Jó 31
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Jó 31:1
Spurgeon - He had prayed about his heart, and one would have thought that the eyes would so surely have been influenced by the heart that there was no need to make them the objects of a special petition; but our author is resolved to make assurance doubly sure. If the eyes do not see, perhaps the heart may not desire: at any rate, one door of temptation is closed when we do not even look at the painted bauble. Sin first entered man's mind by the eye, and it is still a favourite gate for the incoming of Satan's allurements: hence the need of a double watch upon that portal. The prayer is not so much that the eyes may be shut as "turned away"; for we need to have them open, but directed to right objects. Perhaps we are now gazing upon folly, we need to have our eyes turned away; and if we are beholding heavenly things we shall be wise to beg that our eyes may be kept away from vanity. Why should we look on vanity? — it melts away as a vapour. Why not look upon things eternal? Sin is vanity, unjust gain is vanity, self conceit is vanity, and, indeed, all that is not of God comes under the same head. From all this we must turn away. It is a proof of the sense of weakness felt by the Psalmist and of his entire dependence upon God that he even asks to have his eyes turned for him; he meant not to make himself passive, but he intended to set forth his own utter helplessness apart from the grace of God. For fear he should forget himself and gaze with a lingering longing upon forbidden objects, he entreats the Lord speedily to make him turn away his eyes, hurrying him off from so dangerous a parley with iniquity. If we are kept from looking on vanity we shall be preserved from loving iniquity. Give me so much life that dead vanity may have no power over me. Enable me to travel so swiftly in the road to heaven that I may not stop long enough within sight of vanity to be fascinated thereby. The prayer indicates our greatest need, — more life in our obedience. It shows the preserving power of increased life to keep us from the evils which are around us, and it, also, tells us where that increased life must come from, namely, from the Lord alone. Vitality is the cure of vanity. When the heart is full of grace the eyes will be cleansed from impurity. On the other hand, if we would be full of life as to the things of God we must keep ourselves apart from sin and folly, or the eyes will soon captivate the mind, and, like Samson, who could slay his thousands, we may ourselves be overcome through the lusts which enter by the eye. Comment: Did you note the association of prayer and revival and prayer for our eyes! Pr 4:25-note Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Pr 6:25+ Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her catch you with her eyelids. James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Eccl 2:10 And all that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Matthew
Jó 31:1
Spurgeon comments: THE first of Faithful’s temptations was very gross. It is, indeed, almost a shame to speak of it; yet the purest and most heavenly-minded, being still in the body, have to confess that this temptation has crossed their path. It matters not how near we live to God, nor how we may have cleansed our way by taking heed thereto according to God’s Word, to us all, and I have sometimes thought especially to the young and to the aged, this temptation will surely come. It is a blessing if, by God’s grace, we use Joseph’s way of conquering it, namely, by running away from it, for there is no other. Fly, for this foe is not to be parleyed with. While you tarry, you are taken prisoner. While you look, the fruit is plucked. While you think how to resist the attack of the serpent, you are caught in its folds. He that hesitates is lost. “Escape for thy life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain,” is the only direction to every man who would come out of Sodom. There is no way of escape from this sin save by flight. “Flee youthful lusts,” wrote Paul to Timothy. Observe that, although Faithful did not yield to Wanton’s tempting, he says, “I know not whether I did wholly escape her or no.” The probability is, that the temptations of the flesh, even when resisted, do us an injury. If the coals do not burn us, they blacken us. The very thought of evil, and especially of such evil, is sin. We can hardly read a newspaper report of anything of this kind without having our minds in some degree defiled. There are certain flowers which perfume the air as they bloom, and I may say of these matters that they scatter an ill savour as they are repeated in our ears. So much for Wanton’s assault on Faithful. From her net, and her ditch, may every pilgrim be preserved! (Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress: A Commentary on Portions of John Bunyan's Immortal Allegory) A Covenant with My Eyes - Lee Warren Just before summer began a couple of years ago, John, a single friend of mine from church, sent me an email. It simply said, “I’m praying for God to protect our eyes during the upcoming summer months, since some women will be dressed inappropriately.” I imagine that I’m no different than most men—Christian or not. I don’t need any help spotting attractive females. Throw in the fact that our culture applauds women who dress provocatively with the sole purpose of getting people to notice their bodies, and a struggle with lustful thoughts ensues. That’s why I appreciated John’s email so much. Not only did he understand and admit that we need God’s help in protecting our eyes, but he went a step further and prayed for God’s protection of our eyes. John’s email reminded me of Job’s comment in the above verse. Job (like John) made his decision before an attractive woman passed in front of his eyes. He didn’t wait until a woman crossed his path and then try to turn away. And look how serious Job took his covenant. In Job 31:9–10, he said, “If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door, then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her.” Job made a covenant with his eyes because he knew that if he allowed his eyes to lust, his heart would follow. So he didn’t let it get that far. How many of us would be willing to make the vow Job made in verses 9 and 10 toward our potential future spouse? I don’t think God calls us to make such a vow, but imagine how serious we would be about protecting our eyes and ultimately our hearts if we did. Even if God doesn’t call us to make such a vow, he does call us to moral purity. Making a covenant with our eyes not to look lustfully upon a member of the opposite sex would be a great way to start. The Bedroom - Robert Munger - My Heart, Christ's Home "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully." JOB 31:1 Almost every man I know has at some point in his life wrestled with pornography. And significant numbers of women are lured into sexual fantasy too. Cable television, video technology and the privacy of the Internet have all brought sexual images into our homes and into our hearts. Job knew nothing of modern technology, but he had an incredible grasp of how temptation captures us. He made a covenant, a solemn agreement, with his eyes. He made up his mind that he would not give his eyes access to images that would lead his heart astray. When I was a teenager and wanted to go some place questionable, my mother would ask just one question: Can you take Jesus with you? I thought it was corny then, but that shows how immature I was. Would you be comfortable inviting Jesus to watch the DVD you rented last week? Could he sit with you while you surf the Web? Could you hand the novel you are reading to the Holy Spirit? BILLY GRAHAM'S SECRETARY SAYS - I have always appreciated, from a moral point of view, how the men have been in their attitude toward the secretaries. The doors are always left open. There is a high regard for the lack of any kind of privacy where a boss and his secretary are involved. At times, I thought they were going a little too far, that it wasn't necessary, but I'm glad they did it, especially today. They have kept everything above reproach. When you are working on a long-term basis with the same person, constantly, in hotels, where the wife is not there and the secretary is, that is a highly explosive situation. You have to take precautions. I have always respected the way they have handled that. It has been beautifully done. --- Millie Dienert has worked with the Billy Graham team for forty years. Her comments on the ethics of Mr. Graham, Cliff Barrows, George Beverly Shea, and the rest of the male members of the team make the point. Millie Dienert worked with the Billy Graham evangelistic team for 40 years. She commented, "I have always appreciated from a moral point of view how the men have been in their attitude toward the secretaries. The doors are always left open. They have always kept everything above reproach. When you are working on a long-term basis with the same person, constantly in hotels where the wife is not there and the secretary is, that is a highly explosive situation. You have to take precautions. I have always respected the way they have handled that." Job also desired to live a chaste life. Even though he was a married man, he knew how easy it would be to slip. And it all begins with a look. Perhaps at first it is nothing more than just a casual glance, but then comes a lingering stare. Before long the look becomes something more. Therefore, Job made a covenant with his eyes, where it all begins. He knew that if nothing was started, he wouldn’t have to worry about where it would go. Christians need to remember that immorality begins with the eyes. Where people look, how long they look and what they allow to be communicated through their eyes are all factors that can bring about a fall. What we allow to come in through the eye-gate makes or breaks our Christian testimony. If we set up a roadblock at the source of our temptation, we can insure that our witness for the Lord will remain untainted. Begin with the eyes. You can’t help the first look, but you are definitely responsible for every look thereafter. Close that gate as soon as you can. Make a covenant with yourself and the Lord that you will not allow your eyes to be your downfall. Guard your eyes, and the rest of your behavior will be easier to control. Wrong looks lead to wrong behavior. John Newton - Great reason we have to make David’s prayer (Psalm 119:17) and with Job to make a covenant with our eyes [Job 31:1], for they are the inlet of many temptations. In many countries there are still pleasant trees that bear poisonous fruit. Joseph Caryl - The eye is apt to make a stand, or fix itself, when we come in view of an ensnaring object; therefore it is our duty to hasten it away, or to pray that God would make it pass off from it… He that feareth burning must take heed of playing with fire: he that feareth drowning must keep out of deep waters. He that feareth the plague must not go into an infected house. Would they avoid sin who present themselves to the opportunities of it? Alexander