The Danger of Invisibility

“On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, leader of the children of Naphtali, presented an offering.”
- Numbers 7:78

In The Republic, Plato tells the story of Gyges. He was a Lydian shepherd who finds a ring that makes him invisible. Using the ring, he sneaks into the palace, sleeps with the queen, kills the king and seizes the throne. The legend is used to argue that no man is so virtuous that if invisible and uncatchable could resist seizing power and pleasure.

JRR Tolkien argues the same in The Lord of the Rings through the illustration of Bilbo foolishly slipping the Ring of Power on his finger to disappear as a party trick. Along with invisibility, the ring also rots his moral fiber and opens the door to darkness.

The reality is all of us, at some point in our life, have felt invisible. It is a dangerous place to be. The longer we feel invisible, the more darkness and depression invade our life.

During these times, we are often drawn to verses in the Bible that remind us that we are not invisible to God. Like Hebrews 4:13, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight,…”. Few, if any, are drawn to Numbers chapter 7.

Numbers 7 can seem daunting at first glance. For one, it has 89 verses. All of them are dedicated to detailing the offering from the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel for the dedication offering for the alter. Each tribal leader is mentioned by name, father’s name, tribe name, and then a detailed account of what they brought for 6 verses. The thing is besides the name of the leader, their father’s name and tribe name, all of them are the exact same thing. Twelve times.

Many of us today struggle with these verses. We wonder, “Why couldn’t you just list the name of the leaders from the tribes, then detail the gift and say all 12 tribes presented the same and move on?” The reason is because we are not invisible to God.

Every single gift mattered, every leader, every tribe and all were seen and recorded. It was an account of visibility. It showed that no tribe was above any other. No one could impress God with a greater gift or disappoint with a lesser. It showed they all mattered equally to God and it stood as a testimony that He saw every single one of them. They were seen. None were invisible.

As I read through the long passages of genealogy and numbers in the Old Testament books, I am reminded that every person matters to God. Jesus says, “‘Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?’ And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7).

We’ve all heard that and attribute it to God’s omniscience. But it is in the expansive lists of people, and gifts and acts detailed in the Bible we find it is not just a theological statement. Individual people matter to God. You matter. He sees you! Your worth exceeds anything you could dream or imagine.

If we could even catch a glimpse of how precious we are to God, we would sing with David, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:14)

While some passages in the Bible seem monotonous and are a struggle to get through, remember, those people matter to God. They were recorded as a testimony to us that God sees us and we also matter. We are precious in His sight. And He has written of us; listing us in a book just like those listed in the Bible.

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.” (Psalm 139:16-18)

Feeling invisible is a dangerous state for any child of God. It opens the door to darkness and depression because it is living in denial of the truth: you are seen. God sees you! You matter to Him! You are precious in His sight! And your name is written in the Book of Life! (Revelation 3:5)

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.