“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes…. You shall not eat it, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you, for you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD…. Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God” (Deut 12:8, 25, 28).
“Looks are deceiving.” “Not all that glimmers is gold.” “Never judge a book by its cover.”
There are many sayings about the dangers of making choices on the basis of external appearances. Bad decisions based on appearance can also be extended to our subjective feelings as well. In Deuteronomy 12, we find a critical contrast between doing what is “right in the eyes of the LORD” (vv. 25, 28) and doing what is “right in our own eyes” (v. 8).
This emphasis on “sight” is all the more important when we consider the biblical pattern of falling into sin which almost always begins with “sight”:
“And the woman saw that it was good and took” (Gen 3:6).
“The sons of God saw they were good and took” (Gen 6:2).
“When I saw a good mantle I took” (Josh 7:21).
“When David saw a good woman and he took” (2 Sam 11:2, 4).
If we allow our eyes and feelings to lead us, we will most assuredly and consistently make the wrong choices and wake up to the reality of very unpleasant consequences.
Deceptive Eyes
Because our ability to distinguish the “good” from the bad” is so terribly impaired we must always work on the assumption that what looks good to me may not be good for me, and will likely not bring glory to God. To make choices that are pleasing in God’s eyes, therefore we must immerse ourselves in Scripture to see the world through God’s eyes, since the Bible is a supernatural revelation of God’s perspective on the world (Deut 8:3; 2 Tim 3:16-17).
If we allow our eyes and feelings to lead us, we will most assuredly and consistently make the wrong choices and wake up to the reality of very unpleasant consequences. On the flip side, when we spend our time studying the divine map, we will always find the right path to blessing even in the darkest, most dangerous terrains of life.
“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Psa 36:9).
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psa 119:105).
“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal…. [F]or we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 4:17-18; 5:7).
