Open Thou Mine Eyes

by John Calvin

"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Psalm 119:18

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 19

God gives light to us to see the wonder of his Word, the prophet says. We are blind to the gospel even in the midst of the clearest light until God removes the veil of blindness from our eyes.

The psalmist confesses that his eyes were shut, making him unable to discern the light of the heavenly doctrine until God, by the invisible grace of his Spirit, opened them. The psalmist seems to be deploring his own blindness as well as that of the whole human race. But he tells us that the remedy is at hand, provided we do not, by trusting our own wisdom, reject the gracious illumination that God offers to us.

Let us realize that we do not receive the illumination of the Spirit of God to make us condemn God’s law and take pleasure in secret revelations, like many fanatics who do not regard themselves spiritual unless they reject the Word of God and put in its place their own wild speculations.

The prophet’s goal is very different. He wishes to inform us that God illumines us so we are able to discern the light of life that God manifests in his Word. He mentions the wondrous things of the law to humble us, to help us contemplate that law with admiration; and to convince us of our great need of God’s grace to comprehend the mysteries of his Word which surpass our limited capacity. The law includes not only the Ten Commandments but also the covenant of eternal salvation with all its provisions, which God has made with us. Knowing that Christ, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” “is the end of the law,” we need not be surprised that the prophet commends it and the sublime mysteries which it contains (Col. 2:3; Rom. 10:4).

FOR MEDITATION: When we focus on the wonders of the revelations of God’s Word, we are much safer from the temptation to desire new and special revelations from God. The Bible contains so many wondrous things that a lifetime of study would not reveal them all to us; study them further to find new strength for each new day.