Once a man sets his sights on reaching the truth, nothing this side of death can stop him.”
–John Deacon (Kip)
“So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.”
–Psalm 18:24 (ESV)
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Here, in the first part of Proverbs 7, we see more instruction. These are important to the basic foundations of living. Keep and store God’s commands; lay up–put them in the bank so they can be used. Remember, means to never forget. It is important as we go through life that we understand that “the true life of man depends upon his relationship to the Word of God.” (Flores)
1 — My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you.
2 — Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.
3 — Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 — Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your nearest kin,
5 — That they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words. (NKJV)
Let me tell you right from the start in this lesson, existence is not the same as living! All exist but only those who are in God’s Word and are obedient truly live. Warren Wiersbe says that, “keeping God’s commands is a matter of life or death.” We all exist, but we do not all live the life of fullness in God, which goes even further than this life but on into eternity.
Notice the term, “apple of your eye.” This is something that is adored, cherished. “We protect our eyes because they are valuable to us, and so should we honor and protect God’s Word by obeying it.” (Wiersbe) By following God’s instruction we are acting the same as if we were protecting our eyes. The NIV adds the word, “guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.” We wear goggles and glasses to protect the eyes. Our sight is valuable, but more so, our spiritual sight. “The instruction of the Word is the same to soul as the eye is to the body.” (Muffet)
Jesus tells us in John, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (14:15, NKJV) No, this is not legalism, it is an act of love. If you love someone you want to spend time with them, you want to know all about them. Therefore, the more we know about the Lord, the more we study His Word, the more we should strive to obey and practice them.
Dan Dick tells us that the “Commandments of God should be as much a part of us as the fingers which are a part of our hands.” How much of the Word do you know? How much of the Word do you practice? We are to “write them,” actually we are to “etch them” or “carve them” into our hearts. We are to keep God’s teaching with us all the time! We are to practice and obey His teaching all the time.
When we trust completely in God’s promises, we find new meaning in the word wisdom. By this time in our study we should come to a better understanding of what wisdom is and is not. This will continue on through Proverbs. But this is wisdom, this is understanding–“the truth of God is constant; never changing.” (Dick) So live a full and complete life by knowing who God is and becoming more and more acquainted with Him.