Proverbs 12:21 Silencing Dr. Dastardly

No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble. Proverbs 12:21 (NASB)

A very literal translation from the Hebrew Lexicon: “No trouble, sorrow, wickedness, will have opportunity, to meet or encounter opportunely, with the just, righteous, but to the wicked, criminal, to be full, to fill, evil, distress, misery injury, calamity.

Rotherham translates this, “Unseemly to the righteous is any trouble, but the lawless are full of misfortune.”

At face value, when I read the words “no harm” in the NAS translation, I immediately think of how many perceived harms that all people endure in life. Being a child of God does not mean I am exempt from misfortune. I live in a fallen world with wicked powers in heavenly places. There will be literal storms, accidents, and upheaval. To nurture hope from this proverb I must make a very important distinction between my person, (my soul and spirit) and the flesh in which it dwells. All creation groans for the redemption of the Sons of God, which is still in the future. Yet the power of the Holy Spirit in the children of God does not come through the flesh, it comes through the spirit. The inner person. That inner person, me, must comprehend that any slap on my flesh does not jeopardize my identity or grace or future in His kingdom.

No Harm

So in what sense does Solomon mean “no harm”? The words he uses for both positive and negative consequences are general. Harm and trouble. Sorrow and distress. It’s a summary. A big picture view. It could be likened to a farmer planting a seed — it produces a crop of something specific. There is no chance involved. When I align my heart and behavior with the kingdom I will receive the fruit of the kingdom and not suffer the ultimate consequences of doing evil or bad things. Behavior, like planting seed, produces results. Good behavior produces good results. And in Christ there is something even better — the Kingdom’s grace supersedes all good and bad results.

There is something profoundly concrete about the Lord’s protection over his people. He cradles us in safety and security. There is no ambiguity or wavering in my Father’s support and protection of me. If he gave his son, what else would I need that He wouldn’t give me? Yet, I must navigate his intent of peace with the evidence presented by a fallen world (and my fallen behavior at times). Last night, a good friend who loved God and believed for healing lost a brutal fight with cancer. Did harm befall her? In the natural it looks like it. But my standing on the unshakable foundation of his goodness does not change the reality of sin still wreaking havoc on earth. Jesus was sleeping in a boat rocked by a storm which was threatening his disciples. At their panic He awoke and calmed the sea, then asked his disciples why they doubted. He has the authority, but doesn’t always make the fleshly bully go away. We will confront the threat of harm externally. But I may be convinced of His goodness toward me internally despite it.

A value proposition

Besides providing peace of mind to those that align with light, this proverb also provides another value proposition. The promise of safety ultimately comes from a relationship. It is God that makes the commitment. Do I believe this promise? Do I trust Him? Even when evidence seems contrary? Originally, it was man that abandoned trust in the garden. Now we may rebuild it and return to Him. Becoming a new believer does not automatically mean I trust. It’s a process and daily choice — throughout my life. So when God promises safety, although I understand He’s fully capable of changing physical circumstances, he doesn’t always — yet in my trouble there is a unique opportunity to restore my trust, even when the evidence presented fights with my choice. Whether I am delivered from physical trial or not, he has guaranteed life. Eternal life. Ultimate good. Period. I don’t for a moment believe my good God enjoys mans’ suffering in the least. He sent the remedy for it! Yet, at the risk of oversimplifying what is happening to me: my experiences are the result of forces at work, timing that is not yet, and patient endurance that I must accept while trusting, until the change comes. And it will come.

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Psalm 73:3, 17 NIV

Clarity comes as I spend time in his sanctuary, his presence. My need for safety is such a essential thing and today I have all that is needed to have peace of mind and absolute assurance of His goodness. I will not put Him on trial with the circumstances I experience acting like Dr. Dastardly, the prosecuting attorney. In fact, I will silence him. Shut him down. The peace of God, the counsel of peace, the Prince of Peace helps me in my distress. Nothing can harm my person — despite the tribulation in this world. Although sin threatens me, there are consequences I will not encounter. Judgments against me which are not allowed to frighten.

No harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. Psalm 91:10 NIV

The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8 NIV

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NIV

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:28-29 NIV