Afflictions of the Righteous and Sorrows of the Wicked

Goat tangled up in rope; afflictions of the righteous.
Torsten Dederichs

In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover. ’Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, ‘Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: ‘Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord'” 2 Kings 20: 1-5.

This passage is a good example of the difference between the righteous and the wicked in their afflictions. To read the rest of the passage for context, click here.

In Psalms we read:

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34: 19).

And again, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord”(Psalm 32: 10).

Afflictions of the Righteous Don’t Become Sorrows

I believe the reason the afflictions of the wicked become sorrows is because they don’t have their trust in the Deliverer to deliver them. They may attempt this when they’re in their desperate plight, but by then it’s often too late.

I [wisdom] also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you” Proverbs 1: 26.

Let me clarify this though. Sometimes Christians who do have a Deliverer are still not delivered from our disaster. And I believe the reason for this is often that we have acted foolishly. We perhaps have not yet learned wisdom.

We have persisted in sin and have not repented after repeated warnings. So, God has no choice but to discipline us severely.

Young women with hands clasped on face in prayer; proverbs 3 commentary; afflictions of the righteous.
Photo by Ben White

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are” 1 Corinthians 1: 27, 28.

There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die” Proverbs 15:10.

Same Winds, Same Rains, Same Flood

Jesus told the parable of the two foundations in which the same storm that assails the house of the fool also besieges the house of the wise. Same winds, same rains, same flood. The wording is identical in both cases (Mathew 7: 24-27).

The difference lies not in what the fool and the wise go through, but in the outcome. The house of the fool is destroyed in the storm. While the house of the wise withstands it.

“. . . For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” Proverbs 24: 16.

According to this proverb, both the righteous and wicked experience calamity. The difference is in how it ends. The righteous rise from the ashes, while the wicked “stumble”. This implies their fall is permanent.

The righteous are delivered from their affliction because they trust in the Deliverer. Not just in their affliction. But they’ve shown their trust by walking in God’s ways over time.

Unspeakable Gift

What an unspeakable gift to be able to “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4: 16.

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” Proverbs 11: 4.

To read another post related to Afflictions of the Righteous; Sorrows of the Wicked, Adversity in the Bible: How Much Control Do We Have?

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