Psalm 119:18 Open you my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. It was an ancient custom for the reader of the Law in a Jewish synagogue to put a veil upon his face. Originally designed as an act of reverence, as if the glory of this law was too dazzling for the human eye to behold, the veil upon the countenance has become an awful type of the veil that is Upon the heart. Century after century has passed away, and still in every Jewish synagogue "Moses is read." But so blinded are the minds of those who read, and of those who listen, that they do not perceive the beauty, or understand the meaning of their own Scriptures — an affecting proof of the necessity of the Spirit's teaching, for the right understanding of the Word of God. I. GOD'S LAW CONTAINS "WONDROUS THINGS." All the Divine works are wonderful. There is not a leaf which God has moulded, or an insect He has formed, or an atom He has made, which does not demand, and will not repay, our thoughtful study. But Revelation contains a brighter display of His wisdom and love than nature with all its sublime and glorious discoveries. II. THE ENLIGHTENED MIND CAN ALONE UNDERSTAND IT. 1. There is ignorance. "Having the understanding darkened," is the brief but solemn description which the apostle gives of the Gentiles, and it is a true representation of unregenerate nature. 2. Then there is prejudice. We cannot understand a truth, if we dislike that truth. 3. Unbelief prompts men to misinterpret Scripture, and renders them ingenious in their objections against it. 4. Worldliness is another veil which hides from our view the wonders of God's Word. III. THAT GOD ONLY CAN COMMUNICATE THE LIGHT WE NEED. 1. The Spirit humbles us, and humility enables us to understand the Scriptures. 2. The Spirit purifies the heart, and purity enables us to understand the Scriptures. 3. The Spirit fills our hearts with love, and love enables us to understand the Scriptures. (H. J. Gamble.) Parallel Verses KJV: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.WEB: Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of your law. |
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