Psalm 34: The Eyes and Ears of the Lord
Psalm 34:15 - He watches over us and leans in to hear our prayers and cries.
“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.”
Psalms 34:15 NASB1995
The Lord looks toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. Although we don’t really what God looks like, we know that we are made in His image, so it is easy to imagine that He can look at and listen to us in our despair. But He won’t hear that cry unless we are righteous, which means we put our trust in Him. Here are the Charles Spurgeon Exposition/Explanatory notes from Precept Austin:
EXPOSITION
Ver. 15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. He observes them with approval and tender consideration; they are so dear to him that he cannot take his eyes off them; he watches each one of them as carefully and intently as if there were only that one creature in the universe. His ears are open unto their cry. His eyes and ears are thus both turned by the Lord towards his saints; his whole mind is occupied about them: if slighted by all others they are not neglected by him. Their cry he hears at once, even as a mother is sure to hear her sick babe; the cry may be broken, plaintive, unhappy, feeble, unbelieving, yet the Father's quick ear catches each note of lament or appeal, and he is not slow to answer his children's voice.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 15. His ears are open unto their cry. The word "open" is not in the original, but the meaning is that the ear of God is propense, and in a leaning kind of posture, towards the cries of the righteous; the word may here be taken emphatically, as many times in Scripture it is, for some worthy, choice, and excellent strain of righteousness. Those who are worthy and righteous indeed, the ear of God, I say, is propense, and leans and hangs towards them and their prayers, according to that of So 2:14, "Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice." There is a kind of naturalness and pleasantness between the ear of God and the prayers, and petitions, and cries of such a righteous man. John 15:7. John Goodwin.
Ver. 15. His ears are open unto their cry. Hebrew, Are to their cry, or as St. Peter hath it, His ears are into their prayers 1 Peter 3:12; to show that though their prayers are so faint and feeble that they cannot enter into the ears of the Lord of Hosts, yet that he will bow down and incline his ears unto, nay, into their prayers, their breathings. Lamentations 3:56. John Trapp.
Ver. 15-17. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. Strangers may howl, and we take little notice what they ail--it is a venture whether we relieve them or no; but if our children cry, being in great distress, we hasten to their help. Our relation to God may well strengthen our hope that our desires shall be heard. He that can cry, Abba, Father, may be confident of the success of his suit, and that God will deal with him as a son. George Swinnock.
There is another good commentary from Precept Austin quoting a Daily Bread devotional; these devotionals were shared with permission to use on that website, as noted in the text:
Who’s Watching You?
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. Psalm 34:15
Today's Scripture & Insight: Psalm 34:15–22
No matter where the athletes of the 2016 Olympics go in the city of Rio de Janeiro, they can see Jesus. Standing high above this Brazilian city and anchored to a 2,310-foot-high mountain called Corcovado is a 100-foot-tall sculpture called Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). With arms spread wide, this massive figure is visible day and night from almost anywhere in the sprawling city.
As comforting as this iconic concrete and soapstone sculpture may be to all who can look up and see it, there is much greater comfort from this reality: The real Jesus sees us. In Psalm 34, David explained it like this: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry” (v. 15). He noted that when the righteous call out for His help, “The Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (vv. 17–18).
Just who are the righteous? Those of us who place our trust in Jesus Christ, who Himself is our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). Our God oversees our lives, and He hears the cries of those who trust Him. He is near to help in our greatest times of need.
Jesus has His eyes on you. By: Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Sometimes, Lord, life seems out of control and I don’t know exactly which direction to take. Thank You for overseeing my life and prompting me in the right way through Your Word and Your Spirit.
The Lord never lets us out of His sight.
We saw the beautiful Christ the Redeemer statue (considered one of the seven modern wonders of the world) on a visit to Rio de Janeiro in 2016. It is truly wonderful to know that that the real Jesus sees us and hears our cries in our prayers.
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Photo Copyright © Steven and Barbara Sande.
My next devotional examines Psalm 34:16 - The face of the Lord is against evildoers.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I am so grateful that You keep the righteous in view and listen to our pleas. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 09/02/2025 to review commentary for Psalm 34:15.