“Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.” [Eccl. 11:7] Without the sweet sunlight there would be nothing lovely and pleasant in the earth for our eyes to behold; for the light is not only beautiful itself, but it makes beautiful everything that it shines upon.

You will remember that Jesus said: “I am the Light of the world.” [John 8:12] The way that He lights this world is through the sun. We cannot look upon the glory of the face of God and live, but in the glorious sun He sheds upon the earth just as much of the light of His countenance as we can bear.

Is it not indeed “sweet” to know that we are walking in the light of His face for “in His presence is fulness of joy.” [Ps. 16:11] All the beauty and colour of the earth is the reflection of the rays of the sun, which is the light shining from the face of God; and so “the beauty of all created things is but a gleam from the shining of His glory.” [Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pg. 96]

But what would all this glory and beauty be to us if God had not given us “eyes to behold” it, and by His Spirit of life within us given us the power to see? He has made our bodies for His own temple, and our eyes are one way by which His Spirit enters into us. We see Him reflected as in a mirror in all the things that He has made, so that we may learn to know and love and worship Him, and let His Holy Spirit rule our hearts and lives.

But Satan, who wants to put himself in the place of God, is all the time trying to get into our bodies, and make them his temple, instead of the holy temple of God, which He made them to be. So all the ways that God has made for His Spirit to come into our hearts, Satan is trying to use to get himself in instead.

Think how it was that Satan first got into the heart of man. It was through the eyes; for Eve kept looking at the fruit that God had told her not to touch, for if she did she would die. She kept on looking until she “saw that it was good.” This was because Satan, the father of lies, was getting into her eyes, and she did not let the Spirit of God keep him out. When the lying spirit of Satan got into her eyes, it made her see all things wrong; and through this entrance, Satan got right into her heart and made her do the very thing that God had told her not to do.

Oh, will you not give your eyes to God, that the Spirit of Truth may use them, to teach you only what is pure and true and good? Ask Jesus to open your eyes, so that you may “clearly see” Him in all His works, and to keep and guard them by His Holy Spirit, that no evil thing may find an entrance there.

Let the glory of God that shines upon you in the sunlight stream through your eyes right into your hearts, and make you “all-glorious within.” And think, if the light, which is but a faint reflection of His glory, is so “sweet” and “pleasant” for our “eyes to behold,” what must be the glory and beauty of the face of Him whose smile we see in the glad sunshine.

 

“A Lesson from the Lark”

In the Natural History of Birds of Germany, we find the following interesting fact:—

“Larks, a feeble race of birds, rise higher in the air than any rapacious bird, and this is often a cause of safety. Their greatest enemy is the Hobby. They fear him greatly, so that as soon as one appears singing ceases, and each suddenly closes his wings, falls to the earth, and hides against the soil. But some have mounted so high to pour out their clear song that they cannot hope to reach the earth before being seized. Then, knowing that the bird of prey is to be feared when he occupies a more elevated position from which he can throw himself on them, they endeavour to remain always above him. They mount higher and higher. The enemy seeks to pass them, but they mount still, until at last the Hobby, heavier, and little accustomed to this rarified air, grows tired, and gives up the pursuit.”

This suggests a lesson for us. Our enemy, Satan, seeks to destroy us, but if we can keep above him, it is plain that he can have no power over us. Jesus, our Saviour, has been raised to the right hand of God in the heavenly places, “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion” (Eph. 1:20, 21); and since we are by faith raised to the heavenly places with Him (Eph. 2:4-6), it follows that that is our rightful place. If then when our enemy assails us, and that is constantly, we “seek those things which are above,” we shall escape him; for that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, has been cast out of heaven, so that he can find no place there any more. Rev. 12:7-9. He cannot endure its atmosphere. There we can from full hearts sing thanks unto God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Present Truth – August 4, 1898
E. J. Waggoner

Story in pdf  Light and Sight