Really? Yes, Really

(Proverbs 12:21 KJV)  There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.

To be honest, verses like this trouble me.  Literally, they seem false.  The Bible is true.  We must struggle with them and come up with answers.

We need to start with the fact that the people of past ages were not stupid or blind.  They can see the same things I can see, yet they accepted this.  The author was not blind or stupid, yet he wrote it.  God inspired it.  There must be an understanding.  Perhaps the resolution is found in the juxtaposition of “evil" (harm NASB) (205) and “mischief" (trouble NASB) (7451b).

At a current reading a verse came to mind:

(Romans 8:28 KJV)  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

And think about what Joseph had to say to his brothers,

(Genesis 50:20 KJV)  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

I must admit that things happen that look evil to me.  Yet we have these promises.  We can believe that no matter what happens, God can and will sanctify it.  But notice that even here the promise is to those who are serving Him.  You can’t go out and live a self-centered life and then wonder why evil things happen to you.

So?  I guess it is back to basics:  Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.