"Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble"
The key word in this proverb is then. After you find wisdom, all these wonderful things will happen to you. Solomon is selling the benefits of wisdom.
In this proverb, he points out that when you act with wisdom in which God is glorified, others win and you win and you do not have to worry about as many dangers and problems. You have eliminated them by your wise actions and choices.
Think this through: Every time you choose the wise action instead of the selfish one, you gain the opportunities that come after the wise action – you get the benefits of the wise action. You miss the problems of the selfish action, and you miss the new selfish opportunities that would be available after the selfish action. You are in a four times better place than you would have been if you did the foolish action.
securely
This is the Hebrew word betach, which means security, confidence, safely. What the wise person is stepping on is secure and not shaky or suspect. He has checked it out and has received confirmation. There is no impulsiveness and shady dealings as there are when you are pursuing what is selfish or foolish.
The foolish path is the quick, hidden – maybe illegal – deal that is too good to be true. The wise path is full of checks and balances and confirmation.
When you go down the wise path, you don't have to wonder if the police will be knocking at your door soon. You don't have to wonder if the IRS will be taking all you have. You don't have to worry about the boss finding out about what you have been doing. You don't have to hope that your wife never finds out. Instead you are secure. What you are doing is good, right, open, and aboveboard.
stumble
This is the Hebrew word nagaph, which means to strike, smite. In this case, when connected with foot or walking, it means tripping over something that your foot hits.
One of the dangers of walking on dirt paths is that there is a rock sticking up that you don't see. Your foot hits it, and you fall flat on your face. This is the picture that is brought to mind in this part of the proverb. If you are following the path of wisdom, this hidden rock that makes you fall headlong on the path is not there. You do not have the fall that destroys everything. You may trip, but you can recover. Wisdom makes you cautious and aware of what is around you.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz