Proverbs 11:8 Trouble and other sucking sounds_
The righteous person is rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead. Proverbs 11:8 NIV
Rotherham’s translation better reflects the Hebrew: “The righteous man out of distress is delivered, then cometh a lawless man into his place.”
This proverb is like an Dyson vacuum cleaner making sucking sound. That is what trouble is — a vacuum which must be filled. The Hebrew for trouble means: tightness; transitively, a female rival — adversary, adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble. We have an adversary roaring about like a lion looking for those he may devour. He doesn’t care who.
Tightness. When I have room to move, a wilderness in which to romp around, a big house, a big yard, clothes that allow flexibility, or finances that provide enough, my focus may be on whatever my heart delights. But, when I feel restriction, lack, scarcity, circumstances that demand my focus or speak my doom, my heart and attention are distracted. It is tightness. Trouble.
It is easy to read this proverb and make grand distinctions between those that are good and those that aren’t. One may almost feel a sense of self-righteousness, “See?! They deserve the bad that comes on them!” My Father does not wish trouble or hurt on anyone. He would want all to experience his goodness, love, and grace. Yet the righteous and the wicked both experience trouble. From the outward, one may not know the difference between the two.
The lesson here is that in life people are living on a trajectory. The ship is pointed a certain direction. The turbulence and storm that we encounter along the way is common to everyone. No exception! Jesus said, “In this world you shall have tribulation.” It’s not the promise I have posted on my fridge, but it helps me understand that along the route there is difficulty and reminds me not to be thrown by it. The trajectory of the wicked is toward trouble. Why? Because there are words to live by, behaviors that cause success, attitudes of heart that show us the correct choice and the wicked ignore them all except when it serves him. The problem with sin is that it has consequences. The problem with not reading the instruction manual and assume you know everything, is that usually you don’t. Not changing the oil on your car isn’t sin, but neither is it a rewarding plan for keeping your car in its best shape.
The trajectory of the righteous is toward safety and wellbeing. Not tightness, but a broad and spacious place with abundance, blessing, goodness, growth, ideas, creativity, and life! Our Father takes care of his own. He shows us the way out of the tough spots. And he abides closely with us when we experience tightness.
But that vacuum keeps sucking. As soon as I escape trouble, trouble goes looking for another.