Posted on 03/06/2022 9:14:20 PM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart . . . For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night” (Proverbs 7:2-3, 6-9).
“Keep my commandments, and live,” we are encouraged to learn the Word and to keep the Word to protect us from harm. In the passage before us, had Israel kept the commandments would they ever have ended up like they did in Hosea? No. In the New Testament, if we study the commandments and live by the commandments—what will they do for you? They will put you under the Law, and when we put ourselves under the Law—we sin. “And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death” (Romans 7:10 KJV). It becomes the thing that slays you, for “the wages of sin is death.”
In Proverbs, the Old Testament Jew not only had moral commandments, rituals and feasts to atone for his sins. So, by keeping those things he would live.
“. . . and my law as the apple of thine eye,” children are the apple of the parent’s eye. This is saying that the Law is the most cherished thing that they have. There is nothing better than the “apple of my eye.”
In this passage, Solomon is going to give us an illustration. A casement? Wow, our Bible is so old and archaic. Nobody has a casement window any more, I am sure. Looks like we need to rewrite our Bibles and update them. Those windows are so 400 years ago. Wait, never mind, Home Depot sells them. They are windows that are attached to the frame by one or more hinges. Phew! Our Bibles are safe! They are still God’s Word!
Okay, this is either Solomon looking out the window of his palace, or God is looking out of the windows of heaven.
“And beheld among the simple ones,” that’s the ones spoken of here: “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?” (Proverbs 1:22 KJV). Simple, stupid people that refuse to listen to truth,
“I discerned among the youths,” isn’t it interesting that the simple ones are among the youth? “. . . a young man void of understanding,” vain, empty-headed. “Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,” now we want to keep our feet out of that way—if you know that is the wrong kind of house, and the wrong kind of place, a man is a fool to walk by it. If a man walks by a place, knowing what it is, it’s a good bet he is looking for something. An alcoholic is a fool to walk a certain way to home if their happens to be a bar located on that street—he needs to find a different way.
“. . . and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night,” this verse can be applied to the church age as well, for we have all four watches of the day. In the twilight (up to 500 A.D.), in the evening (up to 1000 A.D.), in the black (up to 1500 A.D.) and dark night (it is darkest just before the dawn, when the daystar arises. One day soon the sun is going to shine in that great Millennial kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here then is a simple, young man devoid of any brain cells going along the path he knows will lead to sin. In his folly he is not interested in the wisdom which says that he needs to find another way to where he is going—because where he is going—is up to no good. Here, then, we have a word to the wise. Take heed!
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Was he going to Kamala’s residence?
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