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.

Proverbs 6:2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth,

When I read this portion of Proverb 6 I hear my father’s words; “Shut your trap.”

This line relates to the first. It does not stand alone.

Proverbs 6:3 then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.

This sounds a little like “look before you leap”.

Proverbs 20:25 It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows.

Looking into making and keeping vows in the gospels we will find only one example.

Mark 6:22-24 English Standard Version

22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”

Never make a vow without measuring the cost.

Luke 14:28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

The example there is a tower but for us in this life with Christ it is the cost of building a new life together. He shares His plans for us and it is up to us to accept or reject those plans with a better understanding of what we are getting into, knowing what it is going to cost us.

John 12:48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

In summary, trust in the Lord, not your neighbor.

Words spoken in haste are soon regretted.