Tuesday, November 15, 2011

See

My heart cries out for it, perhaps the same primal scream of the blind beggar who cried out to Jesus.  In compassion, Jesus asks him what he desires.  Lord, let me recover my sight.  The desperate man wants one thing: anablepa.  He wants to simply see.

I am redeemed, but am I walking around aimlessly, stumbling blindly, oblivious to the Kingdom of God all around?

He could have begged for money.  Another daily provision of bread.  But, he believed Jesus could do bigger than just bread, so he asked for what had been taken away.  He asked for restoration of sight.

Was my sight stolen the day Eve took the fatal bite?

I see it all over the words of 1 Samuel Chapter 3.  This play on words, play on the word see.  There was no frequent vision in those days.  Eli, the head priest's eyesight had literally failed.  The lamp of God had not quite gone out.  Samuel later tells Eli the vision that would be the end of Eli and his family.

There was no open vision in those days...no chazown...no mental clarity or sight.  The lamp of God means literally to see...God was to bring about Samuel as his prophet before the lamp went entirely out.  Samuel, in terrified obedience, showed Eli the vision...vision is mara...which is to hold up a mirror to another so that another can finally see.

So many word plays on this concept of sight.  In grace, God was raising up young Samuel so that He might manifest Himself to him for the purpose of shedding the light of God's literal word to the nation of Israel. 

Samuel proved faithful and God kept revealing.  At the end of the chapter, we get yet another play on words.  We learn that the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel, at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.  God appeared...it is raah...to see.

When God appears, our sight is restored.

You and I are the light of the world.  This same Lord that appeared so that people could once again see makes our inward and frail pots of clay his dwelling place.  If God has in mercy revealed anything to us regarding reality, then we shouldn't hide it or become mere spectators.  We must pass it on.  Wouldn't He stop revealing Himself if we kept all the good hidden?

Lord, let me recover my sight.  Give me grace to see that everyone is created in your image and worthy of dignity.  A bowl of soup.  A pair of socks.  Forgiveness.

When You reveal Yourself to me in grace, tell me who to share your riches of truth with.  I just want to see and tell others that you have to come so that they can see.

1 comment:

Erica said...

Just read this yesterday! :) We must be on the same reading schedule?