Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 07-07-2021

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, it’s BARBECUE!

My son, keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you. 
Keep my commandments and live,
And my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 7:1-3, NASB

Phylacteries

“Is this going to be on the final?”

Think back to days of classroom instruction. Do you remember someone asking that question? What they were really asking was 
“It it important that I pay attention to what you are saying?” 

As a student, the ONLY time I was tempted to ask the question was when the instructor seemed to wander at great length about meaningless drivel, never relating it to anything that was relevant. Fortunately, those classes were few and far between, but I painfully recall a statistics class that bordered on the metaphysical; I dropped that class.

I’ve taken a LOT more classes than I’ve taught, but as an instructor, my response would almost always be: 
“YOU BETCHA! Do you think I would waste my time telling you this if it wasn’t important?”

That’s what these verses say. The instructions we get are DIRECTLY related to our survival; not self-actualization, or even a degree requirement, but avoiding an arrow in the liver. The teaching is so important, that we really can’t get too extreme in  our learning. 

Taking these words to heart, Hebrew students developed special equipment to bring focus to their studies. “Phylacteries” are a symbolic binding of the teachings to the fingers, eyes, heart; it’s something we Gentiles have lost. I wonder if we should start up a new tradition? 

Maybe: a prayer mouse?


Peace be on your household.


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