The people He chose as an inheritance for Himself.
The Lord looked attentively from heaven;
He saw all the sons of men.
From His prepared dwelling-place,
He looked upon all who dwell on the earth,
He who alone fashioned their hearts,
He who understands all their works.
A king is not saved by his large army,
And a giant shall not be saved by his immense strength;
A horse is a false hope for salvation,
And it shall not be saved by its enormous power.
Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their souls from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul shall wait for the Lord;
He is our helper and protector;
For our heart shall be glad in Him,
And we hope in His holy name.
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
As we hope in You. (Psalm 32:12–22 LXX)
Consider the lofty spectator; consider Him who is bending down regarding the affairs of mankind. Wherever you may go, whatever you may do, whether in the darkness or in the daytime, you have the eye of God watching. “From his habitation which he has prepared.” The gates are not being opened, the curtains are not being drawn together, the habitation of God is ready for viewing. He looks upon all the sons of men. No one escapes His sight; no darkness, no concealing walls, nothing is a hindrance to the eyes of God. He is so far from failing to look upon each individually, that He even looks into the hearts, which He Himself formed without any admixture of evil. God, the creator of men, made the heart simple according to His own saving image; but later we made it, by union with passions of the flesh, a complicated and manifold heart, destroying its likeness to God, its simplicity, and its integrity. Since He is the Maker of hearts, therefore, He understands all our works. But, we calf both words and thoughts and, in general, every movement of man, his works. With what feelings or for what purpose they are, whether to please men or to perform the duties of the commands given us by God, He alone knows, who understands all our works. Therefore, for every idle word we give an account. Even for a cup of cold water, we do not lose our reward, because the Lord understands all our works.
The humility of those who serve the Lord indicates how they hope in His mercy. He who does not trust in his own good deeds nor expects to be justified by his works has, as his only hope of salvation, the mercies of God. For, when he considers that the expression, “Behold the Lord and his reward,” refers to each according to his work, and when he ponders his own evil deeds, he fears the punishment and cowers beneath the threats. There is good hope which gazes steadfastly at the mercies and kindness of God lest it be swallowed up by grief. He hopes that his soul will be delivered from death and will be fed by Him in famine.…
And it seems to me that consistently with these words the Apostle said: “In all these things we overcome because of him who has loved us,” and “Not only this, but we exult in tribulations also.” For, the psalmist in saying; “Our soul waits for the Lord,” in order that he might show that it was not through force nor because he was oppressed by afflictions that he displayed patience, but that with all joy he accepts the ill-treatment for the name of the Lord, says, “Not only do we endure, but also ‘In him our heart shall rejoice, and in his holy name we have trusted.’” It is sufficient for us to be named Christians to escape all abuse from our adversaries. The name of God is said to be holy, not entirely because it has a certain sanctifying power in its syllables, but because the whole specific character of God and the thought contained in what is specially contemplated concerning Him is holy and pure.
Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms 15.8, 10
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