In Proverbs 10:25 we find Solomon's timely caution that "As the whirlwind passes, so is the wicked no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation." Commenting on this particular verse, Jewish Hebrew scholar Michael V. Fox writes: "This gale hits everyone, not just the wicked. Thus it represents whatever crisis or disaster befalls a society, not a punishment for a particular sin. The righteous hold firm, while the wicked are swept away."

In the eternal dimension no storm can remove the righteous, for they have a permanent and lasting foundation.

In this context it must be understood that we do not become "righteous" by what we do, but by virtue of our position in Christ. The "righteous" gain such lofty position through grace, having been predestined for "adoption as sons to Himself through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of His will," as Paul the apostle informed the believers in Ephesus (Eph. 1:5).

In Proverbs 11:9 Solomon speaks of the redeeming quality of knowledge, or understanding, wisdom, good sense or discernment. "The proverb," writes Fox, "does not say that God intervenes to deliver the righteous miraculously but that they are protected by 'knowledge' (da'at), which is to say, their wisdom. The proverb assumes that the righteous, being wise, have the mental resources to get themselves out of trouble."

As Gideons and Rahabs begin entering the public square, they will be recognized as those who have sought wisdom, submitting themselves to its teachings and so procuring thorough knowledge of His Word, according to Bruce K. Waltke.

"Then out of that understanding," as R. read more