are upon the righteous in favorable attention; His face is against evil doers in opposition and judgment. David is therefore describing discriminating providence. God does not view righteous conduct and wicked conduct with equal approval.
“The righteous.” The context defines these men practically. They control their tongue, reject guile, depart from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it (vv.13-14). David calls such men “the righteous.” The word should retain its full force. These are men actually walking rightly before God in the duties under consideration. Scripture does not weaken the term when it describes human conduct. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and he walked with God (Genesis 6:9).
Practical righteousness is therefore visible conduct measured by God’s commandments. “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (I John 3:7). The verse does not permit profession to replace practice. A man who claims godliness while choosing evil contradicts the category David uses here. The righteous man does righteousness, and Jehovah’s eyes are upon him even when obedience costs him profit, companionship, or popularity.
“And his ears.” David moves from sight to hearing. God not only watches the righteous man’s conduct; He listens when that man speaks to Him. Scripture joins these two truths often. Solomon wrote, “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). God is not impressed by eloquence, volume, vocabulary, or public display. He regards the man and his walk.
This connection between conduct and prayer is searching. David has just taught how the tongue must be governed toward men, and now he speaks of the ears of God toward prayer. The same mouth cannot safely practice guile toward neighbors and expect unrestricted fellowship with God. Peter later quoted this section directly and kept the same connection between righteous conduct and answered prayer (I Peter 3:10-12).
“Are open.” God is ready to hear. David does not picture heaven as closed while the righteous cry below. His ears are open. This does not mean every request is granted in the exact form or time desired. God hears wisely, according to His own will, but the prayer is not ignored. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” (I John 5:14). Prayer belongs naturally to a life lived under God’s eye.
“Unto their cry.” A cry is prayer pressed by need. It may be short, urgent, broken, or spoken through fear and pain. David had already testified, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (v.6). The righteous are not promised freedom from trouble; they are promised a God whose ears remain open when trouble makes them cry. James writes, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). Practical righteousness and earnest prayer belong together.
Jesus Christ perfectly displayed righteous conduct before the Father. He always did those things that pleased Him (John 8:29), and in the days of His flesh He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared (Hebrews 5:7). His life shows the harmony David describes: righteous obedience before God and prayer heard by God. There was no contradiction between His conduct and His cries.
Walk as one living under the eyes of Jehovah. Keep the tongue, refuse guile, depart from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it. Then use the privilege David joins to that righteous course: cry unto God. “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth” (Psalm 145:18). Live rightly before His eyes, and pray confidently toward His open ears.
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Psalm 34:15 gives strong encouragement to the practical righteousness David has just taught. The man who desires life must keep his tongue from evil, keep his lips from guile, depart from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it (vv.12-14). Then David declares God’s regard for such a man. Jehovah sees him and hears him. This is instruction to God’s people, sung before Him, concerning His favorable attention toward those walking in the fear and obedience just commanded. Practical righteousness matters to God, and He watches those who practice it.
“The eyes.” Scripture speaks of God’s eyes to describe His perfect knowledge, observation, and regard in language men can understand. God is a Spirit and has no creaturely limitations, yet nothing escapes His sight. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Men see appearances, miss hidden circumstances, forget details, and judge imperfectly. Jehovah sees the whole life at once. The righteous man may be unnoticed by men, misunderstood by enemies, or overlooked in his quiet obedience, but he is never outside the sight of God.
This truth should make practical holiness serious. The conduct named in the preceding verses takes place before God’s eyes. He sees whether the tongue is restrained, whether guile is refused, whether a man departs from evil, whether he actually does good, and whether he pursues peace (vv.13-14). Religion performed for human approval is poor religion. Joseph resisted temptation because he understood that sin was first against God (Genesis 39:9). The eyes of Jehovah make secret obedience meaningful and secret wickedness dangerous.
“Of the LORD.” David speaks of Jehovah. LORD in all capital letters is the King James Bible’s usual way of representing the ancient Hebrew tetragrammaton, JHVH. The One watching the righteous is not an uncertain human observer but the living God who knows perfectly and judges rightly. Nor does He only observe as a spectator. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (II Chronicles 16:9). Divine sight is joined to divine action.
“Are upon.” The phrase means more than that God knows righteous men exist. The next verse gives the contrast: “The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth” (v.16). God sees both classes, but He regards them differently. His eyes are upon the righteous in favorable attention; His face is against evil doers in opposition and judgment. David is therefore describing discriminating providence. God does not view righteous conduct and wicked conduct with equal approval.
“The righteous.” The context defines these men practically. They control their tongue, reject guile, depart from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it (vv.13-14). David calls such men “the righteous.” The word should retain its full force. These are men actually walking rightly before God in the duties under consideration. Scripture does not weaken the term when it describes human conduct. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and he walked with God (Genesis 6:9).
Practical righteousness is therefore visible conduct measured by God’s commandments. “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (I John 3:7). The verse does not permit profession to replace practice. A man who claims godliness while choosing evil contradicts the category David uses here. The righteous man does righteousness, and Jehovah’s eyes are upon him even when obedience costs him profit, companionship, or popularity.
“And his ears.” David moves from sight to hearing. God not only watches the righteous man’s conduct; He listens when that man speaks to Him. Scripture joins these two truths often. Solomon wrote, “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). God is not impressed by eloquence, volume, vocabulary, or public display. He regards the man and his walk.
This connection between conduct and prayer is searching. David has just taught how the tongue must be governed toward men, and now he speaks of the ears of God toward prayer. The same mouth cannot safely practice guile toward neighbors and expect unrestricted fellowship with God. Peter later quoted this section directly and kept the same connection between righteous conduct and answered prayer (I Peter 3:10-12).
“Are open.” God is ready to hear. David does not picture heaven as closed while the righteous cry below. His ears are open. This does not mean every request is granted in the exact form or time desired. God hears wisely, according to His own will, but the prayer is not ignored. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” (I John 5:14). Prayer belongs naturally to a life lived under God’s eye.
“Unto their cry.” A cry is prayer pressed by need. It may be short, urgent, broken, or spoken through fear and pain. David had already testified, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (v.6). The righteous are not promised freedom from trouble; they are promised a God whose ears remain open when trouble makes them cry. James writes, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). Practical righteousness and earnest prayer belong together.
Jesus Christ perfectly displayed righteous conduct before the Father. He always did those things that pleased Him (John 8:29), and in the days of His flesh He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared (Hebrews 5:7). His life shows the harmony David describes: righteous obedience before God and prayer heard by God. There was no contradiction between His conduct and His cries.
Walk as one living under the eyes of Jehovah. Keep the tongue, refuse guile, depart from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it. Then use the privilege David joins to that righteous course: cry unto God. “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth” (Psalm 145:18). Live rightly before His eyes, and pray confidently toward His open ears.