How to decide, when life goes wrong, is Scripture really true?
By Dean Collins
The Bible doesn’t always say what we think it says, so when life happens and things don’t go as we understood they would, we can easily fall into disillusionment.
The book of Proverbs, filled with many clear directives, can help me make my point. “Do this” and “Don’t do that” are phrases we read there many times. And the given outcomes correlate nicely. Follow God’s teachings and good things happen. Follow self or evil and bad things happen. But by now we may have noticed that this hasn’t always played out in our lives and the lives of others. There are plenty of people doing whatever they want, and they live long lives and have lots of stuff. And then we know others who live honorably and do good, and one day just drop dead.
So was Solomon telling us the truth? Or is it possible that sometimes we just add our preferred interpretation to what Scripture says?
Inspired instruction
Proverbs 3 opens with instructions to sons. I’ve given instructions to my children many times and I have often said exactly what Solomon said: “don’t forget what I just told you. It’s important.” When I give instructions, I usually don’t go into all of the details about why they should do what I want them to do. I usually am matter-of-fact. Don’t run into the street. Don’t lie to me. Go clean your room. Sometimes the benefits of obeying or the punishment for ignoring me are spelled out. Other times they are implied or simply understood from previous instructions.
Solomon offered instructions not just based on his preferences, but as inspired words from God. These are more than good moral teachings. Proverbs gives instructions from the wisdom of God, so when we follow these instructions, we receive divine blessing. But herein is also the danger if we aren’t careful with our reading and our expectations.
Proverbs 3:1 says if we keep these commandments, we will experience added days to our lives along with added peace. And 3:8 says that following God’s wisdom and not our own brings health and vitality to the body, down to our very bones. That sounds better than the hundreds of supplements offered to us daily!
But my neighbor at age 47 fell dead right after feeding his dogs and shortly after his regular attendance at church where he not only paid attention to the sermon but completed his weekly service on the parking team. And if that isn’t good enough, he raised three Godly sons, was faithful and loving to his wife, didn’t cuss, drink, or chew tobacco, and was kind to everyone. And everyone who knew him would say the same and probably tell you a story of what he did for their kid because he was a teacher and a coach.
But my neighbor at age 47 fell dead. So what about length of days being added?
So what about the length of days being added? Forty-seven seems pretty young. I know a bunch of 80-somethings who are stubborn and willful and are still breathing air and being rude to others.
All of what Solomon said is true. And my neighbor, Mike, lived faithfully and chased after God will all his heart, but his heart suddenly quit working . And as much as I don’t like it or completely understand it, he has received his added days and peace. And he did experience complete healing in his body down to his bones that now rest in the ground.
Complete trust
When things happen that we don’t want and that don’t make sense, we are left with the verses in between Proverbs 3:1 and Proverbs 3:8 that say this:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. “
It is easy to trust and lean into God on sunny days when you are experiencing health and have money in the bank. But faithfulness requires trusting on the dark, sad, and confusing days when things just aren’t as you wanted or as they should be in any rational and human understanding. But when we choose to lean with all of our weight on God and trust him even when we lack understanding, we, too, will discover his peace. And we, too, will experience the eternal days others we love now enjoy.
We, too, will experience the eternal days others we love now enjoy.
When God gives shalom he ultimately makes things as they were intended to be. My neighbor is now experiencing the full peace of God. And when he received it, he walked right through the gates of Heaven with an even greater glow than the smile we all saw on his face while he was on earth.
We might do well to focus on the promises of 3:8: Solomon tells us when we don’t rely on our understanding and wisdom but rather fear the Lord and turn from evil, then we will experience healing to our flesh and find nourishment. The world for flesh used here can be translated “navel” and is used only once in Proverbs. It’s interesting to think about that word choice. When the umbilical cord is cut, the infant is now disconnected from the source of nourishment received during nine months in the womb. When we trust in God with all of our hearts, then he becomes the nourishment of our very soul. We may walk on this earth with no visible attachment to our Father in Heaven, but once we have surrendered completely to God, his nourishment carries us all the way into his presence for eternity.
So back to my starting point. The Bible may not always say what we think it says or want it to say. It may in fact say much much more!
Your time with God’s Word
Proverbs 3:1-8; Revelation 22:14 Numbers 6:24-26; John 10:10 ESV
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