It Wasn’t Only His Eyesight That Was Bad!
As we age, our eyesight tends to decrease. Things are not as sharp or as clear. In fact, for some people a cloud forms over their eyes and nothing is seen as it really is. This is not only true of eyesight however, One of the great travesties of life is to be in a place where we really can’t see:
[ "Speak, God. I’m Ready to Listen" ] The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli’s direction. This was at a time when the revelation of God was rarely heard or seen. One night Eli was sound asleep (his eyesight was very bad—he could hardly see). It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. 1 Samuel 3:2 (KJV)
Eli was a prophet of God, He had been called to this position; he had prophesied to Hannah, a barren woman that she would have a son. Hannah had that son, Samuel, and because God gave her the son as promised, she gave that son back to God, entrusting him into the care of Eli to mentor him in the ways of God. However, as we see in this passage two things: one, Eli could hardly see, his eyesight was bad – and secondly, the entire nation was living in a time when "the revelation of God was rarely heard or seen". So, not only was Eli in trouble, the entire nation of Israel had trouble seeing.
Yet, as the story goes, we know that God spoke to Samuel, and Eli, even in his backslidden state was still astute enough to tell Samuel to listen. Thus, even though Eli’s life was not in the best condition, he still directed Samuel to hear the voice of God and see His revelation..The ability to see is certainly important. When our eyesight is hindered in any way, it causes us to be handicapped. We have to depend upon others to see for us. This precludes that we will have to "see" the world through their eyes. What if their revelation is handicapped. – this is probably where we get the saying, "the blind leading the blind"!
God wants us to "see" not only through the pupils of our eyes, He wants us to see through the chambers of our heart. He longs for us to receive revelation as to the wonders of HIs creation; He wants us to see the vision He has for our life, and how significant it is to His plan for the world. Fortunately, the ability to see, to really see, is not far from us:
26 And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories. 27 This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of [a]your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Acts 17:26-28 (AMP)
Maria