“All the words of my mouth are righteous;

  there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.”

Proverbs 8:8 ESV

Wisdom has offered a challenge. Will you accept the challenge to not only speak righteous words, but also not speak twisted or crooked things? The Apostle Paul speaks to this issue in the New Testament.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

“keep my commandments and live;

  keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;”

Proverbs 7:2 ESV

Here, I want to look at the idiom, “apple of your eye.” In English, that phrase is used to reference something that is cherished, as in “My dad loved all of his children, but our youngest brother was the apple of his eye.”

The Hebrew word that is translated as apple is ishon, which is literally the pupil, the center part of the eye. So, “apple of your eye” is a good translation of ishon. Although we don’t generally give much thought to it, we naturally protect and cherish the eye, especially the pupil. And that is exactly what this verse is communicating.

How are you cherishing wisdom’s teaching?

“My son, be attentive to my wisdom;

 incline your ear to my understanding,”

Proverbs 5:1 ESV

Throughout the book of Proverbs, gaining wisdom and understanding is presented as requiring effort and intentionality. Here, the writer commands us to be attentive and incline our ears, neither of which is passive. In other words, becoming wise doesn’t just happpen.

What are some of the ways you are intentional about becoming wise?

“When I was a son with my father,

  tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,

he taught me and said to me,

“Let your heart hold fast my words;

  keep my commandments, and live.”

Proverbs 4:3-4

Proverbs is filled with repetition, which indicates the importance of the subject that is being repeated. In this case, Proverbs 7:1 repeats vs. 4 above: “My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you.”

In this comparison, we see the writer’s emphasis on keeping “words” and “commandments,” which results in living. Once recognizing the principle of repetition regarding this subject, the wise reader should sense an urgency to ask and answer this question: “What are those words and commandments?”

Enjoy the journey of discovery as you mine the life-giving riches of Proverbs.

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.”

Proverbs 3:13-14 ESV

Because proverbs is a book of faith, it is sometimes very counterintuitive. Without faith, the proverb may be impossible to believe: the gain from wisdom is better than the gain from silver and gold?

Only by faith does this make sense. Let that sink in a bit before dismissing it as nonsense. Additionally, look for this same principle to be evident throughout the book of Proverbs. Mark it when you see it.