Eyes of humility

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains.   Where will my help come from”?            Ps. 121:1 NLV

Sin is not the only application of the eyes in Scripture; they are also used to symbolize the believer who glorifies the Lord. 

The humble man is known by the way he uses his eyes, as in the case of the tax collector in the gospels who, unlike the self-righteous Pharisee, “stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am” (Lk 18:13).  

The repentant tax collector who knew his sin to be offensive in the sight of God cast his eyes to the ground, signifying his humility and sorrow for his sin.  In this instance, humble eyes look down; proud eyes look up and boast.

Even in looking up, however, we can show an attitude that glorifies the Lord.   When we look up to confess our dependence on God, we honor Him.

Another way the eyes can indicate a life pleasing to the Lord is the believer who, seeing God for who He is, acknowledges his utter worthlessness and yet offers himself a living sacrifice to the Lord.  

In the temple in the year of King Uzziah death, Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord that transformed his life.   He saw God as the holy One, whose glory filled the whole earth (Isa. 6:1-4), and he was overwhelmed with his sin (vs.5). 

When he saw God as He is, Isaiah worshipped Him.   Likewise for believers today, we “see” the Father if we have “seen” the Son.   Jesus said, “The person who has seen me has seen the Father!” (Jn 14:9).

When we see Jesus by faith and trust in His finished work at Calvary for our salvation, we are assured that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

 

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