“Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.”
~ Proverbs 7:2
Hi James and Ellen,
Who and/or what do you think that you should be frightened of the most on planet Earth? Are you frightened the most about the potential of a catastrophic event taking place someplace on planet Earth? Are you frightened the most about the potential of getting so terribly sick that you might die? Are you frightened the most about losing – if you already have made the decision of faith to believe in what God – as God the Son, did while He was hung to and nailed on a cross so that the blood that He shed would be a ransom payment for all of your sins and so that His death would give you the gift of eternal life? Do you think that God really expects you to be concerned or even paranoid about something – such as a famine, tsunami, hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake and/or something else that He has preplanned to take place on planet Earth? Even though your grandpaa knows that there is always the possibility that you may find yourselves caught one day in a major catastrophic event; your grandpaa also know that there is no way that you – or any other guy, gal or kid, can stop something that God has preprogrammed to unleash so . . . your grandpaa really hopes that you are not losing sleep over something such as purported global warming when weather is completely in God’s control. Do you think that God really expects you to be concerned or even paranoid about something – such as getting the avian flu, whooping cough, AIDS and/or something else when you are able to do something about it by either not doing something that studies have shown will compromise your health or simply getting an inoculation. Even though your grandpaa knows that there is always the possibility that you may find yourselves caught one day in bed with a cold, flu, injury and/or something else, your grandpaa sure hopes that you are not losing sleep over something like a would-be pandemic that would . . . which only God can do something about but which He may just unleash on planet Earth in order to wake up the guys, gals and kids who do not already know Him to look to Him for His help. Do you think that God will ever take back something that He has given free to a guy, gal or kid? Your grandpaa definitely does not believe that God will ever take back the faith and the eternal life gifts that He has given to each guy, gal and kid who He – as God the Spirit, has led through the faith/grace door into a welcoming, ever growing family of likeminded Christ-followers guys, gals and kids.
King Solomon seems to be writing in Proverbs 7 from personal experience what a young guy should be the most frightened of here on planet Earth. King Solomon really seems to have a case against promiscuous or immoral gals. King Solomon seems to have shameless, evil gals on top of his list for young naïve guys to watch out for as they walk streets at night. King Solomon writes as if he really knows what it is like to have been tripped up by a crafty, brazen gal who wanted his attention and who would do anything to get it. A young guy who is duped and deluded by a depraved, degenerate gal’s seductive ways will forever have had an ‘arrow pierce his liver’ for his having compromised his morality to her dissolute desires. He will find himself forever having to live with having been led like an ‘ox to the slaughter’ for conciliating to her contaminating wishes and for having been caught like a ‘deer in a noose’ for his conceding to her corrupted pleas. Your grandpaa hopes that you James – as you mature into being a young guy, will be very aware of the guiling temptation that some gals will be to guys – that you will be very intentional about making and keeping your relationships with the opposite sex pure and upright knowing that a compromised relationship – per King Solomon, is a highway to the grave or the road that leads to the chambers of death. A self-indulgent gal – who is a gal who has not made a decision of faith to accept what God – as God the Son, did while He was hung to and nailed on a cross so that the blood that He shed would be a ransom payment for all her sins and so that His death would give her the gift of eternal life, will make guys her victims in her pursuit or quest for self-fulfillment. King Solomon begins his mini lecture with what a young guy needs to do in regards to the gal who will invariably – sooner or later, attempt to entrap him with her wicked wiles, so that he will never have to live with how King Solomon communicates feeling for having messed up when he was stepping into the snares of lonely gals. King Solomon is very clear in verse 2 what a guy is to do “Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.” King Solomon is telling young guys here in this verse in his Proverbs Book that just as a guy is to carefully take care of the pupils of his eyes that he needs to just as carefully listen to what he says.
Your dad’s Uncle Con said a couple of years ago to everyone sitting around a table after a meal that the best thing that your grandpaa ever did was to marry your grandmaa. Your grandmaa did not chase after your grandpaa for your grandpaa to marry her. Your grandmaa did not chase after your grandpaa to have an improper kind of relationship with your grandpaa. Your grandmaa expected to marry a guy who would be the Godly head of her home. The fact that your grandmaa and grandpaa ever met was providential. Because your grandmaa does not like adventure, because she does not like to travel and because she likes to stay close to her home makes your grandmaa consenting to go to a college that is located 1268 miles away from where she was born . . . your grandmaa and grandpaa have now been married for forty-three years. (Over sixteen years have passed since your grandpaa sent this missive to your dad to read to you. Your grandmaa and grandpaa will celebrate next year – on February 14, of having been married for sixty years. Your grandpaa sure is grateful that your grandmaa was willing to marry him.)
Proverbs 7 (810)