Probing Proverbs 10:29-30: Holding my Dad's hand!

Proverbs 10:29-30 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked. The godly will never be disturbed, but the wicked will be removed                                                              from the land.

I have a very vivid memory when I was seven years old. I was living in Germany on a Military Intelligence Base. My dad and I used to bowl in a “father and son” league once a week. We were about to walk over to the lanes when my mother asked if she could speak to my father. They went into the kitchen but I could still hear them talking. Mom was concerned that my Pop would have to go to Vietnam. She began to cry and I heard him comfort her. We then left the apartment and while we were walking over to the bowling lanes, I was looking up at him. He looked down at me and said, “What’s up buddy?” 

I said, “Daddy are you going to have to go to war and leave us?” He grabbed my hand and smiled and said, “Your daddy will always be here for you!” As I walked holding his hand to go bowl…I had never felt safer in my life!

I realize that many fathers have made that promise, but due to an evil world they were unable to keep that promise. However, that does not change the absolute peace that filled me at that moment of being so secure.

There is a Father that makes that promise, and nothing can break that promise…because He is Lord of all!

In this proverb we see two aspects of our security. Those that follow the way of the Lord are safe in two ways.

First, we find that His way will become a “stronghold” for us. What does that mean?

In the original this word is מָעוֹז (māʿôz). It means a place or means of safety, protection; a fortress ^[1]

While the world takes refuge in their wealth, fame, power, etc.  God’s people find their protection in Him. This “safe place” is not only when we are in danger, but when we suffer through sorrow and grief. God alone can produce His joy and give hope in times of deep suffering. 

The only time we are in danger of losing this security is when we seek refuge anywhere else. If we anchor our lives in God, we will always be holding our Daddy’s hand…the hand that holds and sustains the universe…through every circumstance of life.

Second, we will not be “disturbed.” This is an interesting word used here.

The original is מוֹט - (môṭ) and means to totter, shake, slip or be removed^[2]

The picture is clear: No matter how much turmoil there is in our life, or how slippery the terrain is, we will not be moved when we are standing on the rock our God. This speaks directly to our eternal security. When we know deep inside that our eternity is secure because of Him, even catastrophe cannot move us. We may have emotional struggles, but our core beliefs and inner peace remain because He is the one that makes us stand firm! Scripture states it so well:

Isaiah 54:10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

The security is there…but we must decide where we will build our life. Jesus spoke about this:

Matthew 7:24–27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Consider: Where is your trust invested…Temporal things or Eternal? When tough times hit, where do you turn? Are you secure because of a bank account, a career, a position, or worldly power? Do you find peace because of your comfort or status? What have you built your life on…the Word of God or the Philosophies of this world?

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^[1] Schultz, C. (1999). 1578 עוּז. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.

^[2] Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.