God's Investigations

"And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." (Genesis 2: 9 KJV)

"And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded." (Genesis 11: 5 KJV)

Lord God, the Creator and Governor of the universe, is an Investigator, yea, the investigator of investigators.

All investigators ought to mimic Lord God in the way he formally investigates matters in his universe. That is what these verses indicate. The Lord discovers also, oftentimes openly before the eyes of all his creatures.

These words are not to be taken strictly literal, for to do so would imply that Lord God learns things, that he is growing and increasing in knowledge, and that he is subject to change, and that he is ignorant, at least of certain things.

Scripture sometimes speak of God as if he were a man with body parts and emotions, but these are what are called anthropomorphisms and anthropopathisms, and are not to be taken strictly literally.

Yet, it is clear that such a view of Lord God (as would come from taking the above words literally), though suitable to modern "Process Theologians," is wholly against what Scripture abundantly and clearly teaches about Lord God, which is that he is "infinite in understanding" (Psalm 147: 5 KJV), and who knows all future events before they happen.

Lord God knew beforehand what Adam would name each creature and he already knew what was going on in Babel before he officially "came down" to investigate.

Lord God has his own self imposed "legal procedures" by which he operates and which men ought to ape. Lord God does things for formality's sake, in order to establish precedent and future legal procedure; yet, it is not in order to convince himself, but to convince others, who will be convinced by Lord God's formal investigations and legal reports.

It is quite interesting to notice how many times, when Lord God is in conversation with the prophets, that he would ask them what they "saw," either in vision, or in their investigations of the moral conditions of the people. What do you see? Lord God asks frequently. Does the prophet's investigation of things agree with the Lord's investigation?

"And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and (come down) to bring them up out of that land unto a good land." (Exodus 3: 7, 8 KJV)

It ought to have been great comfort to the ancient Israelites to hear these words from Lord God. Lord God sees and knows, and even formally and officially investigates matters in the lives of his people. What a great investigator is Lord God! He sees all and nothing escapes his notice!

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Psalm 14: 1-3 KJV)

Again, the above language is adapted to human legal affairs and their formal investigations of guilt or innocence. Just as men make their formal investigations so does Lord God. What is the result of Lord God's investigation relative to the matter of sin? In Lord God's investigation he made formal discovery and has presented to man the formal evidence of man's universal guilt.

"Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" (Isaiah 29: 15 KJV)

"Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 23: 24 KJV)

"Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not." (Ezekiel 9: 9 KJV)

"...the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth." (Zechariah 4: 10; II Chronicles 16: 9 KJV)

"The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men." (Psalm 11: 4 KJV)

"For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings." (Proverbs 5: 21 KJV)

"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." (Proverbs 15: 3 KJV)

How foolish indeed for criminals against God and Heaven to think that they can hide their crimes from the all seeing eye of the Almighty! How foolish for the sinner to imagine that he can get through the judgment bar of God in the face of the mountain of evidence collected against him. They will truly find the answer to their question - "who sees us?" when they stand before the Lord.

"They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?" (Psalm 94: 6-8 KJV)

"When will you 'wise up?'" Don't you see how you are fooling yourself in thinking that the Lord is going to forget your crimes or have a "weak case" against you?

"All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth (investigates and discovers) the spirits." (Proverbs 16: 2 KJV)

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth (scrutinizes) the hearts." (Proverbs 21: 2 KJV)

"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (I Samuel 16: 7 KJV)

Lord God does not overlook evidence or misshandle his investigations. All proceeds according to his own established rules of justice.

"O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause." (Lamentations 3: 59 KJV)

"Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 7: 11 KJV)

"But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee..." (Jeremiah 12: 2, 3 KJV)

These divine investigations, of the deeds, and of the inner thoughts of the heart, wherein things are disclosed and discovered, can be either positive or negative. They will be negative if one does not "come clean" in his sins, confess them to the Lord, and turn from them, and come seeking his mercy and grace as undeserved. These divine investigations will be positive for those who have been assured of final salvation, and who have come to love God and righteousness, for they will act as means to help the Christian to live a more godly life.