In your "space", Jesus!
1-5 Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions. Do what I say and you'll live well. My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it!
Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart.
Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion. They'll be with you to fend off the Temptress—that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress. (Pr. 7:1-5)
Solomon was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen these words, but the wisdom he refers to here is more than earthly wisdom or the wisdom that he was given by God. He is speaking of Wisdom and Insight as a person - the person of Jesus Christ. As we examine this short portion of scripture this morning, let's spend a little time getting to know Jesus' character a little better.
Solomon begins with a command - do what I tell you, treasuring my careful instructions. Sound like a parent? Solomon had come to appreciate the fact that keeping the commandments of God had great reward. What he describes here is a two-part command: 1) Do and 2) Treasure. One is an action, the other a condition of the heart that influences the action. Then he tells us the reward of the action - life will be well for us.
It struck me how Solomon described the wisdom that comes from wise counsel and the Word of God - it is as precious to us as our eyesight. I remember a time when I had to have one eye patched for over a week due to a problem with the cornea of my eye. The pain in my injured eye was so significant that the other eye had a "sympathetic" response to the pain, making it almost impossible to keep my good eye open and responsive to stimuli. The doctor was uncertain if my eyesight would be affected by the injury to the cornea and he promised nothing hopeful. I suddenly felt anxious about the possibilities of losing my sight! We depend on our eyesight so very much - yet, we almost take it for granted. Solomon warns us here of taking God's leading and direction for granted - whether it comes through the wise counsel of a friend, the tender nudges of the Holy Spirit, or the personal revelation of truth from the Scriptures.
Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion. Think about the very nature of our Savior. He is closer to us than a sibling - as a matter of fact, he is our older sibling! My two grandsons are inseparable. The youngest follows after the oldest, getting into his "space" as much as humanly possible - even to the point of falling all over him with hugs and physical affection. When they are separated - they continually ask about when the other will be back. Is this is our relationship with Jesus? Are we earnestly "connected" to him as our sibling? Are we lavishing him with our affection and praise?
Talk to Wisdom - Jesus is our wisdom. He has the ultimate knowledge of what is true and yearns to show us truth at every turn. He knows what is right and he couples that with the understanding of what actions produce right living. It is nice to have a "big brother" to look up to for direction in our lives. Treat Insight as your companion - what better companion to have than Insight. Jesus has the complete understanding of the motivation behind every action. We don't even possess that! No wonder Solomon urges us to spend time getting to know our "sibling", Christ Jesus! He wants us to have our lives deeply affected by the one who can reveal even the deepest secrets of our heart and bring true revelation of sound judgment into our circumstances. When we get to know Jesus with this kind of intimacy, we can be assured that we have all we need to avoid the tempting seductress we call "sin".
Let's get to know our "big brother", Jesus! Talking frequently with him and spending time in companionable enjoyment of his presence. Perhaps we will develop the heart of a loyal sibling, never wanting to be separated from him, always seeking him out, and never being afraid to get in "his space"!
Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart.
Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion. They'll be with you to fend off the Temptress—that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress. (Pr. 7:1-5)
Solomon was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen these words, but the wisdom he refers to here is more than earthly wisdom or the wisdom that he was given by God. He is speaking of Wisdom and Insight as a person - the person of Jesus Christ. As we examine this short portion of scripture this morning, let's spend a little time getting to know Jesus' character a little better.
Solomon begins with a command - do what I tell you, treasuring my careful instructions. Sound like a parent? Solomon had come to appreciate the fact that keeping the commandments of God had great reward. What he describes here is a two-part command: 1) Do and 2) Treasure. One is an action, the other a condition of the heart that influences the action. Then he tells us the reward of the action - life will be well for us.
It struck me how Solomon described the wisdom that comes from wise counsel and the Word of God - it is as precious to us as our eyesight. I remember a time when I had to have one eye patched for over a week due to a problem with the cornea of my eye. The pain in my injured eye was so significant that the other eye had a "sympathetic" response to the pain, making it almost impossible to keep my good eye open and responsive to stimuli. The doctor was uncertain if my eyesight would be affected by the injury to the cornea and he promised nothing hopeful. I suddenly felt anxious about the possibilities of losing my sight! We depend on our eyesight so very much - yet, we almost take it for granted. Solomon warns us here of taking God's leading and direction for granted - whether it comes through the wise counsel of a friend, the tender nudges of the Holy Spirit, or the personal revelation of truth from the Scriptures.
Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion. Think about the very nature of our Savior. He is closer to us than a sibling - as a matter of fact, he is our older sibling! My two grandsons are inseparable. The youngest follows after the oldest, getting into his "space" as much as humanly possible - even to the point of falling all over him with hugs and physical affection. When they are separated - they continually ask about when the other will be back. Is this is our relationship with Jesus? Are we earnestly "connected" to him as our sibling? Are we lavishing him with our affection and praise?
Talk to Wisdom - Jesus is our wisdom. He has the ultimate knowledge of what is true and yearns to show us truth at every turn. He knows what is right and he couples that with the understanding of what actions produce right living. It is nice to have a "big brother" to look up to for direction in our lives. Treat Insight as your companion - what better companion to have than Insight. Jesus has the complete understanding of the motivation behind every action. We don't even possess that! No wonder Solomon urges us to spend time getting to know our "sibling", Christ Jesus! He wants us to have our lives deeply affected by the one who can reveal even the deepest secrets of our heart and bring true revelation of sound judgment into our circumstances. When we get to know Jesus with this kind of intimacy, we can be assured that we have all we need to avoid the tempting seductress we call "sin".
Let's get to know our "big brother", Jesus! Talking frequently with him and spending time in companionable enjoyment of his presence. Perhaps we will develop the heart of a loyal sibling, never wanting to be separated from him, always seeking him out, and never being afraid to get in "his space"!
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