Open Mine Eyes
Submitted by Frank Williams
October 17, 2024
Ps 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119. God’s Word is the theme. It tells of its importance and how it can affect one’s life. The theme is repeated throughout the Psalm.
Even single references to a principle is important and should be heeded. When it is referenced more than once, we realize that God is drawing our attention to the matter. When the principle is stated 176 times in one chapter alone, there is no question that God wants us to “Get it.”
In this Psalm, you will find different descriptions of God’s Words. The most common ones are—commandments, His ways, judgments, law, precepts, statutes, testimonies, and word. The primary lesson may very well be—Don’t ignore My Word! It is important to both your temporal and eternal life.
Something we don’t find in this Psalm is the idea of options and choices. There is no, “obey if you want to,” “these are just suggestions,” or “obey Me if you feel like it.” God’s Words are not subjective ideas left to the whims of our humanity. They are objective and unchangeable precepts by which all of mankind will be held accountable.
So, the gracious Lord wants us to understand that reading and obeying the Bible is a serious business. We discover His will and learn of His wonderful greatness, love, and promises—and much, much more..
We should not get hung up on just listening to others, or reading what others say about the Bible. But we need to read it for ourselves. Our faith needs to sink directly into what God says, not what someone else says that God says.
It was easy for God to initially inspire His Word through His prophets. And it was equally easy for Him to preserve His Word throughout many centuries. Critics do make it sound difficult, and if man had to accomplish it, it would be impossible.
But the God Who spoke and created time, space, and all matter—and Who breathed an eternal soul into a lump of clay—would find preserving His Word throughout the generations quite an easy task. He has ensured that it is preserved for our reading, and its principles are eternal and never old-fashioned.
What we need is for the Divine Author and Enlightner to open our eyes to its wondrous truths, as we read and meditate upon it.
Consider – The Bible was not given so much for our information, as for our transformation.