July 1 - Proverb 1

“… but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”  Prov. 1:33

The last verse of the first chapter of Proverbs provides a promise – although it begs the question if a follower of God is not subject to the consequences of a sinful world around them. Christians still get in accidents, get sick, and get robbed. There are Christians who have suffered persecution and faced war in their countries. Does this promise apply to them?

The promise is given in the context of differentiating between those who fear the Lord and those who despise wisdom (1:7), reject God (v.25), or hate knowledge (v. 29). Those who do not fear the Lord may call on Him in their hour of need, but He will not hear.

The person who fears the Lord, lives to please Him, and follows God’s wisdom as revealed in His Word, always have a resource that they can go to. They do not face the tough circumstances of life alone, but have hope in the fact that God instructs us that He will never leave us or forsake us.