◄ Proverbs 22:12 ►
The LORD's eyes keep watch over knowledge, but He frustrates the words of the faithless.
Study Bible
The eyes of the LORD
This phrase emphasizes the omniscience and omnipresence of God. In Hebrew, "eyes" (עֵינַיִם, 'eynayim) often symbolize perception and awareness. The LORD (יהוה, Yahweh) is depicted as having eyes that see all things, indicating His divine oversight and intimate knowledge of human affairs. This concept is rooted in the understanding that God is not distant or detached but actively involved in the world. Historically, this reflects the ancient Near Eastern belief in deities who were aware of human actions, but uniquely, the God of Israel is portrayed as morally righteous and just in His observations.

keep watch over knowledge
The Hebrew word for "keep watch" (נָצַר, natsar) conveys the idea of guarding or preserving. This suggests that God actively protects and maintains the integrity of true knowledge. "Knowledge" (דַּעַת, da'at) in this context refers to divine truth and wisdom, which are consistent themes throughout the book of Proverbs. Theologically, this implies that God values truth and ensures that it is preserved against corruption. In a historical context, this reflects the importance placed on wisdom and understanding in ancient Israelite society, where knowledge was seen as a divine gift to be cherished and safeguarded.

but He frustrates the words of the faithless
The word "frustrates" (הָפַךְ, haphak) in Hebrew means to overturn or subvert. This indicates that God actively works against the plans and declarations of those who are "faithless" (בָּגַד, bagad), meaning those who are treacherous or deceitful. The faithless are those who reject God's truth and rely on their own understanding or deceitful practices. This part of the verse underscores the moral order upheld by God, where deceit and falsehood are ultimately thwarted. Historically, this reflects the biblical narrative where God consistently opposes the proud and deceitful, ensuring that their plans do not succeed. This serves as a reminder of the divine justice that governs the world, encouraging believers to trust in God's wisdom and righteousness.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
In this verse, the LORD refers to Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, who is omniscient and sovereign. His "eyes" symbolize His all-seeing nature and His active involvement in the world.

2. The Faithless
This term refers to those who are deceitful, untrustworthy, or lacking in faith. In the Hebrew text, the word used can imply treachery or betrayal, indicating a moral and spiritual deficiency.

3. Knowledge
In the context of Proverbs, knowledge often refers to a deep understanding of God's will and the moral order He has established. It is not merely intellectual but is tied to wisdom and righteousness.
Teaching Points
God's Omniscience and Sovereignty
The LORD's eyes symbolize His complete knowledge and control over all things. Believers can find comfort in knowing that God is aware of every situation and is actively involved in the world.

The Value of True Knowledge
True knowledge is aligned with God's wisdom and understanding. It is not just intellectual but involves a moral and spiritual dimension that leads to righteous living.

The Futility of Faithlessness
The faithless may attempt to deceive or manipulate, but God ultimately frustrates their plans. This serves as a warning against living a life contrary to God's truth.

Living with Integrity
Believers are called to live with integrity and faithfulness, knowing that God sees and rewards those who seek His knowledge and live by His principles.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's omniscience affect your daily life and decision-making?

2. In what ways can you seek to grow in true knowledge that aligns with God's wisdom?

3. Reflect on a time when you witnessed or experienced the frustration of faithless plans. How did this reinforce your trust in God's sovereignty?

4. How can you ensure that your words and actions reflect faithfulness and integrity in your personal and professional life?

5. What other scriptures can you find that emphasize God's watchful care over His people, and how do they encourage you in your walk with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 15:3
This verse also speaks of the eyes of the LORD, emphasizing His omnipresence and His awareness of both good and evil. It reinforces the idea that nothing escapes God's notice.

Psalm 33:18
This passage highlights the LORD's watchful care over those who fear Him, contrasting with His opposition to the wicked, similar to the theme in Proverbs 22:12.

1 Corinthians 3:19-20
Paul speaks of God frustrating the wisdom of the world, which aligns with the idea of God thwarting the plans of the faithless.
Sermons
The Good NameE. Johnson Proverbs 22:1-16
Means to the Preservation of the Good NameE. Johnson Proverbs 22:6-12
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Acts, Faithless, Frustrates, Kept, Overthroweth, Overthrows, Overturned, Preserve, Transgressor, Treacherous, Unfaithful, Watch
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 22:12

     5149   eyes

Library
The Rich and the Poor
Chapel Royal, Whitehall, 1871. Proverbs xxii. 2. "The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all." I have been asked to preach here this afternoon on behalf of the Parochial Mission Women's Fund. I may best describe the object for which I plead, as an attempt to civilise and Christianise the women of the lower classes in the poorer districts of London and other great towns, by means of women of their own class--women, who have gone through the same struggles as they have, …
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

One Lion Two Lions no Lion at All
A sermon (No. 1670) delivered on Thursday Evening, June 8th, 1882, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets."--Proverbs 22:13. "The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets."--Proverbs 26:13. This slothful man seems to cherish that one dread of his about the lions, as if it were his favorite aversion and he felt it to be too much trouble to invent another excuse. …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Formation of Habits.
School Sermon. Proverbs xxii. 6. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." INTRODUCTION.--There is a district, high up in the Black Forest, where the ground is full of springs. It is a plain some nine hundred feet above the sea. Thousands upon thousands of little springs gush out of the soil; you seem to be on the rose of a vast watering-can. Now, from this great source flow a good many rivers, and they flow in very different, nay, opposite directions. …
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

The Christian Business World
Scripture references: Proverbs 22:29; Romans 12:11; Psalms 24:1; 50:10-12; Haggai 2:8; Psalm 49:6,10,16,17; 62:10; Matthew 13:22; Mark 10:23,24; Job 31:24-26; Proverbs 3:9; Matthew 25:14-30; 24:45-51; 6:19-21; Luke 12:16-21. THE IDEAL IN THE BUSINESS WORLD There is often a wide difference between the methods actually employed in doing business and when they should be. Good men who are in the thick of the battle of competition and rivalry with other firms in the same line of trade, are the quickest …
Henry T. Sell—Studies in the Life of the Christian

Philip and the Emperor
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.--Prov. xxii. 29. Kallias stayed a fortnight under the hospitable roof of Olympias, and during those days he had the pleasure of seeing how greatly his honest and genial simplicity brightened the thoughts both of his hostess and of his friend. The general outline of his own future seemed now to be approximately settled. Like Philip, he had acquired an incurable disgust for Constantinople, with …
Frederic William Farrar—Gathering Clouds: A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom

He Accuses Abaelard for Preferring his Own Opinions and Even Fancies to the Unanimous Consent of the Fathers, Especially Where He Declares that Christ did Not
He accuses Abaelard for preferring his own opinions and even fancies to the unanimous consent of the Fathers, especially where he declares that Christ did not become incarnate in order to save man from the power of the devil. 11. I find in a book of his sentences, and also in an exposition of his of the Epistle to the Romans, that this rash inquirer into the Divine Majesty attacks the mystery of our Redemption. He admits in the very beginning of his disputation that there has never been but one conclusion …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

The Baptismal Covenant Can be Kept Unbroken. Aim and Responsibility of Parents.
We have gone "to the Law and to the Testimony" to find out what the nature and benefits of Baptism are. We have gathered out of the Word all the principal passages bearing on this subject. We have grouped them together, and studied them side by side. We have noticed that their sense is uniform, clear, and strong. Unless we are willing to throw aside all sound principles of interpretation, we can extract from the words of inspiration only one meaning, and that is that the baptized child is, by virtue …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all These Things Shall be Added unto You. "
Matth. vi. 33.--"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." The perfection even of the most upright creature, speaks always some imperfection in comparison of God, who is most perfect. The heavens, the sun and moon, in respect of lower things here, how glorious do they appear, and without spot! But behold, they are not clean in God's sight! How far are the angels above us who dwell in clay! They appear to be a pure mass of light and …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

We Shall not be Curious in the Ranking of the Duties in which Christian Love...
We shall not be curious in the ranking of the duties in which Christian love should exercise itself. All the commandments of the second table are but branches of it: they might be reduced all to the works of righteousness and of mercy. But truly these are interwoven through other. Though mercy uses to be restricted to the showing of compassion upon men in misery, yet there is a righteousness in that mercy, and there is mercy in the most part of the acts of righteousness, as in not judging rashly, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Proverbs 22:12 NIV
Proverbs 22:12 NLT
Proverbs 22:12 ESV
Proverbs 22:12 NASB
Proverbs 22:12 KJV

Proverbs 22:12 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Proverbs 22:11
Top of Page
Top of Page