Opened Eyes

by J. P. A. TAYLOR | Category: Opened Eyes | May 1943

Although, as the Lord Jesus Himself said, the devil "was a murderer from the beginning and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him," there can be no question that he told the truth in some measure in his early attack upon Eve, when he said,-" God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil." Thus Genesis 3.7 informs us that, having eaten, "the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked." It could not have been otherwise, for the tree of which they had partaken was "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." But alas! at what an enormous price had this knowledge been acquired! When the devil speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own, and is he not most to be feared when, as in Eve's case, he combines the truth of God with his own lie? God's truth declared, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Satan's lie stated, "Ye shall not surely die." Their eyes were opened sure enough, but God's command had been disobeyed; fellowship with Him had been forfeited; their sin had brought death!

In contrast to this sad scene, which had such lamentable, far-reaching consequences, think of the prayer of the writer of Psalm 119. as expressed in verse 18,-" Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law." Here is something we all may earnestly desire; something which, instead of bringing death and entailing the forfeiture of fellowship with God, will rather conduce to a fuller measure of that fellowship, and will . increase the enjoyment of that more abundant life which the Lord Jesus came to secure for His sheep (John 10.10).

When Abraham sent Hagar away with young Ishmael, he had given her a bottle of water. That water was soon used up and, in the wilderness of Beer-sheba, she feared her boy would die of thirst. So she cast him down under one of the shrubs and "went and sat down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not look upon the death of the child " (Genesis 21.14-16). Had she quite forgotten her former experience at Beer-lahai-roi ? (Genesis 16.11-13). Then it was that the angel of the LORD announced by what name her son was to be called, and told her that" he shall be as a wild-ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him, for he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." All this ensured a future for Ishmael as a man, and necessitated that he should not die as a lad. So an active remembrance of these predictions, combined with confidence in the One who had heard her former affliction, of which the very name Ishmael was a reminder, would have saved her needless fears. It is recorded of her that, having sat over against him, "she lift up her voice and wept." Does it not seem significant that twice we are told that it was "the voice of the lad" God heard? The angel of God called to her out of heaven, saying, "What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation." Then "God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink": (Genesis 21.19). God's resources are never at a loss for the fulfilment of His purposes, but our eyes may be blinded by the fears of unbelief so that we cannot see them, nor in consequence avail

ourselves of them, until in mercy and grace He opens our eyes. Rightly has it been written, "Looking off unto Jesus, my eyes cannot see The troubles and dangers that throng around me; They cannot be blinded with sorrowful tears, They cannot be shadowed with unbelief fears."

The history of Balaam, the son of Beor, provides some interesting references to the opening of his eyes. It is not only sorrow or unbelief that may blind the eyes; covetousness may do it; and so blinded was Balaam by it that his "madness" was not stayed until he had smitten his ass thrice, when she had endeavoured to save him from falling a victim to the sword of the angel 0f the LORD, and the LORD had opened the mouth of the ass to rebuke him ".for his own transgression." In his blind anger he would have slain her, but "the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand" (Numbers 22.31). He was told that unless the ass had turned aside when she saw the angel he would have been slain, and the ass saved alive.

Notwithstanding the clear statement made to him that his way was perverse, so much so that the angel had come forth as an adversary against him, the lust for riches so filled his heart that, though he did. confess that he had sinned, yet he did not say "As my way is perverse before thee and displeases thee, therefore will I return home," but said, "I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, IF IT DISPLEASE THEE I will get me back again." Permission was given him to go forward, but the stipulation was made that only the word God put into his mouth was to be spoken. It was in his heart to curse Israel for the sake of the reward Balak had promised, but, as Moses later told the children of Israel, "God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing " (Deuteron6mY 23.5).

J. P. A. TAYLOR | May 1943
Opened Eyes