Proverbs 7:1-3 - Treasure Gods Word Not Sinful Pleasures.
Proverbs 7:1-3 (ESV) My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you; 2 keep
my commandments and live; keep my teaching as
the apple of your eye; 3 bind them on your
fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
INTRODUCTION
Keep My Words. That is, obey me.
Apple Of Thine Eye. Literally, the pupil
of thine eye. A figure of extreme
preciousness.
Upon Thy Fingers. Hence always within view
and serving as a constant reminder. [SDA Bible
Commentary]
The apple of the eye is the pupil. The
imagery is used to emphasize how precious the
teachings of Gods word should be in the lives of
his people. [New Bible Companion]
We guard the eye as our most precious and
tender member from hurt, and prize it most dearly.
The pupil is the most precious part of the eye,
and carefully guarded by the eyebrows, eyelids,
and eyelashes. As we guard the pupil of the eye
from the least mote, which is sufficient to hurt
it, so God's law is so tender and holy a thing
that the least violation of it in thought, word,
or deed, is sin; and we are so to keep the law
as to avoid any violation of it. The law
resembles the pupil of the eye also in its being
spiritually the organ of light, without which we should
be in utter darkness. (Jamieson, Fausset, and
Brown Commentary)
Bind them upon thy fingers; let them be
precious to thee; look upon them as an ornament, as a
diamond-ring, as the signet on thy right hand; wear them
continually as thy wedding-ring, the badge of thy
espousals to God. Look upon the word of God as putting
an honour upon thee, as an ensign of thy
dignity. Bind them on thy fingers, that they may be
constant memorandums to thee of thy duty, that thou
mayest have them always in view, as that which is
graven upon the palms of thy hands." (Matthew
Henry's Commentary)
Write them upon the table of thy heart, as
the names of the friends we dearly love, we say,
are written in our hearts. let the word of God
dwell richly in us, and be written there where it
will be always at hand to be read. Where sin was
written let the word of God be written. (Matthew
Henry's Commentary)
COMMENTARY PEARL
Cherishing God's Word.
I find it a dangerous thing to go grocery
shopping when I'm hungry. I find myself tempted to
buy food that under normal circumstances would
not appeal to me at all. I am not alone,
according to King Solomon: "One who is full loathes
honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter
is sweet" (Proverbs 27:7).
This same principle can be applied to our
pursuit of purity. There is a real danger in going
through our days spiritually hungry because we have
not fed well upon the word of God.
If we are going to make any meaningful
attempt at maintaining our purity, it is imperative
that we not only read God's word; we must also
cherish it. Solomon - the king of Israel to whom God
gave wisdom that surpassed anyone else's (1 Kings
3:3-14) - uses language that gets at the notion of
cherishing God's word when he tells his son to "keep"
his words, to "treasure" them, to keep them "as
the apple of [his] eye," to "bind" them, and to
"write" them on his heart.
To relate to God's word this way requires
us to get beyond using the Bible merely as a
textbook to study, a book of proof texts for
arguments, or a promise book to which we occasionally
turn. Cherishing God's word requires us to seek
the perspective of the psalmist who, distancing
himself from the proud and the scoffers of his day,
says of the man who is walking with God, "His
delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he
meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2).
There is a direct correlation between
delighting in God's word - allowing it to control and
guide our lives - and maintaining a zeal for
purity. If we fail to cherish Scripture, the
question is not if we will stumble in the matter of
purity but when.
Everyone of us can keep our way pure by
hiding God's word in our hearts (Psalm 119:9). Do
you have a plan for memorizing Scripture? Let me
challenge you to make a commitment to memorize a verse
of the Bible, whether it's every other day,
every day, every week, or whatever it might be.
Make a plan, and stick with it.
Feast on God's word and be satisfied.
Cherish the Scriptures and be pure. [Truth for Life
by Alistair Begg]
COMMENTARY
As I work on this manuscript, I'm seated
at a desk in a hotel room. I'm away from home.
Away from people who know me.
Voices that encourage and affirm are
distant.
But voices that tantalize and entice are
near. Although the room is quiet, if I listen,
their voices are crystal clear.
A placard on my nightstand invites me to
a lounge in the lobby, where I can "make new
friends in a relaxing atmosphere." An advertisement
on top of the television promises me that with
the request of a late-night adult movie my
"fantasies will come true." In the phone book, several
columns of escort services offer "love away from
home." ... On television a talk-show host discusses
the day's topic: "How to succeed at sex in the
office."
Voices. Some for pleasure. Some for power.
The world rams at your door; Jesus taps
at your door. The voices scream for your
allegiance; Jesus softly and tenderly requests it. The
world promises flashy pleasure; Jesus promises a
quiet dinner ... with God. "I will come in and
eat."
Which voice do you hear? (From In the Eye
of the Storm by Max Lucado) [Inspirational SB]
An American Indian was once visiting New
York City. As he walked the busy Manhattan
streets with a friend from the city, he suddenly
stopped, tilted his head to one side, and said, "I
hear a cricket."
"You're crazy," his friend said. The
Cherokee answered, "No, I hear a cricket. I do! I'm
sure of it."
The friend replied, "It's the noon hour.
People are jammed on the sidewalks, cars are
honking, taxis are whizzing by - the city is full of
noise. And you think you can hear a cricket?"
"I'm sure I do," said the visitor. He
listened even more intently and then walked to the
corner. Spotting a shrub in a large cement planter,
he dug into the leaves underneath it, and
pulled out a cricket. His friend was astounded. The
man said, "The fact is, my friend, that my ears
are different than yours. It all depends on what
your ears have been tuned to hear. Let me show
you." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a
handful of loose change and dropped the coins on the
pavement. Every head within a half block turned. "See
what I mean?" he said, picking up the coins. "It
all depends on what you are listening for."
Listen today to those things that will
make you wise. Heed those things that prepare you
for eternity. [God's Little Devotional Bible re
Pro.15:3]
CLOSING THOUGHT
As P. T. Barnum was fond of saying, "A
sucker is born every minute." The book of Proverbs
agrees! Proverbs teaches through images and
metaphors like that of the simple young man. The tale
of his seduction serves as a concrete example
of the way in which folly can capture a
simple-minded person. From Solomon's point of view, every
one of us is born "simpler - that is, gullible,
credulous, naive. But while Barnum saw human
gullibility as an opportunity for profit, the proverbs
see the condition as a character weakness to be
corrected. All around us people appeal to our
gullibility in one area or another. If we're to escape
with our money, health and integrity intact, we
need to develop what the proverbs call prudence.
The first practical step to wisdom is to
identify the simpleton in ourselves. The proverbs in
this study are a mirror which lets us see where
and how we are naive. And more than that, they
will set us on the road to wisdom. All of us
would agree that young children are naive or
simple in all areas of life. But all of us remain
naive or simple in some areas. In what way might
this be true of you? [Quiet Time SB]
ONE LINER
The wise person is not the individual of
great intellectual achievement, but the person who
makes appropriate choices in his or her daily
life. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Proverbs 7:1-3 - Treasure God's Word - Not
Sinful Pleasures.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2007/20070705-2118.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
