Woe to those who call evil
good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who
put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20
It is Satan’s practice
to convince people that what God calls good is actually evil and what God
declares evil is, in fact, good. Satan persuaded Adam and Eve that their
disobedience, rather than their obedience, would guarantee a full life. They
believed him and immediately began to experience sin’s consequences! Despite
the absurdity of Satan’s logic, he continues to deceive people into doubting
what God has clearly said.
King Saul sought
Samuel’s affirmation for the sacrifice he had offered, even though he had acted
in direct disobedience to God’s command (1 Sam. 15:13). Ananias and Sapphira
expected praise from the early church for their offering, though they were
blatantly lying (Acts 5:1-11). An Amalekite soldier sought David’s gratitude
for killing Saul, God’s anointed king (2 Sam. 1:1-16).
We, too, will face the
temptation to call something good that God has declared wicked. We may be
persuaded that we can accomplish more good by lying than by telling the truth.
We may claim that we are mobilizing Christians to pray for someone in sin when,
in fact, we are spreading gossip. We may assert that we are following God’s
will in our job when, in fact, we are striving to pursue our own ambitions. We
will also be tempted to call evil that which God declares is good. God says it
is good to love our enemies, yet we might decide our task is to hold them
responsible for their actions.
It is so important to
hold ourselves accountable to God’s word. God does not need us to find
exceptions for His commands. He requires our obedience.
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