The light by which we see
"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light." (Psalm 36:9)
October 13, 2024
Dear friends,
This week we are very thankful for the successful procedure of a cornea transplant in my wife's right eye. Though it was a relatively quick procedure, we are very aware of the many marvels this entailed! The human eye is an amazingly wonderful and complex organ, and a high level of skill is required for surgeons to be able to operate on the eye. The advances of medical science and technology have enabled such transplants to be successful. Finally, it is a great blessing that families have gifted the organs of departed loved ones to help repair the sight of those still living. All of this is astounding!
THE BLESSING OF SIGHT. God created the human eye with all of its intricacy (and frailty). The gift of sight comes from our God, who himself is the God who sees. Hagar, Sarah's mistreated servant, took comfort in the Lord's seeing her: "She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me (אל ראי),' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'” (Gen 16:13) Further, God sees what we cannot see: "O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind..." (Jer 20:12a) And, "...your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matt 6:6) God creates both the light and the eyes to behold the light. At creation-level we love seeing the daylight and the beauty of created things around us. We delight in seeing the faces of friends and loved ones. We look to see their smiles. We take nature walks and go to art museums just to see more of the goodness residing in this world. Our eyes simply cannot get enough of seeing (Eccl 1:8).
SIGHT AND INSIGHT. Just as there are levels of hearing, so there is to seeing. Psalm 36 was written by King David to extol the goodness of God. He sees the beauty of nature -- such as the heavens, clouds, mountains, seas, the care of creatures, feasts, rivers -- but perceives that beyond the image (physical sight) there is a divine revelation of God (spiritual insight).
"Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O LORD.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights."
(Ps 36:5-8)
In the Gospel of John we read that the disciple Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?" (John 14:8-10) Just as it is possible to hear without understanding, so it is possible to see without perceiving. There is a light of nature, and then there is supernatural light, both given by God.
OPEN OUR EYES. The ninth verse in Psalm 36, printed above, is the verse my wife shared with the nursing staff the day of her surgery. That verse can also be translated, "For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see." (NLT) God is the Author of all light. The Message has, "You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light." Sight is a gift from God, and a very remarkable gift! Sight with insight, that is, seeing clearly enough to perceive God and his work in creation and history, that is a gift of redeeming grace. For this we should give unending thanks to God! And as we follow Christ should we not pray along with the Psalmist, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Psalm 119:18)
MISCELLANEOUS.
-- "Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood, The land of spices; something understood." We were reminded again this week of that wonderful poem "Prayer," by George Herbert.
-- "Autonomy is our futile effort to make ourselves lords when there is already a cosmic King." (Pierce Taylor Hibbs, in "Death by Autonomy: The Most Ancient Evil")
-- "The Southern Baptists always show up first." These two articles, "The Government Will Not Save You" and "The Ladies Hour" highlight a fundamental question not really being addressed in our current political campaign, that is, what exactly is the government's role in our nation? What do we expect our governing authorities to do? Are they even supposed to provide the answers to our problems?
One of the key beliefs of conservatism is that the government should have a limited role in our lives. God has ordained the authority of government, of churches, and of the family, each with its own sphere of responsibility. Interviewers typically ask political candidates, "what will your administration do about ________?" But this presumes that government should be involved in dealing with every area of civic life. This assumption usually entails an over-reach of the proper place of government. As Christians we should study carefully what the Bible says about governing authorities. A healthy society, I believe, is one where no sphere -- government, family, or church -- usurps the authority given to the other spheres.
FINAL QUOTE.
"That is the fact; whether we like it or not, the universe is made that way. This commandment is interesting because it specifically puts forward the moral law as the basis of the moral code: because God has made the world like this and will not alter it, therefore you must not worship your own fantasies, but pay allegiance to the truth." (Dorothy Sayers, The Mind of the Maker)
That’s it for this week!
Sandy
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.