“Resist the Pull of the Riptide”
September 4, 2022
If you have ever been swept up by a riptide or strong current, you know how terrifying that can be. Before you realize what is happening, you are at the mercy of the ocean current which can pull you further out to sea at 10 feet per second. This happens so quickly that swimming back to shore is simply impossible and usually requires a rescue effort by a lifeguard.
While riptides are dangerous, they are also avoidable, because meteorologists can predict the weather conditions that create strong currents. Thus, most beaches will post warnings about when and where swimming and surfing can be dangerous. These warning signs and instructions as to how to avoid injury, or even death, reminds me of the warning signs of Proverbs 7:1-3.
7 My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Just as a meteorologist is an expert on weather conditions, God is an expert on sin and the human condition. God tells us that one of the best ways to protect ourselves from temptation is to immerse ourselves in the truth of His Word. One of the best ways to protect ourselves from temptation is to immerse ourselves in the truth of His Word.
Temptation often comes at us like a riptide while we are calmly swimming along. All of a sudden we are tugged in another direction and carried further away from the safety of the shore. However, if we heed the warnings of Proverbs 7:1, to keep God’s Word and treasure His commandments, we can protect ourselves from temptation.
5 to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words. – Proverbs 7:5
While verse 5 is specifically directed to a man and his warning to keep away from the adulteress, the principles apply to both men and women. The principles can also be more broadly applied to temptation to sin in general, not just temptation to adultery.
We can choose to ignore warning signs and make excuses, just as many swimmers ignore the warning signs of dangerous ocean conditions. Or we can steer clear of temptation entirely, by keeping God’s teachings as the apple of our eyes, binding them on our fingers, and writing them on the tablets of our hearts.
The familiar phrase ‘apple of your eye’ (Proverbs 7:2) refers to the pupil of the eye which the ancients thought was a sphere like an apple. Just as we protect our eyes because they are valuable to us, so should we honor and value God’s Word by obeying it. God’s Word should not only be on our minds, but also in our hearts (Proverbs 7:3).
We protect ourselves from temptation by immersing ourselves in the truth of God’s Word. We avoid being pulled into treacherous waters by the dangerous riptide by heeding the warning to “keep my commandments and live” (Proverbs 7:2). Godly wisdom is the best defense against falling into temptations.