KEEP TO KEEP
Proverbs 7:1-5 NKJV
1 My son, keep my words,
And treasure my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.
If you will allow me a bit of devotional license. This entire proverb can be seen as how to stay away from sin, particularly the alluring sins of immorality. This proverb deals directly with the prostitute, but I believe it can be seen as an allegory where the prostitute represents sin. So how does a person keep themselves from sin? That’s a big topic, but verses one through five give us some insight.
Keeping free from sin starts with a very healthy respect for God’s Word. Immediately, there is a balk here. Shouldn’t we be speaking of a healthy respect for God? Absolutely, but what we must understand is that we cannot separate God from His Word. We can’t say I have a great reverence and respect for God, but His word is not important. It simply does not work that way. Because we love and respect God, we have a deep, abiding respect for His Word. His words become a treasure to us. And as Solomon continues to write, they are the apple of our eye. Treasure and delight aren’t always terms we use to describe what God’s Word is to us, but this kind of love and respect puts us on a path that leads away from sin.
Bind them on your fingers. We become aware of anything that is attached to our hands. And write them on the tablet of your heart. This has to do with awareness and focus. God’s Word, written on our hearts, indicates we have given time and attention to that word. The psalmist said that he hid God’s Word in his heart so that he might not sin against God (Psalm 119:11). Again, a correlation between God’s Word and keeping away from sin. Verse nine of Psalm 119 says that a person can cleanse their way by paying attention to God’s Word.
Verse four of our Proverb speaks of our relationship with wisdom and understanding. To keep away from sin, we have a close relationship with wisdom. Wisdom is likened to a sister. Sisters are to be protected, never abandoned. And understanding is valuable like a close family relation. Let me add, a close relation where the relationship is good, and where kin stick together. The way things should operate in a family is that close relationships are valued. When we value the close relationship we have with the wisdom found in God’s Word, we do not abandon it. Another thing about keeping close to the wisdom of God’s Word is that it will help us discern the flattery of sin. Sin will tell you everything is going to be great and nothing bad will come. But that is flattery and not truth. The wisdom of God’s Word helps us cut through the lies of sin and see beyond the temporary pleasure to the long-term impact.
Reading the rest of Proverbs 7, we see a young man void of understanding who comes too close to sin, passing along the street near her corner and taking the path to her house. Wisdom will keep us from coming near to sin and not heading down that path. Sin says there is no harm to look. No harm in thinking about it. But the last few verses of this proverb tell us to stay away from the paths of sin, that they lead to death.
This is a big topic. But one of the best ways to stay away from sin is to keep putting God’s Word in our hearts and let that word guide and govern our actions and the paths we take. Don’t try to defeat sin in your own strength. We need God’s help and His Word to strengthen us on the inside.
PRAYER
Lord, I purpose to follow you and stay away from the lies and flattery of sin. Thank You for Your Word that strengthens me and gives me the wisdom to stay away from paths that lead to destruction.