Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. ~ Proverbs 7:2

Proverbs chapter seven is mostly about the danger of the strange woman, or the harlot. It is quite descriptive of her manner, dress, behavior and the end result of that behavior. Any Christian who reads this chapter and isn’t afraid of the harlot, may not be a true Christian! I read it today, making note of these characteristics because I do not want to exhibit them. Sadly, I sometimes do. Verse 11 says, “She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:. . .” I’m afraid I have been both loud and stubborn at times. Ouch.

The verse that I am writing about today is one that, as a child, I misunderstood. When I heard the phrase “he (or she) is the apple of my eye”, I took it to mean someone you couldn’t stop looking at! Well, that’s not a bad interpretation, I guess. We should love to look at God’s words, His law or commands. But it means much more than that. The apple of the eye is the most sensitive part of our bodies. Who doesn’t react strongly if something is pointed at our eyeball?  We put up our hands and jerk our heads away to protect our eyes. Workmen wear safety glasses or face shields for certain jobs. And have you ever been poked in the eye? Nothing hurts quite like that! Solomon is directing sons to regard God’s Word with that kind of care; to protect it, to cherish it.

Verse 3 tells us to keep the law near us, at our hands and in our hearts (minds). We do this by submitting the precious words to memory. Placing God’s Words in my brain takes work, but it’s well worth it. I need to improve on that.

Again, the statement by Charles Bridges that I quoted a few days ago bears repeating: “If wisdom is not loved, lust will be indulged.” That’s really what it comes down to, isn’t it? Do we love our flesh, or God’s Word? It’s up to me, and to you, to choose.