Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are available here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Thanks for joining us today as we begin a two-part study discussing what the Bible says about eyes and sight. We start with the Old Testament, and next week the New.
Generally speaking, humans take sight for granted when their eyes work well until one day, poof! In December 2016, “poof” happened when my left eyesight suddenly went black due to a retinal detachment. Fortunately, my expert eye surgeon was able to reattach. However, the retinal nerve damage was so severe that nine years later, I still live with permanent sight distortion akin to a fun house mirror. Over time, my brain compensated by “rewiring” my normal right eye to work well with the impaired left. But limitations exist, notably no highway driving and only short driving distances at night.
From this harrowing experience, I learned always to praise and thank God for restoring my sight, and I recommend you do the same. Recently, my regular six-month checkup prompted this Bible study topic.
While researching, I was shocked to “see” so many eye and sight references, both literal and symbolic, necessitating two studies. In the Bible, eyes convey spiritual insight, awareness, truth, knowledge, and God’s righteous judgment.
We begin with the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. It only took until the fourth verse of Genesis for God to introduce the concept of sight:
And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good” (Genesis 1:3-4).
Upon “seeing” His creation, God extends His power of sight into the physical universe, to include thought, word, and deed. Proverbs eloquently summarizes His omniscience:
“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). To drive home the point:
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). And Job weighs in:
“For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps” (Job 34:21).
The Bible records the word “eyes” for the first time after Adam and Eve became aware that they were naked after partaking in God’s forbidden fruit:
“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths” (Genesis 3:7).
Repeated throughout the Bible, human eyes are limited to immediate surroundings, contrasted with the eyes of God, who penetrates our souls, from which there is no escape. The all-seeing and all-knowing God can be humbling and comforting, depending on the circumstances. Believers must be keenly aware that God sees our thoughts, motives, rationalizations, good and evil ways, and kind and unkind thinking.
God warns that human eyes can be deceiving. The prophet Samuel was warned as he reviewed a lineup of Jesse’s sons to identify and anoint the future king of Israel. The first candidate was Eliab:
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Related to that verse is Vol. 201: “What the Bible Says About Appearance.” (A more amusing read than what the title suggests.)
Since humans are prone to sin, Scripture teaches us to exercise control over our eyes. Job declared:
“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” (Job 31:1).
Ecclesiastes speaks to the human trait of continuous desire and discontentment:
“All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing” (Ecclesiastes 1:8).
And a Psalm records what could be a companion verse:
“I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it” (Psalm 101:3).
The Psalm’s lesson is to beware of what you watch, especially if you are young and impressionable. What your eyes see will influence your thoughts and actions, leading to righteous behavior or evil temptations.
Another Biblical phrase worth noting is “wise in your own eyes.” It means one thinks they are all knowing — a state of mind that does not please God, known as the sin of pride. For more about the dangers of pride, see Vols. 255 and 256. Isaiah records:
“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight”(Isaiah 5:12). Proverbs says:
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:7-8).
The Old Testament has numerous verses about the eyes associated with perception—God-given understanding, divine presence, and spiritual enlightenment. The phrase "open my eyes" extends beyond the physical when one is open to seeking knowledge and God’s truth:
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18).
Here is some godly truth for those who love Israel (me included), comforted by knowing that God’s eyes never leave His Holy Land:
“It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (Deuteronomy 11:12).
Two commonly used eye phrases originated in the Bible. First, in his “farewell address,” Moses reminded the people of Israel how the Lord guided them through the desert:
“He shielded him [Israel] and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10).
Below is a popular phrase usually not associated with the Bible, reminding us that greater wealth means greater anxiety:
“As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them?” (Ecclesiastes 5:11).
We conclude with another common phrase to prepare us for next week’s study of the eyes in the New Testament: “The eyes are the mirror of the soul.” But those words do not appear in the Bible. Instead, Matthew records what Jesus said:
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). SEE you next week!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” reprints Vols. 57 –113. Order it here.
She is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, dedicated to building a future permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. Join our effort! Click to attend a major Shroud conference Aug. 1-3 in St. Louis. I will be there! Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
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