Day 205, Year 1

Ridding Evil so as to See Good 

“Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.” (Psalm 34:12-13 NASB)

The word “life” in today’s verse is chay, which is the same word used for “life” in Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 19. In other words, if we love our lives, we should refrain from speaking evil. This is the very verse quoted in 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 10, suggesting that believers should not render evil for evil, but should bless those who mistreat us so that we may receive God’s blessings. Facing the attacks of the wicked, the evil within believers might surface, but refraining from speaking evil words is just the first step. King David in the Psalms sets an example for us by praying to God for vindication and justice. But if the wickedness and deceit within us continue to accumulate, it becomes impossible for us to keep our tongues from evil. To illustrate, it is quite impossible for a person who loves lies not to tell any lies. For when people are continually receiving evil and deceit, it is difficult not to render evil with evil in turn.

In my understanding, today’s verse is an invitation for believers to change our response mechanisms and the related reasoning in our hearts. In short, keeping our tongues from evil is only the first step in eradicating the evil in our minds. Apostle Peter suggested that blessings should be returned for insults. However, I believe that these blessings need to align with God’s specific blessings. Otherwise, we would only fall into the problem of acting according to our wills, distancing ourselves from God. If you bless those whom God curses, could you expect to receive His blessings? It is unlikely. Under no circumstances could we be blessed for deviating from the will of God. In times of facing attacks, it is a great challenge for us to pray calmly and seek His righteous judgments. But if we cannot pray calmly, how can we receive God’s guidance in responding to the wicked people before us?

When we love God’s life, we naturally choose things that are beneficial to us and hold them close in our hearts. Of course, we need to be more critical towards our speeches, habits, hobbies, etc., to eradicate various evils and falsehoods within us. In other words, we should understand the impacts of our past decisions with different perspectives, particularly those harmful to our lives. Then, we need to pray for those we have chosen wrongly one by one and replace them with the Lord’s will, thus cleansing the evil within and entering into God’s goodness.

Reflection questions:

1) Could you quiet your heart with ease and pray when you are under attack? If you find it difficult, what would you do to solve this problem?

2) What is the key for believers to replace our evil within with God’s goodness?