23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
Wisdom is God’s Tool of Protection
In the above passage, Solomon is instructing his son on the benefits of wisdom. He is telling him that God’s wisdom is a tool God uses to protect us from the evil world around us. When we “fear the Lord” (the beginning of wisdom) we obtain wisdom. With that wisdom we are able to navigate the world around us and avoid the evil that men stir up in the world. We can have sweet sleep. While others are in terror of the night, those who fear the Lord and obtain wisdom from Him can have sweet sleep. Notice how the writer of Psalms 91 stated a similar truth:
Psalms 91:1-6 (ESV Strong's)
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
The world fears terror that they can’t see (the invisible ... by night) and can’t stop (the inevitable .. by arrows) and can’t hide from (the imaginative ... stalks at darkness) and they can’t prevent (the insurmountable ... wastes at noonday). But, those who have wisdom have the Lord as their confidence. We don’t trust in ourselves, we trust in the power and privileges and promises of God. That protects us from these evilness. God gives us wisdom to make choices that prevent the destruction the world feels and offers.
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