"Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you"
This instruction in wisdom comes in a string of others that are for a father teaching his son. He tells the son to realize what is going into his soul; what he is thinking about and allowing himself to focus on. It is the inner part of your life that will control the kind of life you experience. He tells him to not use his words in a dishonest way to get what he wants. He tells him to be careful where he goes. You can't get in trouble if you don't go to the wrong places. And he also tells him to keep moving forward on doing righteousness. That while there are lots of interesting things that he could become involved with, don't stray from the righteous path and play at the edges of sin. In fact, when you see that something is evil or clearly on its way to evil, then you should turn away from it and you will have a much better life.
let your eyes look directly ahead
This 25th verse is in that whole idea of instructions to a son. It is really a verse that tells the young man to be careful of an overactive curiosity. There are an amazing amount of things that can take a person off the path of the straight and narrow. There are money schemes, there are women, there are organizations that promise secrets, there are conspiracies, there are theories, there are friends, there are rebels, etc. All of these are available to everyone as they go down the path of life but don't be fooled. Don't be drawn aside from doing the right thing that is right in front of you.
It is not wrong to be curious – especially about that which is righteous. But we should not be curious about what is evil or wicked or outside of the Ten Commandments. It is unfortunate that much of TV, movies, and even some of academia explore the lifestyles, consequences, and pain of those who have chosen to walk in the way of the wicked. These are all trying to make you curious about those things. The Scripture says don't do that; keep focused on the righteous pathway that God has set out for you.
The righteous pathway may, at times, look boring; but it is the sure road to a stable, enjoyable, blessed, lower-stress life. When we seek out evil, we seek out trouble and pain. It is also true that when we listen to those who have turned aside to rebellion, violence, sensuality, lying, coveting, and the like, it seems that they constantly have turmoil and pain. They will seek to draw you into the limited choices of their world. "What should I do?" they will ask you. The answer is "Repent and get back on the path of righteousness; flee from the choices of sin and your life will get easier." I am amazed at how often people want me to solve the problems of wickedness and selfishness without leaving the land of wickedness and selfishness.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz