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Answer
The age-old adage states, “You can’t keep a good man down.” Essentially, this is the essence of Proverbs 24:16: “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.” A person who places their trust in the Lord and relies on God throughout their life may stumble and fall repeatedly, but they will not remain defeated. They will conquer obstacles and challenges through God’s grace and strength, brushing themselves off and standing tall once more. Conversely, “One disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked” «For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: But the wicked shall fall into mischief. », (Proverbs 24:16, NLT). The unrighteous lack the ability to rise above adversity—once they are down, they lack the resilience to lift themselves up.
In Proverbs, the Teacher frequently contrasts two distinct life paths—one of righteousness and the other of wickedness (Proverbs 10:6-7, 16;15:9). These paths lead to vastly different destinations (Proverbs 10:28-30). The path of righteousness always culminates in goodness, while the way of wickedness results in ruin and destruction (Proverbs 11:23;Proverbs 12:7). God’s Word pledges abundant blessings and rewards for those who are committed to doing what is right but cautions against the dire consequences of wickedness (Proverbs 12:2-3, 21;13:9,21, 25;15:6;20:7).
In Proverbs, a righteous individual typically denotes a person of strong moral fiber, underscoring that they are “honorable,” “truthful,” “principled,”and “honorable.” In Hebrew, the word translated as “falls” can mean “falls down” (literally) as in “no longer remaining upright” or (figuratively) “experiences disaster, tragedy, or ruin.” Rises again conveys the literal meaning of “gets back up after falling,” as well as the figurative sense of “overcomes adversity” or “becomes prosperous again.”
The significance of falling “seven times” could simply refer to falling frequently or many times. But the number seven is often a symbol of completeness or perfection in Scripture. It may illustrate here that, no matter how many times a righteous man falls and no matter if his fall seems to be completely and utterly irreversible, the setback is only temporary. He is destined to rise again.
Resilience is one of the blessings of those who choose right living because God is on their side. The Lord “directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23-24; NLT). Even when enemies rage against them, the righteous can say, “Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light” «Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. », (Micah 7:8, NLT).
Another revelation to apprehend in “a righteous man falls seven times” is that the godly can expect to encounter trouble and hardship in life. God’s people aren’t promised freedom from worldly cares, losses, trials, or attacks of the enemy (John 16:33; 2 Timothy 2:3; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 5:8). Even so, the Lord watches over His children (Psalm 23). He promises to be with us in ourTrouble, to deliver us, and honor us «He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. », (Psalm 91:15).
We can trust wholly in the Lord because He rescues us out of all our misfortunes «Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the LORD delivereth him out of them all. », (Psalm 34:19). God saves those who love Him and protects those who acknowledge His name «Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. », (Psalm 91:14). The righteous call on the Lord, and He answers them (Psalm 17:6;Psalm 20:1). We may fall seven times, but the Lord hears our cries. He upholds us when we stumble «The LORD upholdeth all that fall, And raiseth up all those that be bowed down. », (Psalm 145:14). He lifts us out of the mud and mire and sets our feet on solid ground «He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. », (Psalm 40:2).
Believers don’t have to worry when evil men plot against them because God will raise the righteous person up from defeat time after time «For they intended evil against thee: They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. », (Psalm 21:11). Likewise, we can’t let shortcomings and failures keep us down and discouraged. Our ultimateThe triumph over all adversaries, such as sin and death, is guaranteed through Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). We may commit numerous errors in this journey of faith, but God will empower us to rise, begin anew, persevere, and prosper. For though a righteous person falls seven times, they rise again.
