BE NOT AFRAID OF SUDDEN FEAR

This short extract is part of an exhortation to receive and hold fast wise teaching. Verses 19-20 have celebrated the wisdom with which the Lord created everything, for He is all wise.

But our wisdom is received from above, ultimately from God, though often received through the ministry of godly people. The danger is that we might drift and take our eye off our true destination. The Septuagint translates verse 21 freely, using the Greek verb which is also used in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1; the NIV translates the relevant clause there, ‘so that we do not drift away’. We need to safeguard wisdom, - to ‘keep’ it. Is it worth the effort required to do this? Yes, indeed!

William MacDonald sums up the message of verse 22 neatly: ‘They (wisdom and discretion) provide inward vitality and outward beauty’. We should note the order of the two elements here - inward and outward.

As we walk wisely we can avoid stumbling. In Psalm 73 it was as the psalmist went into the sanctuary that his feet were saved from slipping. We need to hold the wisdom from above firmly if we are to walk a consistent christian path.

Moreover, in verse 24, when we relax and seek repose it is the lessons which we learn from divine wisdom which enable us to rest confidently on the God who never relaxes His care of us - He never slumbers, Psalm 121. 4. David was under the tremendous pressure of Absalom’s rebellion when he wrote in Psalm 4 verse 8: ‘I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety’.

By contrast, in verse 25 the fear of sudden destruction can justifiably trouble the wicked, for his conscience has much to work on. He who wisely trusts his God can avoid such ‘sudden fear’. The contrast is that of Proverbs 28 verse 1: ‘The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion’.

This is not foolhardiness, for ‘the Lord shall be thy confidence’. Vigilance is still needed, but as we trust wisely in God we can walk safely. Neither is this self-centred, for we see in verses 27-30 how it is wise to treat other people properly. Wisdom meets her debts and fulfils her obligations.