Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Refrain:
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.         

Open my mind, that I may read
More of Thy love in word and deed;
What shall I fear while yet Thou dost lead?
Only for light from Thee I plead.

Open my mouth, and let me bear,
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.

Clara H. Scott, pub. 1895

Copyright status is public domain.

…let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…

Job Chapter 42:5&6

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.  Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

The Hebrew word for abhor means to reject, despise, or refuse.*

The Greek word for abhor means to turn oneself away from as  one would turn away from a bad smell or stench.  This meaning includes the idea of detesting or hating the offensive object.

After an encounter, The Old Testament character Job concluded; Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.  The result of Job’s encounter was to turn away as he would from a stench.  Such a turning away would be done quickly until distanced from the despised and repulsive object.  Job was turning away from himself.  He stated that he abhored (despised) himself.

What was the encounter that produced such a hasty and repulsing reaction to his own self?   Job’s encounter was with God.  He had just said this about God; I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.  When Job saw God as He is, he saw himself as he truly was and the result was a biblical view of himself.

Self-esteem permeates our culture.  You are worthy is a slogan adopted by our culture and educational systems.  This slogan is an attempt to build the self-esteem of those to whom it is directed.  In his book, The Vanishing Conscience, John MacArthur gives an example of how self esteem works.  Math students from several countries were tested for their mathematical abilities.  Along with the test, students were asked to answer the simple question; Are you good at math?  The group of students who scored the highest answered “no” to this question, while the lowest scoring group, the Americans, answered “yes”. [1]

You’ve heard the old adage concerning good news and bad news?  The good news is that we are making good time.  The bad news?  We are headed in the wrong direction!  We, the Americans, scored the lowest,…..but we felt good about it.

Our culture is trying to lift the self image in an effort to give hope.  When individuals have no hope they often turn to self destructive activities.  When an individual comes to the place where they hate or despise themselves, they are unable to receive the required remedy, because the real answer has been excluded from our educational systems.  The individual who despises himself needs to see Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as The Redeemer of his/her lost, sinful soul.

Although living several hundred years before Christ, Job declared; For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: (Job 19:25).

The answer is to see God as Job did.  When Job saw God as He is (sinless) and he saw himself (a sinner),  he was so repulsed by his sinful condition that he repented in dust and ashes.  He changed his mind and humbled himself before the Lord and worshiped.  Job’s repentance, humility, and trust in His Redeemer brought change and blessing from God.

God’s wrath was kindled against Job’s friends (ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath).  Job’s friends were commanded to bring sacrifices and offer them up as a burnt offering for their sin (and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept:)….And the LORD turned the captivity of Job.

Have you seen God?   Much like Job, Isaiah saw God and his response was the cry of the leper……Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts    (Isaiah 6:5).

Do you have a biblical view of yourself?  When you see God as He is (in the pages of Scripture) [2], you will have an opportunity to obtain a biblical view of yourself.  It will no longer be I am worthy………………it will be He is worthy!

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him (Romans 5:6-9).

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…

[1] The Vanishing Conscience by John MacArthur – pg. 80; published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson.  [2] Scripture – Do not use a paraphrase.  Use a reliable translation.  I would recommend the KJV, the NKJV, the NASV, & the ESV.

Note:  Perhaps you have made the statement; I hate myself.  Is it because you have failed to live up to a certain standard?  Maybe it is the world’s standard or even your own standards you have failed to live up to.  God has a standard that certainly no one can live up to because we are all under the curse of sin.  God’s standard is perfection.

  Fortunately, for you and I, God is offering us a substitute who can fulfill His standard on our behalf.  His name is Jesus Christ.  He is God’s Son and He alone has fulfilled God’s Standard of Righteousness.

Messiah Jesus took the penalty of our sin upon Himself when He died upon the cross of Calvary.  He was buried and rose again from the dead.  His perfect righteousness is applied to all who accept Him as God’s provision of righteousness on our behalf.  If you hate yourself,  lift your eyes off of yourself and onto the perfect Lamb of God.  Repent (change your mind) and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Accept Him as your Saviour and Lord.  Harden not your heart.  Let today be the day of your salvation!

If you claim to be a Christian and you hate yourself to the point of despair, perhaps you have unconfessed sin that is burdening your conscience.  I John 1:8-10 says;  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

How are we to confess our sins?  We confess them directly to the Lord.  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (I Timothy 2:5).  We are to confess our sins as soon as we are aware of them.  Name the sin and agree with God about it.  Wrong thoughts are sin.  Follow the Psalmist’s direction; Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized* into Jesus Christ were baptized* into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism* into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

For he that is dead is freed from sin.  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.  Likewise reckon (consider) ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:1-23).

*Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost      (Acts 11:16).

*For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13).

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…

Note:  Salvation delivers one from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, and one day from the very presence of sin.

And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;

When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,

Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:

But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

Zachariah Chapter Seven

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…

Whenever we think something is impossible,……we should remember who God is, we should remember that He is in control, and we should pray (talk to Him about it).

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  Hebrews 11:6

Faith is a firm persuasion or conviction brought about by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.*

 *W.E. Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words – Copyright 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…