FIRST CITY CHURCH OF CHRIST
"...a church of Christ meeting in Vincennes, Indiana..."
"Bible Eyes"
Larry R. Ping II
Eyes appear in every corner of the Bible. They help to describe and define individuals. What sort of eyes do you have? Consider.
1) Pleasure-Seeking Eyes. Eve was in possession of just these sort (Gen. 3:6). The devil uses this avenue of temptation quite well (I Jn. 2:16). Others in God’s Word were led astray by pleasure-seeking eyes, such as Achan (Josh. 7:21) and David (II Sam. 11:2).
2) Consumed Eyes. A failure to listen to God and His law would result in “terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes” (Lev. 26:16). May we always heed the Savior’s command, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).
3) Law-Filled Eyes. Regarding His law, God said it should be as “frontlets between thine eyes” (Deut. 6:8). This is the equivalent of the Psalmist’s words in Psalm 1:2, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” This requires us to read God’s Word (Eph. 3:4), study God’s Word (II Tim. 2:15) and be as Jesus and “do and teach” (Acts 1:1).
4) Self-Righteous Eyes. Twice, in the book of Judges, it states “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Jdg. 17:6; Jdg. 21:25). This activity resulted in the sin cycle notated in Jdg. 2:16-19. The same cycle occurs today for the same reason, men doing that which is right in their own eyes, which leads to the “ways of death” (Prov. 14:12; Prov. 16:25).
5) Grace-Filled Eyes. Ruth wondered aloud to Boaz “Why have I found grace in thy eyes” (Ruth 2:10). Boaz had shown the young widow favor, and was thankful for it. Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8). We, too, are offered this saving grace (Eph. 2:5). All men have access to it (Tit. 2:11), but few have accessed it “by faith” (Rom. 5:2; Eph. 2:8). We certainly should extend grace to others, and are overwhelmingly thankful God has shed it upon us (Neh. 9:31).
6) Covenant-Making Eyes. Job uttered “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid” (Job. 31:1)? This man of faith and endurance made an agreement with his eyes not to look lustily upon women (Matt. 5:28). Sounds like a great pact, does it not?
7) Fastened-On-Jesus Eyes. In the synagogue, on the Sabbath, Jesus read from Isa. 61:1-2. Once finished, the Bible records “the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him” (Lk. 4:20). May our eyes be fixed firmly on the Lord, knowing He is “the Shepherd and Bishop” of our souls (I Pet. 2:25). What say ye?