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Do Not Allow Your Eyes to Wander from the Path of Life

Proverbs 4:25 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead,
and your gaze be straight ahead of you.

Let your eyes look directly ahead: This is an idiom for staying the course. We are now returning to the idea of walking down the path imagery of before (the path of the righteous). Now the father is imploring the son to focus on what lies ahead and not be distracted by what lies off life’s path. Look straight ahead as a believer. With the eyes of faith, we see the life that lies directly ahead.

And your gaze be straight ahead you: The gaze (עַפְעַפַּיִם apappayim) is the part of the body that blinks and covers the eyes. In other words, it is the eyelids which you use to make a long-fixed look at something. If you allow your gaze to wander from the path, you may be led astray by the temptations of Satan’s world. The path of righteousness (life course of a blameless, upright believer) is straight ahead of you, meaning how you are to go is very clear so that you can be aware of the unseen dangers that lay outside the boundaries of the path of the righteous. Great effort is needed to keep looking ahead in the flashy images of this world. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (2 John 2:16) The natural inclination of our human imperfection is to give up and look away from the path of life.

We must make a commitment with our own eyes to keep them from being wandering eyes, roaming about, gazing at everything that catches their attention, for then it will be some innocent appearing thing that distracts our eyes from what is good and trapped by what is bad. We need to keep our eyes safe by setting aside our arrogance at just how strong we are spiritually. We need to focus on the prize of eternal life that lies before us and not get divided up into what Satan’s world offers. Let our attention be honest, truthful, genuine, heartfelt, earnest, consistent, and not at any selfish motive. We must keep our eyes upon God and always be looking to seek his approval, conforming our lives to his Word, the Bible.