Luke 24:44-45 (NIV): He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Without the Holy Spirit, without God’s leading, without the insights that only He can give, the Bible will always remain a closed book. Many who put down the Bible as a “collection of myths” or a “bunch of old writings” are reading it without the open eyes that only God Himself can give. Anyone who finds the Bible dull or boring is reading it with their eyes closed. The Bible contains the very words of God; the secrets of the ages made clear to those who have eyes to see. When those who have received salvation, who have the Spirit of God in them, open those pages, the whole universe opens up before them! The dead words that had no real meaning to them are suddenly filled with life and Spirit and hope!
Knowing that only God can give the needed insight into the words of Scripture and make them come alive should drive God’s people to ask HIM to help them when they read. Commentators are fine, as far as they go, but too many rely only on commentaries written by mere humans like them to help them understand the Scriptures, instead of relying on the One who wrote them in the first place. (And, to be honest, there are some commentators who did not listen to God when they were wrote their commentaries, but relied solely on their own minds and intellect and theology!)
The Psalmist had it right when he prayed, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.” (Psalm 119:18 NIV) That must be the prayer of every genuine seeker after the truth. The disciples of Jesus had studied the Scriptures, and meditated on them, and heard sermons on them from their youth. But to truly see what they meant required that Jesus open their eyes. THEN they saw! THEN they knew! And He will do the same for any of His disciples today who truly seek HIM for the truth.
Father, I can remember how You opened my own eyes when I repented and received Jesus. Those dead words suddenly became alive in me, and they still live today. Keep my eyes wide open to all that You can show me in Your word. Help me every single day to see (and then to share) wonderful things!