Eyes & Feet

The eyes and feet are some of the most important parts of the body, for by these two parts much of our lives are defined; in all realms of life - physical, mental, emotional, & definitely spiritual! Here is why...

Keep you heart will all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Put way from you crooked speech, and put devious talk from you.

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot from evil.

Proverbs 4:23-27 (NASB)

Now, I know this passage lists the heart and tongue (which James would argue is the most important), but I am only going to address the eyes and feet. With our feet we find all sorts of trouble and evil that we do not have to. We walk by it, then we stand watching whatever evil it may be, and then we find ourselves sitting in the very presence of that temptation, & partaking of sin (Ps 1:1). With our feet, we find ourselves ensnared to evil, to the devil ... "My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only He will release my feet from the snare" (Ps 25:15, NIV). The NASB uses the word "net" instead of "snare" and both are great visuals. Imagine the snare, it makes me think of a bear trap catching the foot and therefore taming & capturing the massive beast! Or a net, I have had my feet entangled in strings and ropes before and the entangling process is so fast, and before you know it ... you could be on your face, tripping all over yourself and the net! Its just so vivid. So, you can see how with our feet - both literally and metaphorically - our feet lead us in righteousness (Ps 119:1, 101-102, & 105) or down the path of self-destruction (Pro 1:16).

With our eyes we find the most dangerous and deadly of all things, and God knows this, "Your eyes will see strange things, & your mind will utter perverse things" (Pro 23:33, NASB). Consider Job's visual covenant, "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?" (Job 31:1, NASB), or David's plea, "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;and give me life in your ways" (Ps 119:37, ESV). These two men of great faith knew how dangerous the varied objects for viewing in this world can be, and Job was the most honest to admit that it was typically women, thus his covenant not to look upon them lustfully. With our eyes we are tempted to materialism, jealousy, envy, and when these traits work themselves out, often time they lead to hate (Pro 27:20, 1 John 2:15-17).

Still, Christ goes on to declare quite plainly, "The eye is the lamp of the body, So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light" (Matt 6:22, ESV, also see Luke 11:34-36). Our eyes dictate so much of what is in our hearts, inner man, and at the core of our souls. After all, we do say the eyes are the window to the soul! And thats certainly true! Have you ever seen someone who has been abused, and the ache their eyes give away against their own will? Have you ever seen someone so in love with Christ that their eyes cannot but give away the ultimate soul-satisfying secret of their heart, JESUS CHRIST?!

So then, where does all this leave us? Are we not to use our feet and our eyes? Are we to cut them off and pluck them out? In some sense, Yes! But in others no. The answer I believe is given us in the same Proverbs passage I started with. There are two commands, "Ponder the path of your feet," and "Do not swerve." The first, to ponder is a call to a proactive mind, a discerning spirit, and of sound Faithfulness, holding fast the promises of God's Word, & proclaiming and living in the promises of Scripture. And all that sounds good, but how do we do that? The more often I ask myself the "How?" question, the more often I am finding the answer to be the same. The answer is Christ. The answer is the Word of God (John 1:1). 

As we fill up our minds and hearts with Christ, with the Word then we are set up to live a victorious life in Him, by God's grace. When we can slay all the lofty speculations raised up against Christ, with the Word of Truth, then we cannot but expect great victories! If we bank everything on the promises of Scripture, and go to Christ with great expectations ... I am confident that we shall never be let down, we will never be put to shame. Paul had a bit to say about this, "I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death" (Phil 1:19-20).

The second command, "Do not swerve," I think - and I could be off - but I think this is an outworking of the first command. When we live purposefully in the name of Christ to live continually with the promises of Scripture in mind, then it affects to external. It affects our real lives. We will then not turn to the left nor to the right!