Proverbs 3:21

THE CONFIDENCE AND SECURITY OF THOSE WHO WALK WITH GOD

"My son, let them not depart from thine eyes;

Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

So shall they be life unto thy soul,

And grace to thy neck.

Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely,

And thy foot shall not stumble.

When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid:

Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

Be not afraid of sudden fear,

Neither the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh: For Jehovah will be thy confidence,

And will keep thy foot from being taken.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,

When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again,

And tomorrow I will give;

When thou hast it by thee.

Devise not evil against thy neighbor,

Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Strive not with a man without cause,

If he have done thee no harm.

Envy thou not the man of violence,

And choose none of his ways.

For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah;

But his friendship is with the upright.

The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked;

But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.

Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers;

But he giveth grace unto the lowly.

The wise shall inherit glory;

But shame shall be the promotion of fools."

"We have been watching celestial processes, but here we are brought firmly back to earth."[28] Not only did the previous paragraph speak of the Creation; but the separation of the beneficial waters by the heavens, dividing those beneath from those above, appeared in the mention of `the depths' and the `dew from the skies' (Proverbs 3:19-20).

"Let them not depart from thine eyes ... so shall they be life unto thy soul" (Proverbs 3:21-22). "The main thrust here is the security that wisdom gives."[29] The plural `them' refers to both wisdom and discretion. There is also a stern warning here that wisdom and discretion may be lost, escape, slip away, or depart from thine eyes. Therefore a constant guard must be posted against such a disaster.

"Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely" (Proverbs 3:23). "Here it becomes very clear that wisdom means walking with God,"[30] doing his will, keeping his commandments, and doing so continually.

Lawton reminds us that, "No wisdom is sound that is not taught in the Word of God. Some kinds of wisdom highly esteemed in the world are not merely useless, but folly."[31]

"Withhold not good from them to whom it is due" (Proverbs 3:27). These verses (Proverbs 3:27-35) are declared by Tate to, "Have little or no direct connection,"[32] with the preceding verses. He made this a separate paragraph on, "Being a Good Neighbor"! Deane also wrote that these verses are, "A sixth admonitory address which demonstrates the conditions upon which wisdom and happiness are to be attained. It consists of a number of detached proverbs."[33]

In these final verses of the chapter, we are impressed with the fact that, "The value of the Book of Proverbs is its revelation of the application of wisdom to all sorts and conditions of people, and to the ordinary affairs of human life."[34]

"The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked" (Proverbs 3:33). It is not only the physical dwelling which is meant here, but especially the `family' or `household' of the wicked; but it appears from Zechariah 5:3-4 that the physical residence of the wicked is also included. "This curse continues from generation to generation, the source of ever-recurring woes."[35]

"Surely he (God) scoffeth at the scoffers" (Proverbs 3:34). This is also rendered, "He scorneth the scorners." "The word from which these translations come has many overtones of wickedness. It is one of the many synonyms for a wicked man. It carries the meaning of arrogant; and the opposite of it is `lowly' or `humble.'"[36]

"It is pride that makes men scorners; men having an overweening conceit of themselves are likely to behave insolently toward others. Nebuchadnezzar, Haman, and Herod are Biblical examples of this wickedness."[37]