Worthless Things
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
and revive me in Your way.
Psalm 119:37
TAKING IT IN
We live in the midst of a “visual” culture.
Have you ever considered the time your “eyes” spend looking at worthless things?
The word worthless is rendered vanity in the King James translation and provides us with rich insight. When we are looking at worthless things, we are speaking about things that are devoid of real value, worth, or significance, things that are unprofitable, useless, and of no effect.
The prophet Samuel said it best:
And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 1 Samuel 12:21
Worthless things compete for the attention of our eyes every day.
Television, the internet and Facebook, are just a few of the things that can steal away hours of our time. Games that were meant to be played and enjoyed by families now have become video entertainment for our children. They are left alone to play for hours; eyes glued to the iPad screen.
The idea of “looking” is better defined as “beholding’. When we “behold” something, we are not merely “seeing it”. We are taking it in, gazing or focusing upon it. The danger for us lies in the fact that the heart will tend to bend in the direction of whatever the eyes are focused upon.
MAKING IT MEANINGFUL
Eve gazed upon the forbidden fruit with her eyes and convinced herself to eat it. Achan confessed that he had “seen” the beautiful garments and the shekels of silver and gold and longed for them. Before committing adultery with Bathsheba, David had “looked” upon her as she was washing herself. Beholding her with his eyes, his heart inclined to lust after her and we know the end of the story.
Though the psalmist is well acquainted with the struggle of the “eyes”, he clearly believes that life is found in God’s ways. His request is that God would divert his gaze from worthlessness things to those which are priceless; His relationship with God and the treasures in His Word.
God does not reach down and turn our heads for us. What He does do is He stimulates us with something better. That is, He REVIVES us in His way. Charles Bridges captured the thought when he wrote:
“What will most effectually ‘turn my eyes from vanity?’ Not the seclusion of contemplative retirement – not the relinquishment of our lawful connection with the world; but the transcendent beauty of Jesus unveiled to our eyes, and fixing our hearts. This will ‘turn our eyes from vanity’ in its most glittering forms.”
Charles Spurgeon expanded on Psalm 119:37 in these words:
“Give me so much life that dead vanity may have no power over me. Enable me to travel so swiftly in the road to heaven that I may not stop long enough within sight of vanity to be fascinated thereby. The prayer indicates our greatest need, – more life in our obedience. It shows the preserving power of increased life to keep us from the evils which are around us, and it, also, tells us where that increased life must come from, namely, from the Lord alone. Vitality is the cure of vanity (emphasis mine).”
“Vitality” is the cure of vanity! Spurgeon goes on to say:
When the heart is full of grace the eyes will be cleansed from impurity. On the other hand, if we would be full of life as to the things of God we must keep ourselves apart from sin and folly, or the eyes will soon captivate the mind, and, like Samson, who could slay his thousands, we may ourselves be overcome through the lusts which enter by the eye.
WORKING IT INTO MY HEART
Oh how we must be “revived” in this way; that we would not be lured into beholding the worthless things of this world, but that we would be those who are captivated by the beauty of our Lord; turning our eyes upon Jesus.
Remember this week that what you are beholding may determine what you are becoming. Be careful of where your “eyes” are spending their time. Much of what we see every day in the world around us is worthless and false, it’s all empty! It doesn’t come from God who is Truth; it comes from the evil all around us. You may think that your time looking at television, Facebook, and the internet is harmless, but the question becomes have you spent equal time looking at the Word of God?
Ask God this week to help you turn your eyes away from “worthless things’ to look upon the priceless treasure in His Word. In order for our hearts to be “revived” we must behold HIM! As we behold Him, we will become like Him.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18
Take time this week to ponder the truths of turning your eyes upon Jesus!