Troubled by evil?

 

READ: Psalm 36-40

A peek at the news early this morning had me wondering what goes on in the minds of those who are doing evil things. Today’s reading gave me an answer:

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. (Psalm 36:1–4)

This is so sad. I know what it is to not fear God, to flatter myself and think I know best. I have spoken words that trouble and deceive others. I know the folly of wisdom and the plotting of evil — and I know the voice of the Lord who had mercy on my sinfulness and introduced me to Himself. What a difference grace makes!

These thoughts produce a sort of heaviness in my heart for those who do not fear God, who think they can do whatever they want and will get away with it. Don’t they realize that the consequences of their choices are already ruining their lives, robbing them of peace and joy? Yet don’t I realize that apart from the grace of God, all people would be lost in sin, me too. The sorrow of that is burdensome today.

However, today’s reading also tells me how to think. All of chapter 37 is helpful to my burdened heart. I cannot ‘not fret’ apart from the Spirit of the Lord that gives me that ‘peace that passes understanding’ but I can pray and listen to the Lord who grants it and let Him govern my mind. He says:

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. (Psalm 37:1–17)

I had been thinking much of the question of how to respond to evil. Some said we should respond with a righteous anger and admitted how that anger drove them to action. While taking some action can be okay, it didn’t seem right to me that action should be motivated by anger. This passage confirms it with “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.”

Other verses verify that wrath against sin is God’s prerogative, not mine. Not only that, Jesus died for the sin in others that upsets us and the same sin that plagues our own selves. He could have let His anger deal with me and then struck me down rather than gently revealing Gospel Grace to me. He choose compassion. So often in the NT, Jesus chooses compassion. His anger against sin is not like mine — filled with “I must fix this” notions to put a stop to the sin. Instead, He took that sin — mine included — and died for it.

God’s ways are not our ways. We see the wicked plotting against others and rarely consider the power of God to turn their own swords against themselves. Even more, we quickly forget the power of the Gospel — as if I saved myself and now must save others.

Lord Jesus, the evil in this world is deeply troubling, but You tell me to not be troubled. You are in charge and You will take care of those who so confidently think they cannot be stopped or punished. I need to remember Your power but also Your meekness; You died for all — even while we were still sinners. That includes me, and You know what to do with those who keep saying NO to Your grace.