Proverbs 6:4 Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber;

Here in Life Lesson 3 we seem to be missing the point. We all need sleep, our sanity depends on it. It is interesting that this proverb moves quickly from acts, to speech to vision. That seems a little backwards to me. What did it mean to the people of those times, and for us today?

Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Eye:

(Heb. ‘ain, meaning “flowing”), applied (1) to a fountain, frequently; (2) to colour (Num 11:7; R.V., “appearance,” marg. “eye”); (3) the face (Exd 10:5,15; Num 22:5,11), in Num. 14:14, “face to face” (R.V. marg., “eye to eye”). “Between the eyes”, i.e., the forehead (Exd 13:9,16).

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Eye:

i (?ayin; ophthalmos):

(1) The physical organ of sight, “the lamp of the body” (Mt 6:22), one of the chief channels of information for man. A cruel custom therefore sanctioned among heathen nations the putting out of the eyes of an enemy or a rival, because thus his power was most effectually shattered (Jud 16:21; 2Ki 25:7; Jer 39:7). Such blinding or putting out of the “right eye” was also considered a deep humiliation, as it robbed the victim of his beauty, and made him unfit to take his part in war (1Sa 11:2; Zec 11:17).

The OT usage was heavily reliant on the observance of things as they were presented to them via the prophets, reflected by the issue of seeing God face to face which was only Moses at the time. In the NT we have Jesus who said “if you have seen me you have seen the father”. For those of us that have placed our faith in Christ the ability to see is granted by faith through the power of the abiding spirit, the Spirit of Truth.

The continuation of thought occurs in Proverbs 6:5 “save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.” The OT action was out of fear, the NT action is out of faith. This is a reversal in the sequencing from OT to NT, where faith allows vision to lead us to right choices and right words.

• Psalm 50:23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”
• Psalm 86:17 Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Thoughts to ponder in our hearts.