Purpose
The purpose of this is encouragement and hope.
Foolish behavior
The purpose of this short article is not to encourage recklessness nor foolish behavior! The example of Christ below comes to mind.
The temptation of Christ
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
- Matthew 4:5-7
Foolishness is not being advocated in the above. We see that Jesus did not reject wisdom and common sense, acting in a foolhardy manner because the Bible said God would protect him. God uses common sense and wisdom as ways to protect and bless His children. See this essay on wisdom: https://creation-controversy.com/content/wisdom.
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
- Philippians 4:5
The purpose of the promise that Satan quoted above is not to encourage people to act as Satan tempted Christ to act, in reckless endangerment of themselves (or possibly others). So, then what is the purpose of this promise of God's protection? I think it is to encourage people to have hope, it is not to encourage people to take foolish actions. Satan tempted Christ to act dangerously and foolishly, which Jesus did not do.
In the Bible, when two men were sent to investigate Jericho, they did not act recklessly; they hid from their enemy in Jericho. Did they not trust in God to protect them? Perhaps, God did help them, and the method God used to protect them was natural: providing them with opportunity to look for and find a natural place to hide. The person who hid them was also blessed. This hiding of the two men from the enemy and the use of wisdom was not punished; on the contrary it was rewarded.
Paul, after being bound with thongs and ordered to be scourged, was released from the bonds but still taken to be examined (effectively "on trial," possibly for his life). He used wisdom to help effect the deliverance of himself:
6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. 7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
- Acts 23:6-9
We can hope
We look now at what the Bible can tell us on the subject of persecution.
At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
- 2 Timothy 4:16-18
This sounds as though Paul says that God will deliver him from all persecutions.
Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
- 2 Timothy 3:11
This sounds as though Paul was delivered from all persecutions, at least from all those referenced in this verse above. And in the previous text, Paul said God will deliver him from every evil work. Also, note that Paul was also using wisdom, as we saw previously.
What about other biblical examples?
Let's look at a man of God; surely a man of God, being persecuted, is worth considering. Perhaps this type of person can show us something; perhaps, the way to be persecuted! In the text below, this describes a man of God, referred to as such multiple times.
We read in 2 Kings the following:
Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. ¶And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.
- 2 Kings 1:9-14
This shows the persecutor begging for mercy from the persecuted. This is the opposite of the persecutor having the upper hand. Note: The point is protection from / during persecution.
What is God's plan?
Let's look at what God promises in Deuteronomy.
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
- Deuteronomy 28:7
... and ...
And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
- Deuteronomy 28:10
Wait - what about the persecuted being afraid of their persecutors? This scripture tells us that the enemies - and persecutors may be considered enemies - are going to fear the ones they persecute - God's children.
This seems to be backwards also - from the (incorrect) theory that persecution means defeat. But I submit that this apparent "backwards" idea of persecution plus protection, is actually "forwards" or correct.
What is persecution?
Persecution means attack, not defeat. To attack is not to conquer! In a battle, the attacker is not always the victor.
Reason for hope
Look at this example: one person can throw paperwads at a battleship, or a military tank. Is this an attack? Yes. Will the attack succeed? Not very likely.
Or suppose a mouse attacks a cat. Does this mean the mouse is going to win and defeat the cat? Of course not.
Consider Psalm 91, from which there are a few excerpts below (read the entire chapter, though!):
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
- Psalm 91:5-7
... and ...
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
- Psalm 91:10
... and ...
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
- Psalm 91:15
There is more in this Psalm, and the entire Psalm is well worth reading. But from the excerpts above we see the promise of God.
And there is more than Psalm 91:
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
- Isaiah 54:17
Well, some might say, what about the promise of persecution?
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
- 2 Timothy 3:11
The easy answer is that persecution means attack, not defeat. Think of a steel safe being "attacked" by a paper knife to get through 9 inch thick steel. Think of being attacked, but winning. Think of being challenged but winning.