Open My Eyes That I May See
Introduction
Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
— Psalm 119:18
Next, I was doing my New Testament reading for the day, and this was one of the verses.
... And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
— Luke 24:45
I also have a daily verse on my Google homepage from Bible Gateway, and it was the verse of the day.
The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
— Psalm 25:14
The first thing that came to mind concerning these verses is the ultimate privilege of having access to His written Word and, more importantly, His Holy Spirit to teach and reveal the depths of its meaning to us.
... the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.
— John 14:26
The truth is hidden from us apart from the Holy Spirit's revealing work. Without His work in us, we cannot understand the truth, which is why I think His Word seems foolish to the rest of the world.
... the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
— 1 Corinthians 2:14
In John chapter 15, Jesus discusses the importance of abiding in Him with His disciples. He begins to reveal the secret to attaining this spiritual discernment.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
— John 15:14-15
Revelation comes from an abiding relationship with God. The evidence of this relationship is our submission and obedience to His will and His ways. When we keep His commands by loving God and loving people, we are in a position to "see."
After Jesus's death, His loyal followers walked along the road to Emmaus. They were talking with Jesus along the way without realizing it. When they realized who they had been talking to, they said the following.
"Did not our hearts burn within us while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
— Luke 24:32
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| Lydia of Thyatira by Harold Copping |
It is God Who Opens Eyes
Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.— Acts 16:14
I noticed in this verse that the Lord opens the heart of someone who is worshiping Him. Could this be a key to receiving revelation?
The second thing I notice in all these verses is that God has secrets.
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
— Amos 3:7
God's truth is like a hidden treasure.
... the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
— Matthew 13:44
Brad Scott of Wild Branch Ministries coined the term Agri-Bio-Linguistics. He teaches that God uses simple things such as agriculture, biology, and language to communicate His truths in ways we can comprehend. He uses natural things we understand to convey spiritual truths our natural minds don't always grasp. This method appears in many of the parables Jesus taught. It is also embedded in the language itself.
The Hebrew word for "open" used in Psalm 119 and 25 (above verses) is galah גלה. Gesenius' Lexicon defines this word as "to make naked," and it is used in connection with the ear by taking away the hair or the face by taking away the veil.
... when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
— 2 Corinthians 3:13
Another Word Study help tool on the Blue Letter Bible website defines galah גלה as "opening thoroughly." Strong adds: to reveal and expose, disclose, uncover, show, reveal, and lay bare.
He uncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light.
— Job 12:22
From these definitions, we see that "open" here refers to something hidden that needs to be opened and revealed.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
— Daniel 2:22
It is interesting to note how much of Christ's ministry centered around opening eyes and ears.
The Spring Exhibit
... the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”— John 4:14
John 7 reveals that this underground water source is the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit"
— John 7:38-39
The Holy Spirit, sent by Jesus, is the "Living Water" that came down from heaven, lives in us, opens our understanding, and teaches us everything.
... you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things.
— 1 John 2:27
"Being a Christian means we have an extra dimension to life. There is a hidden resource, an invisible reality, that the world neither has nor can see. This is not referring to Christ being "up in heaven," lost somewhere in space! Rather, this refers to what Paul has talked about earlier in this letter, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." This extra dimension is not far removed in the reaches of space; it is right within the heart, an untouchable, invisible dimension within us. This is the glory of the Christian life and the secret of its power, joy, and courage ... Set your hearts on this hidden resource."
The third thing I see is God willing to reveal His secrets.
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
— Deuteronomy 29:29
... there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets
— Daniel 2:28
"His love for us is a stream whose source is hidden in eternity"
— C. H. Spurgeon
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Gimel ג—Camel
I will give you the treasures of darknessAnd hidden riches of secret places ...— Isaiah 45:3
Gimel ג is also the third letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, representing the bearer of all blessings. The third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, is connected with this letter. This shows us that the first necessary element to understanding/ is the Holy Spirit's work.
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Lamed ל—Staff
He also opens their ear to instruction,And commands that they turn from iniquity.— Job 36:10
Our eyes are opened when we are instructed, taught, and corrected.
Hey ה—Window
Lastly, the letter hey ה can be pictured as a window, symbolizing revelation. Also, "hey" at the end of the word makes it feminine and alludes to what comes from it. So we could say Revelation is what comes from being instructed and learning about the hidden blessings and treasures God has for us.Eye has not seen, nor ear heardNor have entered into the heart of manThe things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.— 1 Corinthians 2:10
The Psalmist cries out.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
— Psalm 119:27
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.
— Psalm 143:8
It is comforting that Paul prayed many prayers for us concerning this.
... that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.
— Ephesians 1:17-19
He also prayed the following.
... may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge
— Ephesians 3:18-19
And he asked the following.
... that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
— Colossians 1:9-10
In conclusion, I am excited to know that God has secrets and hidden treasures He wishes to reveal to us. As this study shows, He will show them to those who worship, seek, and fear Him. What an incredible privilege it is that He would let us in on His secrets.
© 2011 Tamarajo
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