Wounds that Heal

“Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.” (Prov. 20:30)

Kelly Clarkson harmonizes with biblical insight when she sings, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Proverbs 20:30 offers wisdom for thinking about life’s disappointments that sounds somewhat like Clarkson’s 2012 hit “Stronger.” Solomon reflects, “Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.” By considering his own “blows” and “strokes” Solomon learned that suffering has a sanctifying effect. Life’s difficulties offer unique opportunities to grow in character. Even the most secular person can wrap his or her mind around this principle, but there is a deeper layer to this wise saying.

For Solomon there is a kind of suffering that makes a person physically, emotionally, and spiritually clean from the inside out. This is an outcome that everyday trails can’t produce, and the key to understanding this proverb is Isaiah 53:5. Looking forward to Jesus’s sacrificial death Isaiah announces, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” It’s not our suffering that truly heals, but Jesus’s. Through his death and resurrection he is making all things new, so by faith in Christ we can endure life’s hurts with thankfulness and hope; thankful that God is working in our suffering to conform us into the image of Christ and hopeful that the day is coming when our wounds are healed.