"Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied." (Proverbs 27:20)

There are many warnings in Scripture about "the lust of the eyes" (1 John 2:16) that can turn our hearts away from that which is godly and eternal. Solomon's sober caution in our text is certainly significant, especially since he had admonished his son, "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee" (Proverbs 4:25). Similarly, Job had "made a covenant with |his| eyes"(Job 31:1) lest his "heart walked after" what he looked at (Job 31:7).

Abraham's nephew, Lot, eventually lost everything after he "lifted up his eyes" and chose to "|pitch| his tent toward Sodom" (Genesis 13:12), developing an initial tolerance for that ungodly environment and unwilling to separate from the people who were "wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly" (Genesis 13:13).

Later, Lot actually dwelt in Sodom, with his goods (Genesis 14:12). Soon the association became a lifestyle, a conscious choice in spite of obvious wickedness that caused him great distress, "for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds" (2 Peter 2:7-8). Chedorlaomer sacked the cities and took Lot captive. Even then, he was so tied to his association with the Sodomites that he went back!

Finally, Lot "sat in the gate of Sodom" (Genesis 19:1) when the angels came to destroy the city. That's equivalent to being one of the "movers and shakers" of the city--perhaps even comparable to being on the city council. This tragic life had every opportunity to share in the joy of Abraham's calling, but Lot threw it all away for the sake of his "eyes." May God grant us eyes that "see" truth. HMM III