21 My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
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[d] of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbour, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan evil against your neighbour,
who dwells trustingly beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
33 The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Towards the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favour.
35 The wise will inherit honour,
but fools get disgrace.
The reference to fear in 24-26 opens up considerations of wide application. When one thinks of the hundred-and-one nameless fears and dreads that prey upon the human spirit and produce such restlessness in it, these words constitute a wonderful promise. It may well be that what is described in these verses is not everyone's problem: it is cer- tainly true that some more than others tend to become prey to sudden, irrational fears that can distress and even paralyse the spirit, and prove a positive hazard to health and even sanity, disturbing sleep rhythms and bringing nightmarish dreams (24). What is be- ing taught here is that the man who is endued with divine wisdom and controlled and directed by it has become so balanced a personality that he is brought into a place of rest and peace in which these things do not disturb. How very wonderful that it should be possible through the grace of God and the discipline of His Word to be made into balanced personalities that can take the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune', and all the pressures of life in one's stride. This is wholeness of personality indeed, and is what Paul must surely be referring to in his great word on sanctification in 1 Thessaloni- ans 5:23. The RSV translates 25b 'neither of the ruin of the world' - this echoes the thought of Psalm 46:2. This is the measure of peace that is given to those who find a refuge and strength in God. If this, then, be the extent of the promise, should we be con- tent with less, for our own experience?