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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