Proverbs 20:12, The City of Man-Soul

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December 30, Proverbs 20:12

Matt. 13:13-14; 2 Cor. 4:1-7 “For the ear tries words as the mouth tastes meat” (Job 34:3).

The City of Man-Soul

The inimitable John Bunyan wrote, “This famous town of Man-Soul had five gates in at which to come, out at which to go. The names of the gates were these: -Ear-gate, Eye-gate, Mouth-gate, Nose-gate, and Feel-gate.” Of these, the Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye are the chief gateways for the human soul to receive knowledge from heaven or earth. They are two ways by which knowledge enters the mind, two ways of deciding truth and both are needed. One may say one thing and the other something else, but when they agree one has the evidence needed to determine the truth. Consider then:

1. My Maker (12): How Great Thou Art! Yes, my Maker is truly great. I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works (Ps. 139:14). The Creator made the heavens and the earth, but are not these two, the Ear and the Eye, wonderful examples of My Maker’s handiwork (Ex. 4:11)? In these two organs alone I see ample proof of His power and wisdom. I am dependent on Him for their continuance. The wonders, if not the workings of them, baffle the greatest intellects. God gave them to us to discern the world, and above all, Himself, the Maker of them both. Has He not done all things well (1 Pet. 4:19)? Man has, by using the laws of vision and sound, produced something that bears a likeness to them. This, however, is not sight, or is this hearing, for the Ear and Eye imply a perceiving mind, a thinking essence, both on the part of my Maker and me, that perceives things heard and seen (Ps. 94:9; Mt. 13:13-15)! This is the deepest wonder of all, to see and hear God! How this is so we are still profoundly ignorant, but some still make futile efforts to deny the Maker of them both!

2. My Master: Does not my Maker take account of how I use my ears and eyes (Ps. 94:9)? Hearing in Hebrew often implies obedience (25:12), and seeing can mean understanding (Isa. 6:9, 10). After speaking of the blindness of sinners, Jesus said to His disciples, But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear (Mt. 13:16; Acts 26:18; Eph. 1:17-18)! Should I not use these gifts for their intended purpose, to glorify my Maker? With these eyes I should read the two volumes He gave us, namely, the Book of Nature and Holy Scriptures (Ps. 19:1; 119:18). With these ears I should hear His Word unto obedience (Ps. 18:44). It is by seeing and hearing that the Word enters a believing heart imparting Light (Ps. 119:130), and Life Eternal. Let my ears and eyes be occupied with things that please Him. If I am Christ’s, my ears and eyes have been bought with the price of His own blood. How can I use them to crucify Him afresh, and put Him to an open shame? Matthew Henry reminds us, “All our powers and faculties are from God, and are to be employed for him.” Let our response be, O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker; for he is our God (Ps. 95:6).

Thought: “Our time and our eternity both depend on their use or abuse.”

Prayer: May my ears and eyes that Thou hast made be for Thyself alone.