Proverbs 12:20-21 “Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy. No harm will be directed at the righteous, but the wicked are filled with calamity.”

I think that we’ve covered this before, but it’s important to say again. Proverbs are not promises, they are probabilities. They are things that are most likely to be true, and we can usually see how they would come to pass. If you steal, say nasty things about others, or commit adultery, you have a much greater chance of problems in your life! Conversely, if you don’t, your life will be better because of all the trouble you avoid. So when we read, “no harm will be directed,” we understand that to be a statement of what is most likely to happen, not an absolute promise. If we take it as a promise, we’ll either be very frustrated when bad things happen to us that we don’t think are deserved, or we’ll be constantly examining our lives with a microscope trying to find out why we’re being punished.

So, having said that, what do we have here? If we promote peace and try to get along with others, we’re much more likely to have joy in our lives. If we try to deceive others and plot against them, it will probably bring calamity into our lives. If we’re honest, we can see how both are true, even if God doesn’t intervene directly!