"Devise Good" - 11 February 2021
In our
live-stream morning prayer, we are reading through Proverbs. This morning I
read Proverbs 14 and a verse stuck out to me. Solomon tells his young son, “Do
they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet
steadfast love and faithfulness” (14:22). In some ways it’s a typical
pattern in Proverbs where evil and good are juxtaposed, where they are put
together to contrast them. There are similarities and dissimilarities.
Clearly
the aim and results of evil and good are the dissimilarities. Evil leads
astray. But where does good end up? Interestingly, the word “meet” is
not in the Hebrew. In fact, it literally says “Steadfast love and truthfulness to
those who devise good.” Those who devise good will exhibit steadfast love and
truthfulness, will stub their toes on steadfast love and truthfulness, and be
met on their life’s journey by steadfast love and truthfulness.
But
notice that the similarity is the devising. One devises evil, and the other
devises good. It’s the same Hebrew word for both, and the word, charash,
carries the notion of planning as when one engraves, carves or ploughs. To
devise requires scheming, planning, forethought, concocting and plotting. It’s
easy to recognize how evil is devised, but the wonder is that we should be scheming
out ways to pursue good. Paul says as much when he wrote, “Repay no one evil
for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all”
(Romans 12:17).
The way,
then, of wisdom is to devise good. The path of life lived out in warm fellowship
with the God of wisdom, in whose Son is “hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3), is to contrive good. That is the way of
steadfast love and truthfulness.
Long ago
I was listening to an author being interviewed. He made the interesting
observation that it is easy to write about evil. It’s everywhere. It’s in us,
in our neighborhoods, etc. But to write about good was nearly impossible and required
a ton more of thought and energy and creativity. That’s the unfortunate reality
we live in. Most of our electronic and print media gleefully “report” evil. And
they do this because it gets them customers/readers which means they then
attract big money from advertisers. Social media is a petri dish of
broadcasting evil or airing reports about evil because it’s just too, too easy
to criticize, demean, shame, and demonize. And it easily builds up our “Amen
corner,” and helps us to speedily recruit deputies for our posse.
But the
way of wisdom is to devise good. To think through ways that promote good, and
how to implement those plans. And because Proverbs is part of God’s sacred Word
that means to devise good as God defines good in his revelation to us. The way
of wisdom is “not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good”
(Romans 12:21).
Brothers
and sisters let us take the harder path of devising good, in our viewing,
talking, posting, and relationships. For walking in this way of wisdom there is
steadfast love and truthfulness.
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