Proverbs 7:1-5
Q.1. What command did Solomon give his son? Why should we store up these words? What point is God making, when urging us to keep them as the pupil of our eyes? – (Prov.7:1-2 c.f. Mt.6:22-23)
It is not enough to know the truth. Solomon urged his son to treasure and keep the commandments, and so live a godly and fulfilled life. The apple or pupil of the eye is crucial to sight. The pupil of the eye is the black iris in its centre. The human eye works much like a digital camera: (i) Light is focused primarily by the cornea — the clear front surface of the eye, which acts like a camera lens. (ii) The iris of the eye functions like the diaphragm of a camera, controlling the amount of light reaching the back of the eye by automatically adjusting the size of the pupil. (iii) The eye’s lens is located directly behind the pupil and further focuses light, and the lens helps the eye to automatically focus on near and approaching objects. (iv) Light focused by the cornea and lens (and limited by the iris and pupil) then reaches the retina. The retina acts like an electronic image sensor of a digital camera, converting optical images into electronic signals. The optic nerve then transmits these signals to the part of the brain that controls our sense of sight. We should not be surprised that Jesus understood the function of the eye perfectly, as shown in His teaching in Matthew 6:22-23. Solomon was urging his son to protect the truth, just as he would protect his eye from injury. He should cherish it above all else.
Q.2. From where did Solomon get his instruction? How should God’s truth be treated? How can God’s Word keep us from succumbing to the words of an adulteress? – (Prov.7:3-5 c.f. Dt.6:4-9)
Solomon was a king of Israel. Kings had to write out the Law of the Lord in their own handwriting – 18 Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes (Dt.17:18-19). As a result, his instructions were based on Scripture. When Solomon called on his son to – Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart … he was quoting from the SHEMA (Prov.7:3 c.f. Dt.6:4-9). This was not to be an empty ritual, but a matter of the heart. Just as a brother would protect and care for his sister, so – call understanding your intimate friend (Prov.7:4). Only in this way will God’s Word enable people to discern the flattery of a woman who may try to entice them to forsake their wedding vows (Prov.7:5).