Eye: January 2023
Table of Contents
The Eye
The eye is the organ of our moral vision. What the eye sees expresses the state of the heart and conscience. The sinful heart sees with unsatisfied desire—“the eye is not satisfied.” It sees with eyes of “lust”; it sees with an “evil eye”; it sees with a distorted perspective (a mote in the eye). A heart of unbelief makes the eye blind, so that it cannot see. An idol in the heart makes the eye like that of a man who makes images which are “without understanding; which have eyes, and see not.” Pride makes a man look at himself; he is like Job, who was “righteous in his own eyes.” A pure heart gives a “single eye” which receives the light from God that illuminates the soul with truth and love. When God opened the eyes of Adam and Eve after they sinned, their moral eyes told their conscience that they were naked before the holy eyes of God, and they tried to cover themselves. Having a perfect heart of love, God, who is light, has perfect eyes. He sees everything and understands perfectly what He sees. How good are your eyes? This issue provides an eyesight checkup for each of us.
The Eye on Jesus or on the Waves
However high the waves may rise, there is no drowning Christ’s love and thoughts towards us. The test is to our faith. The question is, Have we that faith which so realizes Christ’s presence as to keep us as calm and composed in the rough sea as the smooth? It was not really a question of the rough or the smooth sea, when Peter was sinking in the water, for he would have sunk without Christ, just as much in the smooth as in the rough sea. The fact was, the eye was off Jesus on the wave, and that made him sink.
If we go on with Christ, we shall get into all kinds of difficulty and many a boisterous sea, but being one with Him, His safety is ours. The eye should be off events, although they be ever so solemn, and I feel them to be so, but I know all is as settled and secure as if the whole world were favorable.
I quite dread the way many dear saints are looking at events, and not looking at Christ and for Christ. The Lord Himself is the security of His people, and let the world go on as it may, no events can touch Christ. We are safe on the sea, if only we have the eye off the waves, with the heart concentrated on Christ and on the interests of Christ. Then the devil himself cannot touch us.
Young Christian, Vol. 31
The Light of the Body Is the Eye
Read Luke 11:33-36; Matthew 6:22-23
When a candle is lit, there it is, whether people can see it or not. A blind man does not perceive the light, though it may be shining very brightly. If a man likes to go in the dark, I should say he has some bad motive in his heart, or else his eyes are bad and cannot bear the light. But if my eyes are healthy, I joy in the light. So the Word is painful to one who does not have clear eyesight, who has not the single eye. When the soul is in health, there is full perception of the Word; the whole body is full of light, having no part dark.
This is a most solemn word to us all. A person, converted only yesterday, may be full of light, though he may, in many things, need the teaching of God. Still, it applies as much to the babe in Christ as to the grown man. If we are only faithful to the light, God will not suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear. But there is a teaching of God, when God Himself is in the soul; then everything is seen in God’s light.
If a man walks in the day, he does not stumble; if he is walking in the night, he has to think which turn to take, but if walking in the daylight, he may walk on without thought.
The Eye Receives the Light
“When thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light ... having no part dark.” When the candle is there, we see all around; the light shows itself, and by itself shows everything around.
The eye receives the light. The light never varies; it is the eye which varies. The eye is either single or evil. It is not said single or double, but single or evil. “If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” “If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.” “The light of the body is the eye.” If Christ be my object, my whole body will be full of light. If not, it will be all darkness, since it is either all Christ or it is all evil, however religious it may appear.
If I have only Christ as my object, all is simple, although I may have difficulties to overcome. If following Christ only, in a world that is entirely opposed to Him, it must inevitably lead to difficulties in the path; still the path will be plain and simple.
The light is set on a candlestick, “that they which come in may see the light.” Therefore one is forced into this question: Do you see it or not? Christ has set up the light in the world. He was in the world, and for the world, but does the world see the light? God has displayed Himself fully in Christ, and if Christ has displayed Himself to your soul, the effect of that will be to manifest your condition. Do you say, “Suffer me first to go and bury my father?” (Luke 9:59). If so, there comes out this secret, that you have something in your heart that is taking precedence there over Christ.
When I do not find my body full of light in any given circumstance, I know there is something not single in my eye — something that has not yet given way before the power of Christ. There is something not yet given up, or something perhaps that has come in. If I am keeping anything in my heart besides Christ, my conscience is bad, and my eye being evil, my whole body is full of darkness. People often say they cannot see: Of course they cannot, when they are trying to see with some other light. Moreover, that which they do see will quickly be given up, if they are not walking in the power of that which they now possess. How often have we seen saints who have had light and departed from it, having even that light taken from them. Such, indeed, may get an easier conscience perhaps, but then it is on a much lower level.
The Single Eye
The “single eye” relates to the state of our desires and affections. Even the common affairs of life may hinder the unqualified spirit of Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing His Word. But the admonition is, “Take heed that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” If our standard is not Christ, the light in us will become darkness. If we have taken for our measure something that is not Christ, and Christ alone, the manner of our judging will be wrong, and the light in us having become darkness, we shall be guided wrong and mistake our path.
But if the eye is full of Christ and we judge everything by that light, when we see anything that would not glorify Christ, we say, That will not do for us. The vessel may be small, but it must be wholly for Christ.
May we be walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and by the divine teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, contented to walk with Him, desiring no other path. Let us have our eye upon Him, and upon Him only, so that when other objects are put before us, we may be able to say, It will not do for me, for it is not Christ. Oh! may we be simple concerning evil, in a world of evil. May we be so occupied with Christ that there may be no room for it to come in, not making it our business to judge the evil, but remain simple concerning it. And may Christ be so the one object of my heart and affections that I may have no dark corner within. May the Holy Spirit make Him the center round which every thought and desire of my soul is entwined.
Girdle of Truth, Vol. 5 (adapted)
I Will Guide Thee With Mine Eye
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee” (Psa. 32:8-9).
We are often like the horse or the mule, every one of us — and this, because our souls have not been plowed up. When there is anything in which the will of man is at work, the Lord deals with us, as with the horse or the mule, holding us in. When every part of the heart is in contact with Himself, He guides us with His “eye.” “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light” (Luke 11:34-36). When there is anything wherein the eye is not single, so long as this is the case, there is not free fellowship in heart and affections with God; the consequence is, our will not being subdued, we are not led simply of God. When the heart is in a right state, the whole body is “full of light,” and there is the quick perception of the will of God. He just teaches us by His “eye” all He wishes and produces in us quickness of understanding in His fear (Isa. 11:3). This is our portion, as having the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, “quick understanding in the fear of Jehovah,” hearts without any object, save the will and glory of God. And that is just what Christ was: “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me. I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart” (Psa. 40:7-8; Heb. 10:7). Where there is this, it may be bitter and painful as to the circumstances of the path, but there is in it the joy of obedience as obedience. There is always joy, and the consequence — God guiding us by His eye.
God Guiding Us by His Eye
Before anything can be done, if we have not this certainty, before we enter upon any particular service, we should seek to get it, judging our own hearts as to what may be hindering. Suppose I set about doing a thing and meet with difficulties, I shall begin to be uncertain as to whether it is God’s mind or not, and hence, there will be feebleness and discouragement. But on the other hand, if acting in the intelligence of God’s mind in communion, I shall be “more than conqueror,” whatever may meet me by the way (Rom. 8:37). And note here: not only does the power of faith, in the path of faith, remove mountains, but the Lord deals morally and will not let me find out His way, unless there is in me the spirit of obedience. “If any man will do [wills to do] His will,” says our Lord, “he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself” (John 7:17). This is precisely the obedience of faith. The heart must be in the condition of obedience, as Christ’s was: “Lo, I come to do Thy will.” The Apostle speaks to the Colossians of being “filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9). Here it is quickness of understanding in the fear of the Lord, the condition of a man’s own soul, though his spirit of mind will be necessarily shown in outward acts, when that will is set before him. Paul goes on to say, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (vs. 10).
Here then is the blessed, joyful state of being guided by God’s eye. “I have meat to eat,” says our Lord to the disciples (John 4), “that ye know not of.” And what was that meat? “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.”
The “Bit and Bridle”
The Lord guides, or rather controls, us in another way by providential circumstances, so that we may not go wrong, even though we are those which have no understanding. And thankful we ought to be that He does so. But it is only as the horse or mule. Your will being subject to His, He says, “I will guide you with Mine eye” — but, if you are not subject, I must keep you in with “bit and bridle.” This is evidently a very different thing.
May our hearts be led to desire to know and to do God’s will. If we want to know it and do it, then we shall have the certain and blessed knowledge of being guided by His “eye.” When we fail to know His will, we can be thankful that He will step in to correct our ways.
Guidance With and Without Knowledge
There is a guidance with knowledge, and there is also guidance without knowledge. The former is our blessed privilege, but it may be the latter is needed to humble us. In Christ there was everything exactly according to God. In a certain sense He had no character. When I look at Him, what do I see? A constant never-failing life — manifestation of obedience. He goes up to Bethany just when He is to go up, regardless of the fears of the disciples; He abides two days still in the same place where He is, after He has heard that Lazarus is sick (John 11). He has nothing but to do all, to accomplish all, for the glory of God. One man is tender and soft; in another firmness and decision predominate. There is great diversity of character among men. You do not see that in Christ at all; there is no unevenness; every faculty in His humanity obeyed and was the instrument of the impulse the divine will gave to it.
Divine life has to be guided in a vessel that has constantly to be kept down. Thus even for the Apostle, the command not to go into Bithynia (Acts 16:7) was not guidance by the Spirit of the highest sort. It was blessed guidance, yet not the highest character of guidance an apostle knew. It was more like the government of the horse or the mule, not so much the intelligence of God’s mind in communion.
Filled With the Knowledge of His Will
A great range of the guidance of the Spirit is just what we get in Colossians 1:9-11 to those in communion with God. There we find the individual to be “filled with the knowledge of His will.” The Holy Spirit guides into the knowledge of the divine will, and there is no occasion even to pray about it. If I have spiritual understanding about a given thing, it may be the result of a great deal of previous prayer, and not necessarily of the things having been prayed about at the time. One has often had to pray about a thing, because not in communion. I may have my mind exercised about that today, honestly, truly, graciously exercised, which, five years hence, it might be, I should not have a doubt about. When God is using us, if we are free from ourselves, He may put it into our hearts to go here or to go there; then God is positively guiding us. But this assumes a person to be walking with God, and that diligently; it assumes death to self. If we are walking humbly, God will guide us. I may be in a certain place, and there have one say to me, Will you go to (naming some other place)? Now, if I have not the mind of God, as to my going or otherwise, I shall have to pray for guidance, but this, of course, assumes that I am not walking in the knowledge of God’s mind. I may have motives pulling me one way or the other, and clouding my spiritual judgment. When the disciples speak of the Jews having sought of late to stone Him and ask, “Goest Thou thither again?” the Lord says, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him” (John 11:9-10). This is just an application of the simple fact that, if walking in the night, I must be on the lookout for stones, lest I stumble over them. So Paul prays for the Philippians that their love might abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that they might approve things that are excellent [try things that differ]; that they might be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, without a single stumble all the way along.
Providence
Many speak of providence as a guide. Providence does sometimes control, but it never, properly speaking, guides us; it guides things. If I am going to a place to preach and I find, when I get to the terminus, that the train has started, God has ordered things about me (and I may have to be thankful for the over-ruling), but it is not God’s guiding me, for I should really have gone, had the train not left: My will was to go. All we get of this guidance of providence is very blessed, but it is not guidance by the Spirit of God, not guidance by the “eye,” but rather by the “bit” of God. Though providence overrules, it does not, properly speaking, guide.
J. N. Darby (adapted)
The Eye of the Soul
What is faith? Faith is the eye of the soul. The eye, simply by looking, appropriates that which is outside itself, taking in the fashion of the object before its vision. Through the lens, the appearance of that upon which the gaze is fixed enters the marvelous chamber of the eye, then is focused on that marvelous layer of tissue called the retina, and straightway, via the optic nerves, the form of that which is without is written in living shape and color upon the brain. Then that which is seen is conveyed to the understanding, and by appropriation becomes our own. This window of the eye simply allows the character of the objects outside entrance into the chamber of which it is the light.
The Word of God is that wherein the Son of God is presented to us. There we see Him. The eye does not create; it receives. Such is faith. It does not toil or labor; it receives. “Look unto Me,” says the Lord, and whosoever looks, lives; he has received Christ whom his faith has seen.
Faith occupies itself with that which is outside the believer, and by so doing Christ is formed in the believer’s heart. As we look on Him, He becomes our own. There is thus set up an answer within the heart to Him whom faith sees outside. What we gaze upon is, as it were, formed in our hearts; Christ is appropriated. Too many, who would really “see Jesus,” do not see Him, because their thoughts are turned inward, trying to find that which can only be discovered by looking outward. They close the eye of faith, and then use the mind to seek to discover that which can never be seen so long as the eye is blinded.
H. F. Witherby
A Right and a Wrong Use of the Eye
The first great point to establish in order to ascertain the error of anything is to obtain a perfect knowledge of what is true and right. That which is right must be singular, while the counterfeits may be endless in number and variety. A banker once said, on being asked how he knew a bad note, “I never consider whether a note is a bad one; I ascertain whether it is a good one.” If I know what is right, it is very easy and simple for me to reject that which does not answer to it. Many weary themselves to no profit in examining the suspicious to see whether the grounds for suspicion exist, whereas if they had simply adhered to that which they knew was right, they could have discerned and rejected the pretender at once, even though they might not have been able to tell the exact grounds on which they rejected it. I may add that when I have rejected any pretension as false, I may then, in order to convince others, examine the imperfections which prove that it is not genuine. However, the first occupation of my eye, whether in choice or in discernment, should not be with the imperfection or evil.
The Right Occupation for My Eye
How then ought the eye to be occupied? If I can decide the right occupation for my eye, I can easily perceive what is not the right occupation.
Here lies the cause of so much indecision and inconsistency. People have not defined to themselves what is right, and hence they make a trial of every offer on its own merits, instead of on the merits of a proven standard. Now the right occupation of the eye must be determined by reference to the power that has a right to control it. If the Lord has this right, then its occupation must be in accordance with His mind. The engagement or occupation of any organ is characterized by the power which controls it. If the Lord controls my eye, it is occupied and engaged with what is interesting to Him. If my eye is controlled by my own will, it will be characterized by my carnal tastes and likings, and it is a very active agent in furnishing the natural mind with provision for its enmity against God. Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was pleasant to the eye, and this promoted in her heart an inclination to act in independence of God. It is wonderful how the verdict of the eye affects us about everything, and how much that judgment is the fruit of our own state of soul.
The Lust of the Eye
Two persons may see the same thing with totally different impressions, but the impression imparted to each is in relation to his own peculiar state and condition before his eye thus acted. One admires, while another turns away pained from beholding the very same scene. The body is the Lord’s, and the eye is the Lord’s. Either the Spirit of God is using my eye to embrace and survey all that is important for me to see in my course, or the natural mind is using it to furnish materials for its own support, and therefore the “lust of the eye” is classed with the “lust of the flesh,” though no man ever thinks that they could be placed together as morally equal. Both link us to the world which is not of the Father. The “lust of the eye” is even the more dangerous of the two, because it is less feared, although Scripture abounds with warnings touching the dangers for the eye. Remember the eye sends back a message to the soul corresponding to the power which used it. If the Lord uses it, then an impression furnishing materials for His will is conveyed to the soul; if my own mind has used it, the impression will, on the contrary, furnish materials for its own promotion. To a Christian, this is a double loss, for not only does it deprive him of what he might have gained for the Lord, but it acquires for him that which hinders and shuts out his sense of the Father’s love. How little do our souls ponder these things and take them to heart!
Christian Truth, Vol. 27
The Lust of the Eye
The expression “the lust of the eyes” is mentioned only once in the Word of God, in 1 John 2:16, but examples of that kind of lust abound in the Bible. Our first mother, Eve, was tempted by Satan in the Garden of Eden in this way, for she saw that the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was “pleasant to the eyes,” and combined with other lusts, it was enough to cause her to disobey the one command the Lord had given her and her husband.
Later, we find that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, “lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere ... even as the garden of the Lord” (Gen. 13:10). His eyes took him toward the wicked city of Sodom, with disastrous consequences to him and his family.
Later still, we find that Potiphar’s wife “cast her eyes upon Joseph” in an immoral way, and because he refused her advances, she falsely accused him and he was put in prison (Gen. 39:7-20). We do not need to multiply incidents, but it was David’s lust of the eyes that caused him to look upon a beautiful woman and to lust after her, even though she was another man’s wife (2 Sam. 11:1-5). Many other examples could be given, where the eye was the means of exciting lust in an individual’s mind.
Perfectly Obedient
However, there was One who was tempted in this way, and yet did not yield to it. Before He went forward to begin His earthly ministry, it was necessary to prove who He was. There could be no doubt as to the perfection of His nature and His absolute inability to commit sin, but a test was needed to bring this out clearly. Thus it was that the Spirit of God led Him into the wilderness, where He was tempted under the worst possible conditions. He was all alone in the wilderness, and for 40 days had nothing to eat. (In contrast, the temptation of Adam and Eve took place in the best of conditions — they were together, they had plenty to eat, and they were surrounded by the beauties of the Garden of Eden.)
However, our blessed Lord and Master walked in a path of dependence on His Father for everything, and He would not leave that path. Also, He did not simply tell Satan to go away, although as God, He had the power to do so. But our Lord quoted the Word of God to the devil, and it was enough to defeat him. Unlike every other man and woman in human history, there was nothing in our Lord to respond to Satan’s temptations, and Satan was compelled to withdraw. In this way the Lord Jesus was a good example for us, for as long as we live and move in the path of obedience, according to the Word of God, Satan has no power over us.
The Last Temptation
It is interesting to note that in the actual order of our Lord’s temptations, as given in Matthew 4, the lust of the eye is given last. Satan’s final ploy was to present Him with all the kingdoms of this world, telling Him that they could be His, if He would fall down and worship him. However, both in Luke 4, and in 1 John 2:16, the temptations are given in a moral order, with the lust of the eyes mentioned second. The lust of the flesh comes first, for even a blind person has the lust of the flesh. But then the lust of the eye tends to be next for us who can see, for what our eyes take in often forms our thoughts and governs our actions. Finally, the pride of life comes in, where He is invited to cast Himself down from pinnacle of the temple, counting on God to keep Him from harm.
The Lust of the Eye
The lust of the eye is, and has always been, a serious problem for sinful man. Satan knows this all too well and knows how to present the things of this world in an extremely good light. It is often the eye that is first attracted to something in this world, even if the object also embodies the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. It may be something quite small, but if that is not enough, Satan knows well how to “up the ante” to something even more beautiful.
It is important to recognize that in all this, it is the “lust” of the eye that is a problem. The eye itself is not evil, for God has given us eyes that can see the beauty of His creation, including the beauty in another human being. Where I live, many of the deciduous trees turn beautiful colors in the fall, and people will often travel long distances in order to see trees in full color in early October. But when man sinned, all of his faculties were able to be used in the wrong way, and our eyes are particularly singled out in this respect.
The Antidote
What then is the antidote to the lust of the eyes? As we have seen, the answer is always to be found in the path of obedience to God’s Word. When we are tempted by this lust, the thought is brought into our minds that yielding to the lust will make us happier than continuing to walk in obedience to God’s Word. It is a hard lesson to learn that “the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63), and for some of us, it seems to take a lifetime to learn it.
The great thing is to realize that God has given us something better. All the lusts spoken of in 1 John 2:16 are “of the world” and “not of the Father.” Which do we want — the things of the world, or happy communion with God our Father? The word “lust” implies an intense desire for something, even if we already have enough of it. Thus we read that “when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin” (James 1:15). A desire for something may not be wrong in itself, unless it is for something sinful, but a strong desire for something may lead us to excess, almost to addiction, and that is where sin comes in.
May the Lord keep us on guard in these last days, when Satan is ever more active. As we have already mentioned, it is often by an appeal to our sight that Satan first engages our attention, and then sin and its consequences follow. An attitude of dependence and obedience to God’s Word will keep us.
W. J. Prost
Because I Am Not the Eye
The title of this article is taken from 1 Corinthians 12:16, where the Apostle Paul is discussing spiritual gifts — their use and abuse. He points out that each one in the body of Christ has been given a particular gift and has a specific function. If each one fulfills his or her proper role, the body of Christ, like the human body, performs well. However, each one of us must be content with the role the Lord has assigned to us and be willing to do it for His glory. As we see in this chapter, this does not always happen.
The discussion highlights the two common problems in the human heart, concerning our spiritual gifts. While they might seem to be opposite to one another, yet both of the problems have the same root — pride.
Low Self-Esteem
In the first case, we read, “If the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?” (1 Cor. 12:16-17). The eye is a very important part of our body, and to lose our sight would be a major blow to any of us. To lose a limb is hard, but today much can be done with prosthetics to make up for the loss. To lose our eyes, however, is to lose that which cannot be replaced, and it handicaps us severely in our everyday life. In his discussion, Paul personifies parts of the body in order to illustrate the possible reactions of the members of the body of Christ. In this first case, in the reaction of the ear to the eye, we see the classical example of low self-esteem. Those who suffer from low self-esteem are often depressed and upset because their self-image is not what they think it should be. The root of all this is pride, for those who suffer from low self-esteem really have high self-esteem; it is just that the reality does not match their ideals. In our chapter, the ear thinks it would be better to be the eye, and since it is not the eye, it pretends that it is not of the body. This is comparable to those who are not gifted in the way that others are, and then they refuse to function in the body. But the ear is very much needed in the body, and some might well feel that they would rather lose their eyesight than their hearing. In the final essence, God has a right to place us in the body “as it hath pleased Him” (vs. 18), and we should be content to fill that place for His glory.
High Self-Esteem
However, later in the chapter we find an example of high self-esteem. “The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee” (vs. 21). Here pride is still the root of the problem, but in the opposite direction. The eye, being a most important part of the body, dares to say to the hand, I do not need you. In a certain sense this is true, for the eye can function independently of the hand. But let a small speck of something get into the eye, and the hand is needed to take it out. Should the refractive ability of the lens in the eye deteriorate, the hand is needed to put on and take off the glasses or contact lenses. Also, the hand can do that which the eye cannot do. The eye may see beautiful fruit on a tree, but only the hand can pick that fruit and place it in the mouth. Every member of the body is necessary.
The result of both of these wrong attitudes has caused incalculable harm in the body of Christ. Those who suffer from low self-esteem have tended, like the ear in verse 16, to withdraw from doing what they are gifted to do, and the loss has been felt by all. Or, they have been tempted to try and do that for which they are not gifted. Again, this causes only trouble and does not edify. Because some have failed to exercise their gift, others who were not particularly gifted in that way have had to take over and do what they could, but they cannot replace the loss created by the absence of those whom God has fitted for the job.
Tempered Together
In the same way, a superior attitude of high self-esteem, as displayed by the eye in verse 21, has discouraged many, and made some feel as if they were useless and not needed. Some who are particularly gifted may look down upon others who are not so gifted, and belittle them. While it is good to recognize gift and to use it, it is most important to recognize, as we get later in the chapter, that “much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary” (vs. 22). God “hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked” (vs. 24).
It is interesting to notice that in discussing these things in this chapter, the Spirit of God uses the example of the eye in both cases before us — as an object of envy by the ear, and as an example of a superior attitude toward the hand.
W. J. Prost
The Intricate Eye
“He that formed the eye, shall He not see?” (Psa. 94:9). “Thou God seest me” (Gen. 16:13).
The eye is a most amazing organ — far more efficient than any camera. The lens of the eye, surrounded by fluids, automatically keeps the eye in focus. It allows us immediately to see a distant object clearly when turning our glance from a book we are reading. It is the cornea, a clear, oval window in front of the eye, that bends light rays and sends them onto the lens.
The pupil is the channel through which these light rays travel. In bright light it appears small because it contracts, but it opens wider as the light dims. It is wide open in the dark and can increase its sensitivity to light some 10,000 times. In fact, human eyes exposed to darkness for a while can see almost as well as an owl.
When the lens has focused the image, it is then passed on to the retina — the inside coating of the eyeball. The remarkable retina is only as thick as a piece of paper, but has ten layers (like an onion). It contains about 150 million rod and cone cells. Most of these are rod cells, which help us see in dim light and separate shades of black and white. The cone cells help us see color and bright light. The retina has many blood vessels, but the cornea and lens have none because they must be crystal clear at all times.
The white of the eye nourishes the cornea and so has many blood vessels. It produces tears and another fluid which helps keep the eyes moist by flushing salt water over them. This is done when we blink, which we do about 30,000 times a day. Besides keeping the eyes moist, blinking helps remove foreign particles that might damage this sensitive organ.
Everything about the eye is automatic. Did you ever stop to think how wonderful it is that we can see stars trillions of miles away, and yet with no thought we can focus on a tiny object just a few inches away? When watching an exciting activity, the eye will send millions of electrical impulses instantly to the brain, which immediately takes over to put the information to use. The picture received by the eye is always upside down, but the brain turns it right side up.
It is difficult to understand how some can say that the eye developed by itself, through a process of evolution. The eye is actually one of the divine Creator’s great masterpieces. It is important to remember that our eyes are not just for this life, but we will see in eternity as well. Job declares, “I know that my Redeemer liveth .. .whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold” (Job 19:25-27). The Lord said, “Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory” (John 17:24).
These delightful promises will be enjoyed by those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. But the eyes of those who reject Him will see Him only as their Judge, rather than as their Redeemer, and they will face eternal punishment.
Sidney Gill
Picture of a Life
Your life — how are you painting it? For the light of time or eternity, for God’s eye or man’s, for heaven or for earth? Some time ago, I stood before a masterpiece of Landseer’s (an English painter of the 19th century), representing a shaggy mountain pony lying on the grass. I examined it closely, and it appeared nothing but a mass of the roughest daubs and washes. On retiring about twenty feet away, the daubs and washes all disappeared, and the effect was perfect; the rough hair actually seemed to stand out from the pony’s back, so lifelike was the picture. It is therefore most important to look at a painting from the right distance.
If I order a work from an artist, he must know whether it is a fine cabinet picture that will bear the closest scrutiny, or a large painting for a gallery that is wanted. In the one case he will paint in every detail most carefully and minutely; in the other he will lay on his colors boldly and broadly, for effect from a distance.
The Canvas of Our Lives
Now for the application. We are each filling in the canvas of our lives, and as soon as the picture is completed it will be passed in review before the judgment seat of Christ before it is hung in the courts above. By the light of that throne it will be examined closely, stroke by stroke; nothing will escape. Many a Christian’s life makes a very satisfactory picture before his fellow men, that will look, alas, sadly different on that great day before the throne.
Paul felt all this, and painted his picture for God, not for man. “We are made manifest unto God,” “but with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you ... but He that judgeth me is the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:11; 1 Cor. 4:3-4). Such words as these tell us of the light in which the artist worked, and the eye for which he painted.
The Light of His Presence
A man must paint his picture in the light in which it is to be shown. If it is to be viewed by day, it must be painted by day; if by artificial light, it must be painted by night. If our life picture is to be viewed by God, it must be painted in the light of His presence. Do we not all work too much in the light of man’s day, for present praise from one another?
If we live for man’s approval, we shall probably get it, and the applause and esteem we covet will be ours. However, remember those solemn words, thrice repeated by the Lord when speaking of the Pharisees of old — “Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” The sentence pronounced upon all who thus seek the praise of men is, “Ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 6:1-2, 5, 16).
We must all face the question. We must paint our picture for time or eternity; which then will we work for? Let us seek, as we cover the daily portion of our life’s canvas, to lay on every stroke in the light of the coming judgment seat. Better still, let God guide the brush, and move and direct it as He will, for only if He works in us “to will and to do of His good pleasure,” will our life meet His approval.
The Eye of God
Nothing but the work of God will suit the eye of God. Even in natural things, man’s most perfect work is full of flaws. None that have ever seen under the microscope the finest fabric that can be produced, compared with such an object as a butterfly’s wing (where the very grains of dust are seen to be rows of the most beautiful miniature feathers, each one hanging from a crystal peg), can ever forget the difference between the works of man and of God. Let one thing be understood: we may paint our picture to suit man’s present night or God’s eternal day, but we cannot paint for both.
The Size of our Canvas
One solemn thought remains; we do not know the size of our canvas. Yours may be nearly covered, and you do not know it. Let us seek then from this day to live and walk and work for the eye of God alone, that there may be at least some strokes that will stand the light of the judgment seat of Christ. The truly spiritual eye will discern your object, and approve of it; and your eternal reward will be sure.
What a time of surprise that day will be! A man’s name may be on the lips of thousands as he paints his life picture for popularity. Discovering his mistake in time (it may be), perhaps he finished his life for the eye of God. What a picture that will be in heaven! One half all daubs and colors that will not stand the light, and the other (unheard of by man) radiant with the beauty of Christ that will all be shown out there. May we all wake up to live for God and for eternity in His fear and for His praise alone.
Christian Truth, Vol. 20
Surveillance
The pictures were all too clear! The little girl was struggling to escape from the grip on her arm, as the determined man dragged her away. The video camera rolled on unnoticed until the “missing child alert” went out. Then the search for clues to her disappearance quickly turned up the little camera, and the tape was viewed — viewed and broadcast widely on TV.
The phones at the police station began to ring: “I know that man!” “That’s the fellow who works at the station!” “It can’t be my neighbor. He seems such a nice man!”
But it was the seemingly “nice” neighbor; the callers all recognized him — his face, his clothes, even his tattoos, and the court-appointed defense lawyer had an impossible task. There was no arguing with the camera. Sadly, only the body of the child was found.
Another unnoticed camera was rolling one night in a little store. The night clerk was alone behind the counter when a young man came in looking for money or drugs. The clerk refused him. The intruder leaped over the counter, gun in hand, and fired one shot — one fatal shot. There were no witnesses — at least, no living witnesses — but the videotape that was running showed the whole sequence of events clearly. Another impossible task for a defense lawyer!
Surveillance Everywhere
Even the small details of everyday life do not escape that continual surveillance. Certainly an unmanned tollbooth on the highway has tempted many a driver to pass by the booth without paying, only to be surprised a few days later to receive a notice that his license plate was photographed at such a place and such a time, and the fine is _____!
These are not isolated incidents. We little realize how often our actions are “caught on camera”—how many little cameras are rolling all over the world. Technology has made possible a huge network of surveillance, although it is very, very limited. It cannot compare with the all-seeing eye of God.
God Is Omniscient
Now that is something to think of with wonder and awe. We know that God is omniscient: Do we know what that means? He knows all. All? Yes, truly all. Even the “thoughts and intents” of your most secret heart. “Intents”? Acts not even committed, only thought about? If God can do that, what sin can be committed without His knowledge? Not one!
The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, said, “Nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known” (Luke 8:17). If even our worst, most sinful thoughts are known to God, what chance have we of entering into His holy heaven where nothing corrupt or defiling can enter? None at all, in our own efforts, our own worthiness, our own goodness.
Forgiveness
But God, “who is rich in mercy,” has made a way. He gave His Son, His only beloved Son, to die for our sins. Isn’t that just overwhelming? God’s Word, the Bible, says it so plainly: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). More than that, we are promised that “whosoever believeth in Him [Jesus] shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).
“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Rom. 4:7). Sins covered and forgiven! And it is God who covers them, that same all-seeing, all-knowing God who says “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
Have you admitted to God that you are a sinner and received that wonderful forgiveness? There is no entry into heaven without it!
Echoes of Grace, 2006
The Night Revelation
The story of the night revelation to the child Samuel has always appealed touchingly to devout readers of Holy Scripture (1 Sam. 3). There are lessons in it of deepest importance to us all. When the disciples asked the Lord, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And He called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:1-4). He said more than this. Following up the thought, He showed that the spirit of the little child is always delightful to God. Perhaps if we were simpler in our attitude, more unquestioning in our faith, and more ready to obey, we should learn the mind of God more rapidly than we do.
In this chapter, Eli presents a solemn contrast to the child Samuel. It is not without significance that it is stated, “His eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see” (vs. 3). The physical infirmity was only too sadly a picture of his spiritual condition. We read in 2 Peter 1 of the man who is not “adding” to (or in) his faith, that he is “blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” Oh, the terribleness of it! There is no standing still in spiritual things; one is continually either going forward or going backward. Let both reader and writer beware.
It is also suggestive that the lamp of God was going out in the sanctuary. Aaron and his sons were to “order it from evening to morning before the Lord” (Ex. 27:21). Why the failure in Eli’s day? The lamp is the symbol of testimony, and Israel’s testimony to the nations was at a low ebb at that time through the sinful condition of the people and the corruption and weakness of their leaders. Very soon after this a dying saint exclaimed, “The glory is departed from Israel” (1 Sam. 4:21), and she was right. Nothing is a testimony for God unless it be pure and holy. This is true both of assemblies and of individuals.
W. W. Fereday
Three Objects for the Eye of Faith
There are three great objects on which the eye of faith rests:
1. The cross, and the garden with its new sepulcher, hewn out of the rock, wherein the blessed One was laid, and out of which He was raised and glorified.
2. The Father’s throne in the heavens, on which He who bore my sins is now seated — soon to be on His own throne.
3. The blessed witness of the Holy Spirit, the record, the testimony of the living God, which endures forever.
W. T. Turpin
The Searching Eye
The searching eye of God not only reads the heart and lays everything bare in the light, but the searching eye of God also looks on the believer with all the affection with which He looks on Christ.
G. V. Wigram
Our Only Safe Guide
More and more it becomes clear to me that “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye” (Psa. 32:8) is the only proper and safe guide for us. It is better to err while seeking to walk with God than to go upon a level highway without individual faith in exercise. I am to walk with God and to spend and be spent for others down here. This is not pride; pride will soon wither and die down if I walk in the spirit of dependence and obedience to God. And further, we have to profit from every help God gives us, but also to try all things and prove what is of God, and to take forth the precious from among the vile, that we may be used as His mouthpiece.
G. V. Wigram
That Beautiful Eye!
That beautiful eye! that beautiful eye!
It beams on me brightly from out the far sky;
Once closed for my sins, in the death on the tree,
It has opened forever, and opened on me.
It saw me in ruin, and wand’ring astray,
The captive of Satan, where he led the way:
The paths of the wicked were trodden with glee;
Ah! little I knew that His eye was on me.
It tracked me with mercy, no vengeance shone there;
It beamed with a love that in pity could spare;
‘Twas pity indeed, for I cannot tell why
Such love should shine forth from that beautiful eye.
But a veil on my heart, and blinded my eye,
I cast not a glance toward the far sky;
Till God, who commanded mid darkness to shine
The light to illumine such dark hearts as mine,
First drew me to Jesus (I, trembling with dread),
His gentle hand raised up my sin-stricken head,
To look on the Savior, who died on the tree,
And feel the dear gaze of His eye upon me.
That beautiful eye! that beautiful eye!
Beneath its full beams forever I’d lie;
Though darkness may cover and gloom may surround,
That eye shall still follow to whither I’m bound.
When loudly shall sound the trumpet of God,
That summons the saints from beneath the dark sod,
And calls up the living to meet in the air,
The Savior who loved them, His glory to share,
No more through a glass, but then face to face,
I shall look on Himself! I shall tell of His grace;
Forever I’ll dwell in His home in the sky,
And live in the light of that beautiful eye!
Written by a dying sister, anticipating the glory