Psalm 119: 17-24. OPEN MY EYES TO SEE WONDERFUL THINGS
OPEN MY EYES TO SEE WONDERFUL THINGS
Psalm 119:17-24 (Gimel) Kevin E. Jesmer
Key Verse: 119:18 6-7-21
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (ESV)
Part 1: God Blesses So We Can Obey Him and See His Grace (17-18)
Verses 17-18 read, “Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word. 18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”
I was thinking about the words, “Be good to your servant while I live”. The author goes on to say, “So that I may obey your word” and then, “that I may see wonderful things in your law”. Some people think that God being good to them, means that he works for their earthly material happiness. They hope God will provide them with joy, meaning, money, good health and so on. Proponents of a health and wealth Gospel may think this way. God does provide for his people according to his will. Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” I can testify that this verse is true. When we seek his face and seek having, knowing and serving Jesus as the top priority in our lives, he provides what we need. Not what we want, but what we need. He gives what we need to grow in faith and the knowledge of God.
Sometimes he gives in abundance, sometime he doesn’t. We must be content and thankful while living in plenty or in want. Paul talks about this in Phil 4:11, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” My experience with Jesus is that he blesses in abundance. We do serve a very gracious God. But I am also ready to accept seasons of being in extreme want, if that is what it takes to bring glory to God through my life.
God is more interested in providing for our spiritual needs. According to this passage God wants to strengthen us so that wee may obey his word. He also wants to reveal to us wonderful things according to his word. Please note, these have nothing to do with money or being healed from our sickness and pain. Sustaining our physical bodies as long as possible in this world is not the point of God’s salvation. John 17:3 reads, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” It is all about knowing God through Jesus Christ. It is all about spending eternity with Jesus Christ. It is all about being prepared through faith in Christ to make the transition from this temporary world to the next, which is accomplished by God’s grace alone.
When we ask him, God opens our spiritual eyes to see the wisdom and truth of his word–if we ask with a sincere desire to obey him. He opens our eyes to see his grace at work in and through us. We are so often blinded to see wonderful things in the word of God. We become filled with a spirit of complaining. But in Christ we can see wonderful things in the Word of God. That is why I am eager to write on Psalm 119. There are so many inspiring statutes to meditate on. This brings me great joy.
Part 2: God, Through His Word, Delights and Counsels Us (19-24)
Verses 19-24, “19 I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. 20 My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. 21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed, those who stray from your commands. 22 Remove from me their scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes. 23 Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. 24 Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.”
If we sit and think about it, we are really strangers on earth. God made us into his holy people, set apart for him and his glory. There is a barrier between us and the people of the world. God made it this way so that his people are protected from backsliding into this world. No matter how hard we try to fit in, those who are born of God’s Spirit cannot find a comfortable place among the unbelieving. It is God’s grace.
Living as strangers here is never easy. Sometimes God’s people look foolish and are objects of the scorn and contempt of worldly people. But when we thirst for God’s word and delight in it, slander and scorn cannot harm us. God himself–through his word–is our counselor. His words to us are our delight. Literally, the words God are like cool water to our thirsty soul. They delight us and counsel us.
I pray that I may have this kind of relationship with Jesus through his word. May I make time each day to meditate on the Bible and find my delight in Christ and his word, rather than the world.
Prayer: “Lord thank you for your words in the Bible. They truly delight my soul. How foolish to ignore your word. May I make meditating on your word a daily spiritual exercise”.
One Word: God’s word is a delight and wise counsel
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