TYING THIS ON
PROVERBS 6:20-23 NKJV
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you roam, they will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
Depending on your background, the title of this devotional could be misleading. But that was not my intent. This is a proverb that underscores the importance of having God’s word occupy an important place in our heart and life.
When Solomon is encouraging his son to pay attention to his words as a father, we can apply the same principle to God’s word. But Solomon is not advocating a casualrelationship with the wisdom of his words. Solomon is speaking to a son regarding connecting to his words. This is where we get - bind them on your heart and tie them around your neck.
Solomon’s advice, and he was well equipped to offer advice, was that the wisdom of his words would lead, protect and speak with the young man. Because the commandment is a lamp, the law a light, and the corrective words were the way to life. That may be putting a huge emphasis on Solomon’s advice, but we can gain even more if we apply it to our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
We are consistently reminded to be a people who take God’s words seriously. In the Old Testament days, people would write God’s word on their doorposts. They would also write scriptures on slips of paper, encase them in metal and tie them on their heads between their eyes.
I would not encourage either practice, but there is a principle of treating God’s word with reverence. When we adhere to the word that we have received in our lives, it produces some good things. God’s word can still lead us as we go about our life, give us a peace that enables us to sleep without fear, and speak to us in our waking hours.
God’s words to us are a lamp and a light, and His instruction and correction produce life in us. This puts an entirely new perspective on reading the Bible. Too often, we have viewed Bible reading as a chore or Christian duty. Instead, we should be looking at God’s word as the source of spiritual light and instruction that greatly enriches our lives. How we see the scriptures will go a long way toward what we receive from the scriptures.
So tie God’s word onto your heart. What His word adds to your life is worth keeping it close.