Read Proverbs 7 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
7:1-27 {p} Treasure YHVH’s commandments; they will keep you from the snare of seduction
Proverbs 6:20-7:27 makes a Chiastic Structure:
The 1A pair admonishes us to treasure the Father’s commandment, for it will keep us from destroying our life with an adulteress;
The 2A pair admonishes us to treasure the Father’s commandments, for they will preserve us from the seductress who has set a snare for our life.
I have often thought of these beginning chapters of Proverbs as somewhat narrow for focusing on the violation of a single commandment, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ However, I realized that the focus is on the single commandment, because all temptation to commit any sin presents itself as a beautiful and enticing seductress with a smooth tongue of flattering speech.
He who listens to that siren call lacks understanding and destroys his own soul.
Notice that to counteract it, we are to bind the Father’s commandments on our heart – that is the agent of desire (Pro 6:21) – and fingers – that is the agent of action (Pro 7:3). This is the same verb as:
You shall bind them [the words which I command you today, vs. 6, that is, at Mt. Sinai] as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as a headpiece between your eyes. Deu 6:8
The Hebrew Root Word parable for To bind is from Strong’s H7194 קשר qashar, a primitive root meaning, “to bind or to tie together.” The 3-letter root is quph + shin + resh.
quph ק = sun on the horizon, thus condense, circle, time
shin ש = two front teeth, thus sharp, press, eat, two, again
resh ר = the head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man
The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon lists the verb as “to tie;” the concrete noun as “sash;” and the abstract concept as “conspiracy.” Thus the parable: to encircle (quph) so as to press tightly against (shin) the man (resh), that is, to tightly bind as with a sash around the waist.
Let us keep the Father’s commandments before our eyes, ears, and hearts continually, to tightly bind them to us.
Leave a Reply