Don't misunderstand the message...look at the whole picture!

Probing Proverbs 11:8 The godly are rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead.

As we approach this Proverb we need to keep before us that since life is never ending, this Proverb is true, if only in one aspect, but sometimes in both. The principle taught here is very simple, those that live close to God are delivered from trouble and that trouble lands on top of the wicked instead.

The reason we would have a problem with this principle is due to the difference between that which is “temporal” versus that which is “eternal.” These are the two aspects I mentioned before.

When we consider this life only, this Proverb might appear untrue. we all know godly individuals that have suffered greatly in this life, and we all know of very wicked people that live an easy life, long and full of comfort and even die quietly in bed. So it seems the principle does not work. However, God always views things from the eternal perspective, so the temporal is just a part of the whole picture.

We can glean some important truths here though concerning the temporal aspect and then we will look at the eternal one.

First, we must always remember that everyone, godly and ungodly, will have troubles in this life. Life happens to everyone, and if I have to go through trouble, I would rather go through trouble being close to God. He may choose to allow me to experience all of the trouble, it is clear He does that, just look at His martyrs! However, if I have to experience it, I would rather have God guiding and comforting me during that time, and, if there is any chance of being delivered from trouble, God is the most powerful to do it.

Second, at times the trouble for the godly is being caused by the ungodly. This is when a great danger I call the “Haman principle” can happen. For two months in 2011 I shared Devos from the book of Esther, it is there that I describe in detail how the “Haman principle” happens, what it does to those that are being trapped by it and what the final outcome is. In short, the very evil Haman intended for Mordecai fell on him, or to put it more specifically, Haman fell from the very gallows he had built for Mordecai. This is a truth we need to pay attention to. When we behave ungodly and plan to hurt someone, God may allow the very trouble we have planned to become our trouble. I have witnessed children of God become so bitter and unforgiving, that they try to destroy the reputation of another person, only to have the very gossip they began to entrap them! 

Sadly, the greatest truth from this Proverb is found in the eternal aspect. I say sadly, not because I am sympathetic to evil, I am not. I just feel heartbroken when I consider how much God desires to share His life with all and lead them to a godly existence, but many refuse that opportunity. No matter how easy the temporal part of life is, it is far too short to mean anything in the light of eternity. When we see godly people suffer and evil people prosper we will be tempted to think like the Psalmist:

Psalm 73:2–5 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind.

Psalm 73:12–14 Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.

I know I have felt these things at times; it is part of being a fallen human. However, the Holy Spirit has always counseled me back to the truth from His Word. Take Psalm 73 and turn it around to 37 and there is a shocking reality that all should note: 

Psalm 37:12–13 The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.

What a sobering truth! In the end only those that have been declared godly through the shed blood of Jesus Christ will be delivered from a terrible judgment. This is not popular to teach, but that does not change the reality! All those close to God will escape the trouble of eternal judgment, and it will fall only on those that chose to live a life separate from God! 

Meditation: What about us? Do we live like Christ encouraged? Loving even our enemy? What is the balance required to hate evil, but love evildoers! Do you see yourself above others, or do you know that you are capable of any evil also? 

Hope that is temporary is no hope at all!

Probing Proverbs 11:7 When the wicked die, their hopes die with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength.

Here is where we run smack dab into the concrete wall of reality! No matter how you dress it up, put make up on it, and pretend it is fulfilling – the stark truth is that the “temporal” is fleeting and ends when your body does!

Human beings must have hope to continue to function, when they lose it they are opened to listen to all kinds of voices that run from desperate actions they would never do at any other time, to even self destructive behaviors. 

This is the major item Clinical Depression attacks. Individuals that deal with this terrible condition fight so hard to keep hope in their lives. If they succeed they can move back to a normal way of life. However, if the condition removes even hope from their life, they see no reason to continue. That is why all of us should always be sensitive to those in our life and move toward anyone we see struggling with the loss of hope. If the person is just "down" you will help them quickly come out of it, but if the person is moving into Clinical Depression, you may be the only life line they have. 

You can be the one that can lead them to someone trained to help them. Hope is the one thing that can bring light in the midst of darkness, the possibility of victory when defeat seems apparent, and newness of life when the shadow of death is approaching. This is why this Proverb is so sobering. If our hope is temporal, most times it will not be sufficient to enable us to finish this life with anticipation, and if we are one of the few that have “psyched” ourselves into believing that our hope is good enough, the rude awakening that will happen as we move from the temporal to the eternal will be beyond comprehension!  

Consider two key words here:

Hope - תִּקְוָה (tiqwâ) – This root means to wait or to look for with eager expectation. Waiting with steadfast endurance is a great expression of faith. It means enduring patiently in confident hope that God will decisively act for the salvation of his people (Gen 49:18). Waiting involves the very essence of a person’s being, his soul (nepeš; Ps 130:5). Those who wait in true faith are renewed in strength so that they can continue to serve the Lord while looking for his saving work (Isa 40:31). There will come a time when all that God has promised will be realized and fulfilled (Isa 49:23; Ps 37:9). In the meantime the believer survives by means of his integrity and uprightness as he trusts in God’s grace and power (Ps 25:21). His faith is strengthened through his testings, and his character is further developed (Ps 27:14).^[1]

Notice – Scriptures concept of hope begins now but goes far past our physical death. Whether or not we see the hope of our soul to experience peace, love and fellowship with each other and God, and no more pain or needs, in this life, we know we will in our life with God in eternity! To have a hope that “dies when we die” is no real hope at all.

The reason this hope dies is because it is based on man’s strength, which is described as “feeble”. Here are synonyms of this word: Frail, meager, pathetic, ineffective, and ineffectual. We can see quite clearly where the strength of man falls short. It’s easy to break (frail), it’s source of power is finite (meager), it’s foundation is built on sand (pathetic), it only can deliver as long as the positive thinker can produce the energy (ineffective), it only lasts as long as your body does (ineffectual)! Our strength is only as good, at best, as we can convince ourselves that in the end all will work out. As I said, even for the few that manage to make it to the end of their life here, it ends when they do. What is left is a terrible moment before their Maker as they realize only His strength can bring eternal hope.

As I stated earlier in Proverbs, we should not view these as negative statements, they really are positive statements from a loving God that is warning beings that have been given the stewardship of choosing how to live, the difference between temporal living (existing) and eternal living.(abundant life!) 

^[1] Hartley, J. E. (1999). 1994 קָוָה. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.