Psalm 119:18 - "Open my eyes,
that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law."
There is an important principle in this verse that is essential for us to grasp if we are going to have a proper understanding of the Word of God. The Psalmist asks God to "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law." God is the only one who can give us insight and understanding in His Word. We have a need in approaching Gods Word to have our eyes opened in order that we might see rightly and not be blinded by our own thoughts and opinions or per-conceived ideas. The only way we can know or understand a spiritual truth is if the Spirit reveals it to us. The apostle Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 2:10-14 where he says - "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." No one can know the things of God unless the Spirit of God reveals them to him. When Peter made that marvelous statement concerning the person of Christ in Matthew 16 the Lord Jesus said to him - "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." We read of the Word of God being "revealed" to the prophets and apostles. These aren't things they thought up on their own. The Bible is not a collection of mans ideas thrown together in one book, these are the things of God that God has revealed through His servants. His revelation is complete, we don't need any further revelation than what God has given us in His Word, but we do need wisdom as we approach His Word, wisdom to properly understand and accurately apply Gods Word to our lives. 2 Timothy 2:15 says - "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." Our dependance on Him doesn't excuse us from work. We do need to study and be diligent to present ourselves approved to God, but ultimately we need to realize that we are dependent on Him to handle His Word accurately. We need Him to open our eyes in order that we may see wonderful things in His law.
There are people who approach the Word of God like they would approach a text book. Pouring themselves into studying a certain subject in order to learn as much as they can about it, but that is the wrong way to approach the Bible. Gods Word is living and powerful and the Word of God is always directly connected to the person of God. You cannot get to know God like you would get to know math or science because God is not a subject, He is a person. And a person, unlike a subject, can choose whether or not to reveal themselves to you. Anyone can read the Bible, and through it God may choose to reveal Himself to one person and not to reveal Himself to another, even though they may both be reading the exact same words. An understanding of Scripture doesn't come through a great intellect, it comes through revelation. God personally revealing Himself to you through His Word.
The Lord Jesus often had to deal with people who didn't understand His Word. The Scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees knew the law and the prophets. They knew what it said, but they didn't understand it. In one discussion concerning the resurrection the Lord Jesus said to the Sadducees in Matthew 22:29 - "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God." There have always been people who don't understand the Scriptures because they think that they can understand them through academic study. Many of these people may even have good intentions, but they can't understand the Word of God because they are relying on their own ability to study rather than realizing their need to have God open their minds and hearts to understand the Scriptures. In 1 Timothy 1:7 Paul is warning Timothy about certain men who were beginning to teach strange doctrines, and he says that they are "wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions." These people don't have bad motives, they want to be teachers of the law, but they don't even understand what they're talking about. They state their beliefs very confidently, but because they don't understand the Scriptures and the nature and character of God what they are actually doing is distorting His Word. In 2 Peter 3:16-17 Peter is talking about the writings of Paul and he says - "as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness." Again we have people who evidently want to teach the Word of God but they don't understand it. Only God can open up the truth of the Scriptures to a person. If you approach the study of Gods Word relying on your own intelligence or your high I.Q. to give you all the answers then God very well may not reveal Himself to you. The truth is that no one can understand the truths of the Word of God unless the Spirit of God reveals it to him. As we study Gods Word we need to be in constant prayer that God would open our eyes and give us the understanding that He alone can give. That He would reveal Himself to us through His Word. Paul's prayer for the Colossians in Colossians 1:9 was - "that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."
1 Corinthians 2:10-14 - "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised."
There is an important principle in this verse that is essential for us to grasp if we are going to have a proper understanding of the Word of God. The Psalmist asks God to "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law." God is the only one who can give us insight and understanding in His Word. We have a need in approaching Gods Word to have our eyes opened in order that we might see rightly and not be blinded by our own thoughts and opinions or per-conceived ideas. The only way we can know or understand a spiritual truth is if the Spirit reveals it to us. The apostle Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 2:10-14 where he says - "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." No one can know the things of God unless the Spirit of God reveals them to him. When Peter made that marvelous statement concerning the person of Christ in Matthew 16 the Lord Jesus said to him - "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." We read of the Word of God being "revealed" to the prophets and apostles. These aren't things they thought up on their own. The Bible is not a collection of mans ideas thrown together in one book, these are the things of God that God has revealed through His servants. His revelation is complete, we don't need any further revelation than what God has given us in His Word, but we do need wisdom as we approach His Word, wisdom to properly understand and accurately apply Gods Word to our lives. 2 Timothy 2:15 says - "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." Our dependance on Him doesn't excuse us from work. We do need to study and be diligent to present ourselves approved to God, but ultimately we need to realize that we are dependent on Him to handle His Word accurately. We need Him to open our eyes in order that we may see wonderful things in His law.
There are people who approach the Word of God like they would approach a text book. Pouring themselves into studying a certain subject in order to learn as much as they can about it, but that is the wrong way to approach the Bible. Gods Word is living and powerful and the Word of God is always directly connected to the person of God. You cannot get to know God like you would get to know math or science because God is not a subject, He is a person. And a person, unlike a subject, can choose whether or not to reveal themselves to you. Anyone can read the Bible, and through it God may choose to reveal Himself to one person and not to reveal Himself to another, even though they may both be reading the exact same words. An understanding of Scripture doesn't come through a great intellect, it comes through revelation. God personally revealing Himself to you through His Word.
The Lord Jesus often had to deal with people who didn't understand His Word. The Scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees knew the law and the prophets. They knew what it said, but they didn't understand it. In one discussion concerning the resurrection the Lord Jesus said to the Sadducees in Matthew 22:29 - "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God." There have always been people who don't understand the Scriptures because they think that they can understand them through academic study. Many of these people may even have good intentions, but they can't understand the Word of God because they are relying on their own ability to study rather than realizing their need to have God open their minds and hearts to understand the Scriptures. In 1 Timothy 1:7 Paul is warning Timothy about certain men who were beginning to teach strange doctrines, and he says that they are "wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions." These people don't have bad motives, they want to be teachers of the law, but they don't even understand what they're talking about. They state their beliefs very confidently, but because they don't understand the Scriptures and the nature and character of God what they are actually doing is distorting His Word. In 2 Peter 3:16-17 Peter is talking about the writings of Paul and he says - "as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness." Again we have people who evidently want to teach the Word of God but they don't understand it. Only God can open up the truth of the Scriptures to a person. If you approach the study of Gods Word relying on your own intelligence or your high I.Q. to give you all the answers then God very well may not reveal Himself to you. The truth is that no one can understand the truths of the Word of God unless the Spirit of God reveals it to him. As we study Gods Word we need to be in constant prayer that God would open our eyes and give us the understanding that He alone can give. That He would reveal Himself to us through His Word. Paul's prayer for the Colossians in Colossians 1:9 was - "that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."
1 Corinthians 2:10-14 - "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised."
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