Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jul 10th Open Thou Mine Eyes

Today’s Reading – Psalm 119 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 19 – 20; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2

Read the “0710 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalms 119:18)

“105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. … 130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” (Psalm 119:105, 130)

What a wonderful privilege it is to be able to open up a copy of the Word of God. Our reading this morning in Psalm 119 is all about God’s word. Almost every verse in this Psalm contains a word that is synonymous with the Bible. For instance, in vs. 1 – 6, you will see the words, “law,” “testimonies,” “ways,” “precepts,” “statutes,” “commandments,” and “judgments.” All of these words are references to the Word of God. They all have slightly different meanings, but together they help us to understand what the Word of God is, as well as what it does. This is a wonderful psalm, replete with tremendous truths and promises regarding our relationship with God through the Bible.

This psalm is the longest psalm at 176 verses as well as the longest chapter in the Word of God. It is another Hebrew acrostic, but it is different from any of the other acrostics that we have seen in that the 176 verses are divided into 22 sections, each containing 8 lines or verses. These 22 sections all correlate with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Thus the first eight verses all begin with “Aleph”, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The next eight verses (vs. 9 – 16) all begin with “Beth”, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet; and, so on.

The writer is unknown and the historical context is unknown, but there are some clues as to the type of person that wrote it. Wiersbe writes: “The writer must have been a “high profile” person because he mentioned the opposition of rulers (vv. 23, 161; “princes” in kjv), a word that can refer to Gentile rulers or local Jewish tribal leaders (Neh. 3), and he also spoke to kings (v. 46)..”^[1]

Wiersbe believes that the writer may have actually been Jeremiah. Others have speculated that it was Moses or perhaps David. We simply do not know.

There is no doubt regarding the theme of this psalm. In nearly every verse, the writer extolls his love and devotion to the Word of God. All verses, save 5 (vs. 84, 90, 121, 122, and 132) speak directly about the Word of God.

Allan Ross wrote this regarding Psalm 119:

The psalm is largely a collection of prayers and meditations on the Word of God, referred to by 10 synonyms.

“Law” (tôrâh), occurring 25 times in the psalm, denotes direction or instruction. More often the word refers to a body of teaching, probably Deuteronomy and Leviticus, if not the whole Pentateuch. In fact, in John 10:34, the corresponding Greek word for “Law” seems to include the entire Old Testament.

“Word” (dāḇār) occurs 20 times in the psalm. It is a general term for God’s revelation, but the “Ten Commandments” are called “Ten Words” (literal Heb., Deut. 4:13).

“Saying” (’imrâh) occurs 19 times. It is often a poetical synonym for dāḇār.

“Commandment” (miṣwâh) occurs (in the Heb.) 21 times in the plural and once in the singular collectively. It signifies a definite, authoritative command. It is frequently joined with the next two words.

“Statutes” (ḥūqqîm) occurs 21 times. In the Psalms it is always in the plural. Literally it means “things inscribed.” So it refers to enacted Laws.

“Judgment” (mišpoṭ) occurs 19 times in the plural, and 4 times in the singular. It represents a judicial decision that constitutes a precedence, a binding law. In the Pentateuch it referred to the laws after the Ten Commandments. The word can also mean God’s judgmental acts on the wicked.

“Precepts” (piqqûḏîm) occurs 21 times. It is a poetical word for injunctions, found only in the Psalter (always in the pl.).

“Testimony” (‘ēḏâh) occurs 22 times in the plural and once in the singular. It is a solemn attestation, a declaration of the will of God. It is a general word for ordinances that became God’s standard of conduct.

“Way” (derek), used five times in the plural and six times in the singular, is a metaphorical term describing the pattern of life marked out by God’s Law.

“Path” (’ōraḥ), used five times in Psalms, is parallel to “way.”^[2]

My attention this morning was drawn to v. 18, where the psalmists asks the Lord to open his eyes so that he could understand (see) wondrous things from the Word of God. The Bible does contain a myriad of “wondrous things,” but oftentimes our spiritual eyes are not open enough to receive them. There are certainly many reasons for this but I believe one of them is the fact that we do not approach the Word of God expectantly and prayerfully, anticipating a life-changing truth. Our prayer should be the same as the psalmist every time we open up the Bible: “Open thou mine eyes.”

Everything that we need to succeed in this life is contained in the Bible. But we are missing so many principles that would guide, instruct, and protect us simply because we are not looking, because our eyes are closed. Stop approaching the Word each day as a religious ritual but rather, open it looking for the truth that you will need to help you survive, and even thrive as an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ. God has the answers for the problems and challenges that you will be facing today and tomorrow. They are in His Word. Ask Him to help you see them.

         ^[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be Exultant (1st ed., p. 102). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.

               ^[2] Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 879–880). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Revised 07/10/2025