Proverbs 3:21-23 (ESV)
My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
Solomon is outlining the benefits of having faith toward God to receive wisdom and understanding. He wants us to realize that folly inflicts and interjects harm in our lives, while leaning on God for wisdom and strength has benefits and blessings. The above proverbs outlines this theme. In these proverbs the exact truth is that when we have faith in God we have security and are assured we won't stumble. Think about this truth. What would it be like to actually live a life knowing, by God's promise and sovereignty, you will NEVER stumble? Living a life of security is the holy grail of the non-believing world. Everything they do is for that reason. They earn money to be secure. They buy homes with locks on the doors to be safe. They watch were they are going so that they don't stumble. Solomon tells us that when we trust God for wisdom and understanding we can be assured that we will walk in a way that is secure. Our decisions and direction are safe. As Matthew Henry states, "When we have understanding as our companion we have God as our convoy.” No fears here, when God is driving and watching. It isn't magic that makes this happen, however. When we have wisdom we make wise decisions about our direction in life. That means we make less foolish decisions about direction. Foolishness has many places to trip and catch your toes. Wisdom is God's practical tool that makes our faith real and alive. That doesn't mean we won't have hardships. The Bible is full of stories of believers in God, who feared God, and still had hardships. What this proverbs tells us is that even in the hardships we can be secure, because we know God is holding our hand and carrying us through the storm. We are secure.
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