People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house.
He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.
He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend,
to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.
Comment: The last bit of Proverbs 6 doesn’t seem to fit in with what goes before but deals with an entirely different subject. Here we have a thief not choosing to steal sex from someone, which is strongly advised against (see yesterday’s devotional), but a starving person choosing to steal to satisfy his great hunger. People understand his cause for doing the stealing, but he, if caught, is to be punished. I see the maximum penalty recorded here and I guess some of those who were robbed may have had mercy and asked a lesser amount than seven times the worth of what was stolen! Or possibly even forgiven them.
I guess the eye is precious as is wisdom – wisdom even more so! And most certainly something in the eye causes great pain. One, if they see something coming towards the eye, be it an insect of someone else’s finger or fist, the eyelids are closed and the head turned! wisdom and insight are much more precious than an eye! Therefore Solomon says remember your teaching! Guard it like ‘the apple of your eye’! Let wisdom and insight, all good teaching in fact become like your closest relative or friend. and be written on your thinking and feeling. And he goes back to what he was talking about earlier in Proverbs 6 – illicit sex!
Prayer: Help me to remember God that the Reverential Fear of You is the Beginning of Wisdom!
As I read it! 