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Psalm 102:19
for he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven, the LORD saw the earth,
17He has responded to the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer.
18This will be written for the generation to come. A people which will be created will praise the LORD,
19for he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven, the LORD saw the earth,
20to hear the groans of the prisoner, to free those who are condemned to death,
21that men may declare the LORD’s name in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem,
Notice
The height of God's sanctuary can seem remote, yet the movement of this sentence is toward earth, where he sees people in distress.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
How does God's looking down from his sanctuary shape your sense of his attention?
Write on thisWhose suffering comes to mind as you read that YHWH saw the earth?
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Where else Scripture says this
10 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Deuteronomy 26:15Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the ground which you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land …Deuteronomy asks God to look down from his holy dwelling in heaven; the psalm declares that he has looked down.
Psalm 53:2God looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understood, who seek after God.Both describe God looking down from heaven, with Psalm 53 naming his search for people who understand and seek him.
Psalm 14:2The LORD looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God.Both describe the LORD looking down from heaven; Psalm 14 specifies his attention to whether people understand and seek God.
Psalm 33:13The LORD looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.Both passages describe the LORD looking from heaven and seeing the earth or the people who live upon it.
Hebrews 9:23–24It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better …The shared thread is heaven: Hebrews discusses the cleansing of heavenly things, while the psalm describes God looking down from his sanctuary.
Hebrews 8:1–2Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this: we have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the …Heaven is the shared setting: the psalm names God's sanctuary there, while Hebrews speaks of the Majesty's throne.
1 Kings 8:43hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you for; that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, to fear …Both name heaven as God's dwelling and describe his attention toward earth, through seeing in the psalm and hearing in Solomon's prayer.
Job 22:12“Isn’t God in the heights of heaven? See the height of the stars, how high they are!Both verses speak of God's height in heaven, though Psalm 102 also describes his attention to earth.
2 Chronicles 16:9For the LORD’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. You have …Both describe the LORD seeing the earth; Chronicles adds that his eyes seek those whose hearts are perfect toward him.
1 Kings 8:39then hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know (for you, even you only, …Both connect God's heavenly dwelling with his awareness of people on earth; Solomon's prayer also names his knowledge of their hearts.
Where this verse fits
Feeling distant from God. loneliness. injustice and anger.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
God's heavenly sanctuary does not keep earthly suffering out of his sight. The surrounding lines name the destitute and prisoners as people whose cries he hears.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).