Eye Disease

“‘God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:5-6

“Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”

“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
    but the Lord weighs the spirit.”

“There are those who are clean in their own eyes
    but are not washed of their filth.
There are those—how lofty are their eyes,
    how high their eyelids lift!” Proverbs 3:7; 16:2; 30:12-13

“Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
    I will not endure.” Psalm 101:5b

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

God sees everything with precision, so He infuses the Bible with admonition to be careful, little eyes, what you see. From the beginning, the poison the first eyes first entertained seeped in to spread its rancor into the human will. The Lord looks down in love, knowing fully that in ways of vision and inclination, our eyes are diseased and in need of His keeping. He despises lust, greed, and arrogance, and our eyes give them away every time.

Messages that come by way of audio and visual enticement prey on emotion. Marketers know how to appeal to senses, discontent, and desired lifestyles. Fast-changing images portray pleasure and desert without disclosing the cost, the insidiousness of unsatiated desires, the incessant gnawing of always wanting more. With an exquisite world to behold and enjoy, unless we train our eyes not to stray from what is true and God-honoring, we will fall. (Ecclesiastes 2:14; Matthew 6:22-23)

The wanton eye of comparison, criticism, and malice provokes pride, cruelty, and jealousy within. It is concerned with others’ specks but ignorant of its own planks. Eyes jaded by superiority, prejudice, or thoughtless judgment blind us to the value of all people and rob us of the richness of a variety of relationships and opportunities. Only eyes cleansed of foreign matter like avarice and arrogance will see clearly and be used for constructive good. (Matthew 7:1-5; Luke 18:10-14)

What is causing eye disease for me? What do I entertain, by scrolling, watching, or lengthy gazing, that leads me to want what is not mine to have, to agitate with restlessness, to despise or diminish another? When will I yield my instruments of sight to God for His noble, fruitful use? (2 Samuel 11:1-4; Proverbs 23:31-33; Romans 6:13)

Oh Lord God, purify my eyes to as You see, that I see You clearly, everything else through You.