Proverbs 4:25-26
“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.”
Parts of the Body
Recent verses discussed in Proverbial Thought have dealt with different parts of the human body and their importance in developing and maintaining a relationship with God. The ear is the focus of Proverbs 4:20 and this is followed by a brief mention of the eyes in verse 21. Two days ago in Proverbs 4:23 the subject matter was the human heart. Yesterday in Proverbs 4:24 it was the mouth.
Solomon returns to the eyes in Proverbs 4:25 but this verse has to be considered in conjunction with verse 26, as Solomon moves to the opposite end of the body and deals with the feet. Eyes and feet may not seem to have much in common, but our ability to see where we are going is essential to the performance of our feet in taking us there.
Unity
While the above verses give a clear message of fixing our eyes on what is ahead and not deviating from the path God has placed us on, these two verses and those that precede them build another picture. As this blog gets deeper and deeper into Proverbs the more I appreciate the imagery used by Solomon. Read verses 20-25 again and see if you see what I see:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
This is a picture of unity in which each part of the body, when acting in accordance with God’s will and instruction, will achieve all that He desires. The message in Proverbs may be directed at individuals, but New Testament teachings (1 Corinthians 12) show that it is also a vital message to the church. The message is that while every part of the body is important, it is equally important that each part of the body functions together as intended by the Creator.
The Challenge
On an individual basis the challenge for those who follow God is to ensure that every part of their daily life reflects the hand of the Creator upon that life, to the extent that others are drawn irretrievably into a similar relationship with God.
The challenge for the church is the same. Every part of the daily life of every church should reflect the hunger and desire of God for all humanity to be in relationship with Him. If the church is the body of Christ then why is it so difficult for it to point the way to God? Casting Crowns put it like this:
But if we are the body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way
Caitlin Klem
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Daniel M. Klem
dawnlizjones
David
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Nick
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Proverbial Thought 
May 20th, 2012 at 7:13 pm
This is just excellent, David. A pastor friend of mine once confessed to not liking “If We Are the Body” when it first came out. One day it occurred to him, while reading 1 Corinthians 12 and preparing for a message, actually, that the song was spot on. Your comments on the unity of the verses mixed with the imagery you added is simply amazing. Good work!
May 21st, 2012 at 9:01 am
Thanks Dan. I mostly find Casting Crowns to be spot on!
May 21st, 2012 at 12:16 am
[…] As David mentioned yesterday, we need to focus on the path before us. To turn to the left or the right from the path we have been shown is to step into the ways of unrighteousness, wickedness, and evil. Fortunately, Solomon continues his advice by instructing us to “remove thy foot from evil.” […]
May 21st, 2012 at 5:53 am
[…] Proverbs 4: 25-26 (proverbialthought.com) […]
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:12 pm
In college, I was on a drama team that performed the skit “The Tator Family”. It talked about all of the different types of people in the church. From the “Dic”tator to the “Spec”tator to the “Ima”tator and so on. It talked about even though we are all different inside the church, that is how the body works. We can’t all be the head (or the pastor – even though some try -ha,ha) and we can’t all be the hands or the feet or even the big toe, but we all are there to work together for one purpose and that is to spread the glory of God to the ends of the earth! Great post David!
June 1st, 2012 at 11:08 am
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