The Teflon Saints Text: Proverbs 12:21
Introduction: A Stated Fact and an Apparent Problem
The book of Proverbs is a book of divine physics. It does not give us a series of suggestions that might work out if we give them a good go. It tells us how the world is actually wired. God is the one who built the machine of the world, and Solomon, by the Spirit, is giving us the owner's manual. These are not platitudes; they are principles. They are descriptions of the grain of the universe.
But this brings us to a text like ours this morning, which, to the modern ear, sounds less like a statement of fact and more like a statement of faith that is frequently contradicted by the facts. "No misfortune befalls the righteous." Really? Tell that to Job. Tell that to the martyrs being fed to the lions. Tell that to the Christian brother who just lost his job or received a grim diagnosis from his doctor. Our experience seems to scream that the righteous get their fair share of misfortune, and sometimes a double portion.
So what do we do? Do we spiritualize the text into meaninglessness? Do we say, "Well, it doesn't mean actual misfortune, but rather spiritual, fuzzy misfortune"? God forbid. The Proverbs are earthy, practical, and concerned with our actual lives. Or do we accuse God of false advertising? Many do. They treat God's promises like a vending machine. They put in their quarter of righteousness and, when the candy bar of a trouble-free life doesn't drop, they start kicking the machine.
The problem is not with the text. The problem is with our definitions. We have a faulty, man-centered dictionary. We define "misfortune" and "righteous" by the standards of this fleeting, secular age, instead of by the standards of God's eternal Word. This proverb is absolutely, unshakably true. Our task is to understand it as God means it, not as our fickle emotions feel it. We must align our thinking with the divine physics of reality, not the other way around.
The Text
No misfortune befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with calamity.
(Proverbs 12:21 LSB)
The Righteous and Their Protective Shield (v. 21a)
Let us take the first clause:
"No misfortune befalls the righteous..." (Proverbs 12:21a)
First, we must define our terms biblically. Who are the "righteous"? In the ultimate sense, there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). If this proverb were about morally perfect people, it would apply to a grand total of one man, the Lord Jesus Christ. But in Scripture, the righteous are those who are in a right covenant relationship with God. They are those who have been declared righteous by faith. In the Old Testament, this was the faithful Israelite who trusted in the promises of God. In the New Testament, it is the one who is clothed in the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. The righteous man is the justified man. He is the one who has thrown himself entirely on the mercy of God and has been accepted in the Beloved.
Now, what about "misfortune"? The Hebrew word here is 'aven, which can mean trouble, wickedness, or iniquity. The sense is that no real, ultimate, soul-destroying evil will happen to the justified man. This is not a promise of a life free from trouble, but a promise that the trouble will never be ultimate. It will never be a true calamity. It will never be penal. The righteous man may suffer, but he never suffers the wrath of God. The sting of every affliction has been removed by the cross of Christ. For the Christian, what the world calls misfortune is, in the hands of our sovereign God, transformed into medicine.
Think of it this way. The same fire that melts the wax hardens the clay. The same trouble that is a curse to the wicked is a blessing to the righteous. For the righteous, affliction serves to sanctify us, to wean us from the world, to drive us to our knees, and to prepare us for glory. As Paul says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good" (Romans 8:28). All things. Not some things. Not most things. All things. The cancer, the car wreck, the betrayal. All of it is conscripted by God into the service of our ultimate good.
Therefore, no 'aven, no ultimate calamity, can ever befall the righteous. The devil meant Job's suffering for evil, but God meant it for good. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, a great misfortune, but he could later say, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). The greatest misfortune in the history of the world was the crucifixion of the only truly righteous man. And yet, it was through that apparent catastrophe that God accomplished the greatest good, the salvation of His people. For the one in Christ, there is no such thing as a true misfortune, only a mysterious mercy.
The Wicked and Their Full Cup (v. 21b)
The second clause provides the stark contrast.
"But the wicked are filled with calamity." (Proverbs 12:21b LSB)
Here again, we must define our terms. The wicked are not just the exceptionally vile, like murderers and tyrants. The wicked, in biblical terms, are those who live in rebellion against God. They are their own law, their own god. They are covenant-breakers. They may be outwardly respectable, church-going, and pleasant, but their hearts are not submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ. They are building their lives on the sand.
And what is their end? They are "filled with calamity." The word here for calamity is simply ra', meaning evil or trouble. Notice the contrast. For the righteous, no true evil can befall them. For the wicked, they are filled with it. It is not just that they have troubles. Their troubles are unmitigated. Their troubles are the leading edge of the wrath of God. There is no grace, no redemptive purpose in their suffering. It is simply the natural consequence of their rebellion and the foretaste of the judgment to come.
The wicked man might prosper for a season. He might build his barns bigger and live a life of ease. Asaph was troubled by this very thing in Psalm 73. He saw the wicked prospering, and his feet almost slipped. But then he went into the sanctuary of God and understood their end. He saw that they were set in slippery places, and that God would cast them down to destruction. Their prosperity is a greasy pole over a bonfire.
The calamity that fills the wicked is not just external. It is internal. They are filled with the calamity of a guilty conscience, of insatiable desires, of envy, and of the fear of death. Every bit of trouble they experience is a down payment on the full measure of justice they will receive. Their cup of iniquity is being filled, and with it, their cup of calamity. For them, there is no Romans 8:28. All things work together for their ruin. Even their blessings are curses, because they harden them in their pride and rebellion, storing up more wrath for the day of wrath.
Conclusion: The Great Divide
This proverb, then, is not a prosperity gospel promise that if you are good, you will get rich and have a comfortable life. It is far more profound. It is a statement about the fundamental divide in humanity, the divide between those in Adam and those in Christ. It is a statement about two ultimate destinies.
For those in Christ, the righteous, every event in your life, no matter how painful it may seem in the moment, is being woven into a tapestry of grace that will result in your eternal good and God's eternal glory. Nothing can ultimately harm you. You are indestructible until God is finished with you. You are a Teflon saint; the real filth of ultimate misfortune cannot stick to you. Your trials are temporary, light, and purposeful.
But for those who remain in their wickedness, in their rebellion against God, every event, even the pleasant ones, is filling up a measure of calamity. Your pleasures are temporary, your troubles are eternal, and your path leads to utter ruin. The whole world is a minefield, and you are walking through it without a guide.
Therefore, the question this proverb forces upon us is not, "How can I avoid trouble?" The question is, "To which group do I belong?" Are you among the righteous or the wicked? Have you fled from your sin and rebellion and taken refuge in the finished work of Jesus Christ? He is the one who took the ultimate calamity upon Himself at the cross, so that we who trust in Him might be shielded from it forever. He drank the cup of God's wrath to the dregs, so that for us, the cup of suffering would be transformed into a cup of fellowship with Him.
Do not be deceived by temporary appearances. The world is exactly as this proverb describes it. There are only two paths, two teams, and two final ends. Flee the calamity that is your due. Run to the cross, be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and you will find that in this life and the next, no true misfortune can ever befall you.