- Enlightening
Psalm 19.8
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The Word of God brings light to hearts darkened by misunderstanding, doubt, unbelief, pride, and fear. The eyes that are enlightened by God’s pure commandment are the eyes of the heart, “the mind’s eye,” the eyes of faith. Faith sees; faith enables the heart to see, to comprehend, to take hold of, to possess, and to internalize the truth and make it my own.
Once the promise is fulfilled in me, once the eyes of faith are enlightened by the pure Word of God, once I can see clearly the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, then I can live life to the full and walk into the glories of heaven on earth that the Lord has prepared for me by His Cross and Empty Tomb. Faith enjoys the promises of God and the blessings He has reserved for us in this life and the next. Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, an a light unto my path.”
Faith is the eye that sees; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). The Word enlightens the eyes, or opens them so that we see, hear, understand, believe, and live accordingly.
In a more physical sense, enlightened eyes are not only able to see better, they also look better. Enlightening the eyes to receive outside information coming in from the Lord through the Word also brightens the eyes so that they shine. The eyes of the believer, purified by the Word, shine brighter and more sharply than the normal “dead eyes” of unbelievers. Enlightened eyes shine with the love of God for other people as genuine care and concern shines forth from the heart that has been transformed. What a blessing to have not only enlightened eyes of the heart, but enlightening eyes through which the love of God in the heart passes out into the world of people around us.
This is quite a promise: Enlightened and enlightening eyes.