“The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous;
The Lord protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked.” (Psalm 146:8-9 NASB1995)
It isn’t just the physically blind who our Lord might heal,
but it is the eyes (discernment, judgment) of the spiritually blind, who are
blinded by their sins as to the righteousness of God. And many cannot see
because they will not see, because they willfully choose to continue in their
deliberate and habitual sins and to not submit to the authority of God over
their lives. But God can heal their blinded eyes, too, if they will let him,
and if they will choose to forsake their sins to now follow the Lord in
obedience to his will.
So, what should that look like? The Lord pierces through
their minds and hearts with the truth of his word, and with the truth of the
gospel, how Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is also our creator
God, was put to death on a cross in order to put our sins to death with him. And
then how he rose from the dead on the third day, victorious over sin, Satan,
death, and hell, on our behalf. So, by faith in him, we can now die with Christ
to sin and live to him in walks of obedience to his commands, in the power of
God.
God is not willing (wanting) that any should perish (die in
their sins) but that all should come to repentance (confession of and death to
sin) and walk by faith in Jesus Christ in submission to his will, and in
obedience to his commands. So if someone remains trapped in bondage to sin, if
they know the truth of the gospel, how Jesus died to set them free, it is not
that God is not willing to free them, but that they are not willing to be
freed. They want their sins more than they want salvation from sin and eternal
life with God.
And who are those who are “bowed down”? I would suggest that
this is speaking of those who are oppressed, who are troubled in spirit, who
are bowed down under the weight of their trials and tribulations. They are
going through very troubled times, and they may be weeping and praying to the
Lord for him to lift them up, and to give them courage and endurance to keep
going on, despite their circumstances. The Lord will lift up those who are
oppressed who call on him in truth, and he will encourage them.
And who are the righteous? According to 1 John 3, they are
those who make righteousness their practice, their lifestyle (1 John 3:7). And
what is righteousness? It is God’s judicial approval, which refers to what is
deemed right by the Lord, i.e. what is approved in his eyes (source: bible hub
interlinear). And what is right in the eyes of the Lord? It is submission to
him as Lord, death to sin, and walks of obedience to his commands. And it is
holiness, godliness, moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and self-control.
And who are the strangers? In this context they appear to be
the lonely, the abandoned, people who are living away from home, like exiles,
the rejected, the discarded, the forsaken and/or the forgotten who find their
comfort and encouragement in the Lord and in his love and grace. And this
appears to include the orphan and the widow who are left without spouse or parent,
and who need friendship, companionship, comfort, and encouragement. The Lord is
an encourager for the downtrodden who call on him in truth.
But the Lord thwarts the way of the wicked. And who are the
wicked? They are all who are still living in sin, for whom sin is their
practice, and for whom submission to God and obedience to his commands are not
their practice (habit, way of life). Now God doesn’t force anyone to obey him,
so he does not block every evil person from every evil path they are on, or the
world would not be in the condition it is in. But he definitely calls evil what
it is, and he stands against it, and he will not tolerate evil practices in the
lives of those who profess him as Lord. We must die to sin and obey God.
But for all who, by faith in Jesus Christ, will repent of
(turn from) their sins, who will bow the knee to God in obedience to his
commands, in holy living, his grace forgives us and it frees us from our slavery
(addiction) to sin. And he empowers us to live holy lives, pleasing to God, in
submission to his will and purpose for our lives. And his grace, which is
bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await
our Lord’s return.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John
6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32;
Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2;
1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
Amazing Grace
By
John Newton
Amazing
Grace! How sweet the sound
That
saved a wretch like me!
I
once was lost, but now am found
Was
blind, but now I see.
'Twas
Grace that taught my heart to fear,
And
Grace my fears relieved.
How
precious did that Grace appear
The
hour I first believed.
Through
many dangers, toils, and snares
I
have already come.
'Tis
Grace hath brought me safe thus far
And
Grace will lead me home.
The
Lord has promised good to me.
His
Word my hope secures.
He
will my shield and portion be
As
long as life endures.
And
when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And
mortal life shall cease;
I
shall possess within the veil
A
life of joy and peace.
When
we've been there ten thousand years
Bright
shining as the sun,
We've
no less days to sing God's praise
Than
when we'd first begun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw2VWje6tEo
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God’s
Amazing Grace
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