This song is quite obviously a children’s song, but it has so many applications to an adult Christian’s life. So many of the proverbs are written with these things in mind. We should be mindful of what we allow our eyes to behold, of what we allow our ears to hear, of what we allow our hands to touch, of what we allow to sneak past our lips.

Ps 101 : 3
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

What wise words David wrote in this psalm. We know that David did set wicked things before his eyes at some point. He watched as Bathsheba bathed on the rooftop and he then allowed himself to commit adultery with her. Oh what trouble that simple act of watching brought into David’s life. He committed adultery and then murder. In sending Bathsheba’s husband to the frontlines, he killed him just as surely as if he had put a knife through Uriah’s heart. He paid a hefty price for his choices. As the words of the Lord, spoken through Nathan the prophet foretold, the sword never departed from David’s house.

2 Sam 12 : 10
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

So, is it any wonder that he learned to set no wicked things before his eyes? Let’s learn from his example and from our own previous mistakes. We ought to be careful what we allow our eyes to see.

Now, let’s think about what we listen to for a moment. Let’s take two of those proverbs I mentioned earlier and examine them.

Prov 11 : 13 (KJV)
A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Prov 20 : 19 (KJV)
He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

Clearly, God does not approve of us listening to gossip or flattery. He tells us not to meddle with that type of person. So why do we do it anyway? We get that phone call from Bobby Sue who heard that Mary Jo’s pregnant and she’s not even married yet. Instead of telling Bobby Sue that we don’t want to listen to gossip, we listen. We don’t want to offend Bobby Sue, after all, and if we mention that she’s spreading gossip, we’ll hurt her feelings.

That isn’t how God looks at it. We aren’t to participate in evil. Simply listening to gossip is participating in it! I was having difficulty avoiding the gossip one woman in the faith was constantly sharing. I said something a few times and always received the response that it wasn’t gossip because it was true. Well it was gossip. Whether it was true or not, it was gossip. Interjecting our own opinions on the matter and sharing other people’s business is gossip. It is talebearing as the Bible calls it. We ought to be careful what our ears hear.

Moving right along, let’s discuss our speech. The Bible has much to say about speech.

Jesus made it clear that what the mouth speaks is what is in that person’s heart. The logic is pretty clear. If what is spewing from the mouth is evil, it must follow that the person is speaking from the evil treasure of his/her heart. We must not allow that to be us!

Matt 12 : 34-35
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Paul warned that we were not to let corrupt communication proceed from our mouths! Yes, that includes false accusations, dirty jokes, gossip, and any number of other things of which God would not approve. If we wouldn’t say it in front of Jesus, than we shouldn’t say it at all. We are the temple of the Holy Ghost, how then can we ask Him to turn his back while we whisper things we shouldn’t allow to pass our lips? He hears us! Let’s have more respect for Him than that.

Eph 4 : 29
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

One of those most well known passages in the Bible about the evil tongue comes from an exposition on the matter in the third chapter of the book of James. In that section the tongue is called an unruly evil (James 3 : 8).

Jas 3 : 2
For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

The tongue may not be able to be easily bridled, but we ought to be very careful what we speak.

The final thing I’d like to expound on is to be careful what we touch. I am reminded of verses that state the matter more perfectly than I ever could.

1 Cor 6 : 15-20
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Once we choose to accept Christ’s payment on Calvary for our sins we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, we become a temple of the Holy Ghost. What we do with our bodies is no longer our business. We should flee fornication and anything else that we do with our bodies that is unpleasing to the Lord. Should we use our liberty as an occasion for gluttony, theft, or cheating? Of course not! We ought to watch what we do with our bodies. We ought to try to please God with our bodies.

Lastly, I am in no way speaking of works (or lack of evil works) saving us. We are saved by grace, through faith, as stated in Ephesians 8 : 9-10 and in the book of Galatians. This blog posts addresses Christians who are already saved, washed in the blood and on their way to heaven.

1Cor 1 : 18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (Emphasis added).

(All verse references are taken from the Authorized Version of the Bible, commonly referred to as the King James Version.)

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Elle E. Kay expounds on the song “Be Careful, Little Eyes”
and asks the all important questions about what we set before us.