What does the black walnut illustration teach about the believer's protection?
The black walnut pictures the believer as hidden in God and in Christ. Its outer husk represents God surrounding us, the hard shell represents Christ, and the meat represents where we are. Nothing can touch the believer unless God permits it, because it must pass through both God and Christ.
Les teaches that the old black walnut has a large outer covering, a hard shell inside, and the meat in the little crevices inside that shell. The outer covering pictures God all around us; the hard shell pictures Christ; and the meat pictures where we are, hidden in Him. So the believer is hid in Christ, in God. Nothing can touch us unless it goes past God and past Christ, and even then God must permit it. Les adds that this does not promise believers a rose-petaled pathway or riches.