Proverbs 29.13
“The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.”
There is a subtle warning in this verse. The Lord addresses the fact that the oppressor and the poor man he oppresses have something in common: The Lord gives light to both of them.
To say that God “gives light” to our eyes means that the Lord gives us the ability to see not just physically, but morally. However, having the ability to see morally does not mean we will exercise that ability. Sadly, people often reject the light that the Lord gives, and they choose to see life through an immoral lens.
The great question for every person: How will you respond to the light the Lord gives you? Will you accept it, or will you reject it? Will you walk in the light of the Lord, or will you walk in darkness?
The oppressor in this proverb is arrogant and a bully, and he is walking in darkness. He sees life through a selfish, immoral lens. He does not think he will be held accountable, even though he makes oppressive demands on the poor man.
But now God is saying to the oppressor, I have given my light to both you and the poor man you are abusing, and I will hold you accountable to my truth.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6.22-23)
Jesus is teaching us that the way we look at people and situations is enormously important. If your eye is healthy (clear vision), then your life is full of light and you see with clarity. This allows you to deal with people and situations according to what is actually happening. But if your eye is bad (impaired vision), then your life is full of darkness. This will lead you to react to people and situations based on a distorted perspective.
The Lord gives light. How will you respond?
