The Eye: Consumed by Sickness
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In the biblical context, the eye is often seen as a symbol of perception, understanding, and spiritual insight. However, when the eye is consumed by sickness, it can represent a physical ailment, a spiritual deficiency, or a moral failing. The Bible addresses the condition of the eye both literally and metaphorically, emphasizing the importance of maintaining spiritual and physical health.

Physical Ailments of the Eye

The Bible acknowledges the reality of physical ailments affecting the eye. In Deuteronomy 28:28, as part of the curses for disobedience, the Lord warns, "The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind." Here, blindness is mentioned as a physical affliction that can befall those who turn away from God's commandments. The physical condition of the eye is often used to illustrate the consequences of sin and disobedience.

Spiritual Blindness

Beyond physical ailments, the Bible frequently uses the condition of the eye to describe spiritual blindness. In Matthew 6:22-23 , Jesus teaches, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Here, the "bad" eye symbolizes a lack of spiritual insight and understanding, leading to a life filled with darkness and sin.

The Apostle Paul also speaks of spiritual blindness in 2 Corinthians 4:4 , stating, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." This blindness is a metaphor for the inability to perceive and accept the truth of the Gospel, a condition that can only be remedied by divine intervention.

Moral and Ethical Implications

The condition of the eye is also linked to moral and ethical behavior. In Proverbs 23:6 , it is written, "Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies; for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost." The "evil eye" in this context refers to a greedy or envious disposition, highlighting how moral corruption can manifest in one's outlook and actions.

Furthermore, in Matthew 5:29 , Jesus advises, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." This hyperbolic statement underscores the severity of sin and the lengths to which one should go to avoid moral corruption.

Restoration and Healing

Despite the dire warnings associated with the eye consumed by sickness, the Bible also offers hope for restoration and healing. In John 9, Jesus heals a man born blind, demonstrating His power over physical and spiritual ailments. This miracle serves as a testament to the transformative power of faith and the possibility of spiritual enlightenment.

Psalm 146:8 declares, "The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD lifts up those who are weighed down; the LORD loves the righteous." This verse reassures believers of God's ability to heal and restore both physical sight and spiritual vision, emphasizing His compassion and righteousness.

In summary, the eye consumed by sickness in the Bible serves as a multifaceted symbol, representing physical ailments, spiritual blindness, and moral failings. Through divine intervention and adherence to God's commandments, believers are offered the promise of healing and spiritual clarity.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Leviticus 26:16
I also will do this to you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Psalm 6 Complaint in Sickness.
... CM Complaint in sickness. In anger, Lord, rebuke me not; ... Shall I be still tormented
more? Mine eye consumed with grief? How long, my God, how long before. ...
/.../watts/the psalms and hymns of isaac watts/psalm 6 complaint in sickness.htm

The Spirit of Power
... way of passing from life by wasting sickness than by ... Thou shalt smite the Syrians
till they be consumed.'. ... when he stretched himself on the dead child eye to eye ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the spirit of power.htm

The Witness of Our Own Spirit
... every motion of my heart; power always to fix the loving eye of my ... when the body
was well nigh worn out with pain, or consumed away with pining sickness. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 12 the witness of.htm

Meditations for one that is Like to Die.
... is his mercy that thou art not rather consumed than corrected ... more arm thee with
patience in thy sickness than to ... poor soul cannot look out at the eye, and not ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations for one that is.htm

When travelling lately through the Simplon
... lids." His child may be lying pining in sickness at his ... in the hot noonday, he turns
a longing eye on the ... to "flee for his life, lest he be consumed."[6] That ...
/.../the cities of refuge or the name of jesus/i when travelling lately through.htm

The Oration of Moses at the Rehearsal of the Blessing and the ...
... cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from ... ground for delicateness and
tenderness, her eye shall be ... Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/i the oration of moses.htm

The Statute of David for the Sharing of the Spoil
... Then is the time for heart-sickness to come on. ... homes were still burning, their goods
were consumed, and they ... be to the front, where his Captain's eye would be ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/the statute of david for.htm

Letter cxxii. To Rusticus.
... We do not realize the miseries of sickness till returning ... not from pursuing me till
my wickedness is consumed, and I ... let not the apple of mine eye cease" [3163 ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxii to rusticus.htm

First, for Thy Thoughts.
... and in all thy will ever have an eye to God's ... than a man's whole life that is consumed
in profaneness. ... by the troubles of the world, thy own sickness, and the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bayly/the practice of piety/first for thy thoughts.htm

Matt. vi. 16
... is our aim, namely, to keep the eye sound, so ... As therefore, should any one cast into
sickness the physician ... none of what befell them, were consumed by those ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xx matt vi 16.htm

Resources
What does the Bible say about a sixth sense / third eye? | GotQuestions.org

Did Jesus mean we should literally pluck out our eyes and cut off our hands in Matthew 5:29-30 and 18:8-9? | GotQuestions.org

Is EMDR therapy something a Christian can consider? | GotQuestions.org

Eye: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Eye

Eye for an Eye

Eye of Evil Desire, Never Satisfied

Eye: Anthropomorphic Uses of

Eye: The offending

The Eye of the Mind

The Eye: (Anointing With Eyesalve) of Healing by the Spirit

The Eye: (Open) Spiritual Illumination

The Eye: A Guard to be Set On

The Eye: Actions of, Mentioned in Scripture: Directing

The Eye: Actions of, Mentioned in Scripture: Seeing

The Eye: Actions of, Mentioned in Scripture: Weeping

The Eye: Actions of, Mentioned in Scripture: Winking

The Eye: Consumed by Grief

The Eye: Consumed by Sickness

The Eye: Frequently Fair

The Eye: God: Enlightens

The Eye: God: Formed

The Eye: God: Made

The Eye: God: Opens

The Eye: Grows Dim by Age

The Eye: Grows Dim by Sorrow

The Eye: Made Red by Wine

The Eye: Not Evil Thing to be Set Before

The Eye: Not Satisfied With Riches

The Eye: Not Satisfied With Seeing

The Eye: Often Put out As a Punishment

The Eye: Parts of Mentioned in Scripture: The Apple or Ball

The Eye: Parts of Mentioned in Scripture: The Brow

The Eye: Parts of Mentioned in Scripture: The Lid

The Eye: Punishment for Injuring

The Eye: Sometimes Blemished

The Eye: Sometimes Tender

The Eye: The Jewish Women often Painted

The Eye: The Jews: Cast, on the Ground in Humiliation

The Eye: The Jews: Not to Make Baldness Between

The Eye: The Jews: Raised Up, in Prayer

The Eye: The Jews: Wore Their Phylacteries Between

The Eye: The Light of the Body

The Eye: The Light of, Rejoices the Heart

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The Eye: Consumed by Grief
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