Proverbs 24:15-16 Christian Standard Bible
15 Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one,
at the camp of the righteous man;
don’t destroy his dwelling.
16 Though a righteous person falls seven times,
he will get up,
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.
Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Learning Something From our Mistakes.
Learning Nothing From our Mistakes.
Living with the thought that we can, we will, never make Mistakes.
I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.
But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
And so, our human condition moves us, trips us, face plants, us through life
I’ve come to appreciate the value of learning from mistakes and of reframing failures as opportunities for growth.
The insights shared by mentors, friends, and even strangers have profoundly shaped my understanding of resilience and perseverance.
When I was younger, I viewed failure as a reflection of my inadequacy.
But a mentor once told me, “Failure is never the opposite of success; it is a crucial part of it.”
That helped me to see mistakes not as automatic dead ends but as stepping stones toward improvement and wisdom.
A memorable example was a project I led that did not go as planned.
I immediately felt defeated, but a wise colleague encouraged me to analyze what went wrong and what could be done differently the next time.
That helped me to see the experience as a learning opportunity.
I also recall a Pastor sharing a story of his own failure in ministry.
His transparency, honesty and humility taught me that even the people we look up to experience setbacks.
This encouraged me to view failure as a shared human experience.
What does Proverbs 24:16 really mean?
Here, Solomon expresses true confidence that godly people can recover from setbacks. Those who do evil will surely fall when they are struck by adversity.
In an earthly sense, this is generally true yet not an absolute guarantee (Psalm 73:2–3). In an eternal sense, however, this principle is universal.
Proverbs 24:16 reminds us that setbacks are not the end. God calls us to keep getting up, to trust Him, and to move forward with hope. No matter how many times we fall, His grace is always sufficient, always there to help us rise again.
Righteous people are not those who will never fall. They do not escape the suffering that attends life in this fallen world (Proverbs 24:16).
Importantly, the righteous man or woman may fall as many as “seven times.”
The number seven often symbolizes completeness in Scripture.
Learning from our mistakes means our humbly acknowledging them, seeking that feedback, and making necessary adjustments. It involves humility and a true willingness to change. By reframing failure, we can grow in resilience, deepen our trust in God’s guidance, and continue moving forward with hope.
In the name of God, the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Psalm 121
A Song of degrees.
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper:
the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 