Solomon urges his son and other readers to take his lessons seriously. Proverbs 7:1 says, “Guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” This is reminiscent of the Jewish practice of writing down the Ten Commandments and then binding them around their chest to hold them near their hearts physically. Of course, the intent of this passage is for Solomon’s son and those who identify with God the Father to give priority to God’s instructions in the Bible. We need to give the Bible the attention it deserves and take its principles seriously.
The Christian statistician George Barna, tells us that most Christians ignore Solomon’s exhortation. He says, “Evangelicals are embracing secularism: A majority (52%) of evangelicals reject absolute moral truth; 61% do not read the Bible on a daily basis; 75% believe that people are basically good. The study found that one-third to one-half of evangelicals in the survey embrace a variety of beliefs and behaviors counter to biblical teaching and longstanding Evangelical beliefs. • Pentecostals and charismatics take secularization a step further: Two-thirds (69%) reject absolute moral truth; 54% are unwilling to define human life as sacred, with half claiming the Bible is ambiguous in its teaching about abortion, and 69% say they prefer socialism to capitalism. A full 45% did not qualify as born-again Christians. • Mainline Protestants are the most secular of the four faith families: Sixty percent (60%) of mainline Protestants’ beliefs directly conflict with biblical teaching. Three key values define this group: truth and morality are relative; life has no inherent value or purpose, so individuals should pursue personal happiness or satisfaction; and traditional religious practices are no longer seen as central or essential to their Christian faith. Only 41% of mainline Protestants are born[1]again. • Catholics are increasingly secular and permissive: Catholics’ beliefs are surprisingly similar to those of mainline Protestants but considerably different from those of evangelical and charismatic Protestants. They are most likely to believe in salvation through works or living a good life and least likely (28%) to be born again. Today’s Catholics are more permissive than other groups, being most likely to accept sexual relations outside of marriage, lying, speeding, and refusing to repay a loan as morally acceptable behaviors.”[1]
There is some discussion as to how the term “Apple of the eye” should be understood. The Hebrew term refers to the center of the eye, the pupil. Some scholars want to focus on that idea, but the expression is used elsewhere in scripture to describe something that is of primary importance or of extremely high value, as in “His son is the apple of his eyes.” In Deuteronomy 32:10, we read that God holds his chosen people as the “apple of his eye.” In Psalm 17:8, the Psalmists ask God to keep him as “The apple of your eye.” Solomon wants his son and other readaers to hold his teachings as the apple of their eyes. The Institute for Scripture research suggests we understand Proverbs 7:1 this way, “My son, guard my words, And treasure up my commands with you. Guard my commands and live, and my Torah as the apple of your eye.”[2]
[1] Year in Review: Barna’s Top 10 Releases of 2020 – Barna Group
[2] Institute for Scripture Research. 2000. The Scriptures. South Africa: Institute for Scripture Research (Pty) Ltd.