The Eyes of the Lord

"Are in every place," writes Solomon, "keeping watch on the evil and the good" (Prov 15.3, ESV). The Scriptures speak remarkably consistently in regards to God and on whom he keeps his eye. Ps. 139.7-12 works out this same truth. No matter how far we run or how much we try to hide, God is never far from us. This is a good thing. This is a remarkable thing. This is the God whom we serve.

How to Overcome Evil

Paul speaks to how we overcome evil in Romans 12.21. "Do not be overcome by evil," he writes, "but overcome evil with good." There is so much packed into those twelve words (in the Greek).

First, both evil and good cannot win out, it is not possible. If evil is triumphant, than good loses. If good wins, then evil is crushed.

Second, It is possible for a follower of Christ to be overcome by evil. Otherwise, Paul would not have written this admonition.

Third, it is possible for evil to be overcome.

Fourth, the instrument with which to overcome evil is good, which here we would see as the opposite, and the antithesis of evil.

Fifth, Paul doesn't explain exactly how good overcomes evil, or how to overcome evil by using good; he only states to do it. I suspect that he must have felt that how exactly to do it was self-evident. It did not need further explaining.

And It was Good

Reading in Psalms 104.31 this morning where the NLT says, "The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made. (The ESV translates this "May the Lord rejoice in his works," which I do not like since it seems to be calling for the Lord to do what he is already doing. The TNIV also has "may," so linguistically maybe it's correct).

At any rate, I'm wondering what it means for the Lord to take pleasure in all he has made. The UBS commentary points out that it looks backward to Genesis 1 and 2 where God declares all that he had made good. This seems to me to be the best interpretation.

When one looks at the world, everywhere and in all places (as Psalms 104 states emphatically) God's creation holds us in awe. Truly God made all things in wisdom and it is no wonder that he declared it good because it IS good; it demonstrates incredible wisdom and power, again and again and again.