This blog is an excerpt of a message titled Open My Eyes, by Rev. Dr. Samuel Olajire.
Based on Luke 19:41–42; Luke 24:28–32; 2 Kings 6:15–17; Genesis 21:8–21
Every believer has physical and spiritual eyes. With the physical eyes, we can readily see visible objects and things. Sometimes however, visible things are hidden by spiritual or supernatural means from the physical eyes. With the spiritual eyes, we can see both visible and invisible objects and things. Sometimes also, some things are hidden even from the spiritual eyes. This therefore necessitates that both our physical and spiritual eyes be opened by the Lord for us to see properly.
When Things Are Hidden From Our Eyes
In Luke 19, as Jesus approached Jerusalem, he wept over the city and said: “If you, even you, had only known on this day what will bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes.” That was a critical moment. Jesus was getting close to the time of his death, and he looked over the city of Jerusalem and saw that the people he came to save failed to see what they were supposed to see. The thing that pertained to their peace was hidden from their eyes.
As it happened to them, so it is happening in our generation. The things that pertain to our peace are hidden from our eyes. We have our eyes to see, but we do not see. Even when we talk of our spiritual eyes, we fail to see. It is a serious matter.
In Luke 24, on the day of the resurrection, two disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Jesus came and walked along with them. He had a very long interaction with them. He opened up the scripture to them. But they never recognized it was Jesus who was with them. It was only when he was at the table with them, when he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them, that their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And he disappeared from their sight.
They had a very long journey with Jesus. Quite a number of kilometers. He was talking with them. They were expressing their fears and anxieties. He was opening the scripture to them. But they never knew it was Jesus they were talking to. When your eyes are opened, you come to know and understand what you never knew and understood before.
In 2 Kings 6, the servant of Elisha woke up early in the morning and saw the Syrian army surrounding the city with horses and chariots. He cried out: “Oh my Lord, what shall we do?” Elisha answered: “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed: “Oh Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Sometimes we feel too big and insulted when someone talks about our eyes being opened. But no matter the level we are in life, there are moments that come upon us where the only way out, the only solution, is for God to open our eyes. Otherwise we are overtaken by anxiety, distress, and depression.
From these three instances, we can draw out the following. First, things that pertain to our peace, joy, promotion, and fulfillment can be hidden from our eyes. Second, the Lord can do things that open our eyes. Third, we can pray to the Lord to open our eyes and he will answer, as Elisha did for his servant. And finally, God opened the eyes of people in scripture at critical moments. So when you come to any critical moment, remember to pray: Lord, open my eyes. If you can do that, there must be a solution. You will see things that will turn around your difficult situation.
The Flesh and the Spirit
In Genesis 21, when Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a feast to celebrate the occasion. But for Ishmael, it was an opportunity for mocking. And that mocking did not escape the notice of Sarah, who promptly responded to it.
On a spiritual plane, Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, symbolizes the flesh, the old nature in the believer. The bondwoman came from Egypt and was given to Abraham as a concubinage by Sarah herself. Ishmael came into existence through the activity and manipulation of the flesh. It was Sarah in Genesis 16 who was taken over by the flesh and gave her maidservant Hagar to Abraham to foster the purpose of God.
Isaac symbolizes the spirit, the new nature in the believer. In Ishmael and Isaac, we have the conflict between the flesh and the spirit being dramatized. Galatians 5:16-17 says: “Live by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit and the spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other.” There is always an irreconcilable difference between the flesh and the spirit.
Now we have the fruit of the flesh mocking the fruit of the spirit. When Sarah saw this, she said to Abraham: “Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.” God had opened her eyes to see what she needed to see. She saw danger ahead. She saw that if Ishmael, who was already about 18 years old at this time, was allowed to remain in the family, he would murder Isaac.
Galatians 4:28-30 confirms it: “As then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless, what does the scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman.”
If the flesh, the sinful nature, is allowed to remain in you, it will murder the spiritual nature, the new nature that you have. The flesh already lost its control over your life when it died with Christ at the cross. So let it become dormant, inactive, and dead in your life. Cast out the flesh that was already crucified with Jesus at the cross, so that your new nature in Christ will not be emasculated or overpowered.
There is also a second level of interpretation. Ishmael was a stranger to the covenant that God made with Abraham. It was Isaac that God had designed to be the covenant carrier after Abraham, not Ishmael. So if the purpose of God was to be fulfilled in the life of Isaac, Ishmael had to give way. There is a time to cast out strangers to the covenant that we carry. There is a time to remove strange persons from your life and from your family, persons who are inimical to the purpose of God in your life, if you want to enter your rest. If your Isaac will thrive, your Ishmael must be cast out.
Abraham had his objection. He was distressed by Sarah’s command and it was not easy for him to separate from his Ishmael until God intervened. It is never easy to let your Ishmael go. Your Ishmael is usually something that you love and appreciate. You will not find it easy to give away your Ishmael. But if you must enter your rest, if you are going to have peace and fulfillment, your Ishmael must be cast out.
Wandering and Agony in the Wilderness
Early the next morning, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away with some food and a skin of water. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes and sat down nearby, saying: “I cannot watch the boy die.” And she began to weep.
When you step out of the covenant arena, you become a wanderer. When you step out of the arena of grace, you become a destitute. There are people who have stayed away from the covenant arena and they are wanderers. Please, if you claim to be a covenant child, stay where you are supposed to stay. Otherwise you keep wandering for the rest of your life, walking about aimlessly with no direction.
When the water in the skin was gone, she became helpless and hopeless and concluded the boy was going to die. And she resorted to weeping. She did not call on the God of Abraham. This is what some believers do when there is a problem. They forget to speak with God. They only talk and weep around. It is a reflection of their weak relationship with God. When there is a problem, what do you do?
There are some who are spiritually dehydrated. The spiritual water in the skin is gone and they are only floating. If there is a storm of life, they may not be able to hold their ground spiritually. May God open your eyes to see your poor spiritual condition and may you receive help from above to begin to do the right thing.
Since Hagar did not call on the God of Abraham, it was the mercy and love of God for Abraham that located her and Ishmael. God spoke to her tenderly. The angel of God assured her that God had heard the cry of Ishmael. And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.
She did not call upon the God of Abraham. She forgot about him completely. But the heart of mercy of God and God’s love for Abraham caused God to remember his covenant with Abraham. And the mercy of God prevailed. The Bible says the mercy of the Lord prevails against judgment. When there is a problem, call on the name of the Lord and you will see God’s intervention. Do not just talk and weep. It will never help you. Go to God and talk to God, and it shall be well with you.
May the Lord open our eyes to see what we need to see, in every critical moment, for our peace, our fulfillment, and his glory.