Proverbs 7:1-3 - Treasure God's Word Not Sinful Pleasures.

Pro.7:1-3; Treasure God's Word Not Sinful Pleasures.

Prov 7:1 (KJV)  My son, keep my words, and lay up my
commandments with thee.
Prov 7:2 (KJV)  Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as
the apple of thine eye.
Prov 7:3 (KJV)  Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the
table of thine heart.

Prov 7:1 (NIV)  My son, keep my words and store up my commands
within you.
Prov 7:2 (NIV)  Keep my commands and you will live; guard my
teachings as the apple of your eye.
Prov 7:3 (NIV)  Bind them on your fingers; write them on the
tablet of your heart.

Prov 7:1 (TEV)  Son, remember what I say and never forget what I
tell you to do.
Prov 7:2 (TEV)  Do what I say, and you will live.  Be as careful
to follow my teaching as you are to protect your eyes.
Prov 7:3 (TEV)  Keep my teaching with you all the time; write it
on your heart.

Prov 7:1 (NCV)  My son, remember what I say, and treasure my
commands.
Prov 7:2 (NCV)  Obey my commands, and you will live. Guard my
teachings as you would your own eyes.
Prov 7:3 (NCV)  Remind yourself of them; write them on your
heart as if on a tablet.

Prov 7:1 (CEV)  My son, pay close attention and don't forget
what I tell you to do.
Prov 7:2 (CEV)  Obey me, and you will live! Let my instructions
be your greatest treasure.
Prov 7:3 (CEV)  Keep them at your fingertips and write them in
your mind.

Prov 7:1 (TLB)  Follow my advice, my son; always keep it in mind
and stick to it.
Prov 7:2 (TLB)  Obey me and live! Guard my words as your most
precious possession.
Prov 7:3 (TLB)  Write them down, and also keep them deep within
your heart.

These chapters develop two themes interwoven by a distinctive
literary device. The first theme is the dangers of adultery, filled with
warnings against the seductive woman. These are developed in 5:1-23 and
6:20-7:27. The second theme is the praise of wisdom, personified as a
woman. This is developed in 8:1-9:18. [Victor Bible Reader's
Companion]

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]

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 (see Deut. 6:8; 11:18). [SDA Commentary]

Apple of thine eye. Center of the eye; therefore the pupil, a
symbol of a most precious thing. [Wycliffe Bible Commentary]

Apple of your eye. Lit., pupil of your eye; i.e., a precious
thing to be guarded with the utmost care. [Ryrie SB]

The "apple" of the eye (7:2) is the pupil. The imagery is used
to emphasize how precious the teachings of God's word should be in
the lives of his people. [New Bible Companion]

The expression "apple of your eye" is literally "little man of
your eye" and refers to one's reflection in the eye of another. It
refers, then, to constant attentiveness and care (cf. Deut. 32:10). The
same expression is used in Ps. 17:8 to translate the literal
expression "daughter of your eye," and in Zech. 2:8, "gate of His eye."
[Believer's SB]

We guard the eye as our most precious and tender member from
hurt, and prize it most dearly (cf. ). 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)

Keep them as those that cannot live without them.... Let the word
of God dwell in us, and so be written where it will be always at
hand to be read. Thus we shall be kept from the fatal effects of our
own passions, and the snares of Satan. [Matthew Henry 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)

Faithful Israelites were asked to keep symbolic records of God's
law on their hands and foreheads as constant reminders of God's
purposes and plans. Yet the symbol was to establish God's way of life
inside of His people, that is in their hearts, the seat of thinking and
directing. [Disciple SB]

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)

Wisdom is here personified as a sister or friend who keeps one
from violating the commandments against sexual promiscuity.
[Cambridge Annotated SB]

Human beings are made in the image of God, and are to be valued
and protected. Prostitution is an offense against both the seller
and the buyer, reducing the human being to a commodity. People are
not things to be used. Each individual man and woman is special,
made in God's image, and is to be loved and protected. The believer
can hardly become involved in any user relationship, in which the
value of another person is reduced by treating that other as a thing.
[Victor Teacher's Commentary]

Beware of moral choices that appeal just to the senses and
provide immediate gratification. [Victor Bible Reader's Companion]

Evil may be alluring and offer temporary pleasure. It never
produces long-term good for an individual or society.  [Disciple SB]

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]

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]