It ain’t no secret. Some may deny it but there’s evil in the world. Ever notice? Of course you have. At times we all at one point or another in our lives have sensed it is everywhere present all the time in the world. Evil begins in the human mind by way of selfishness. The degree of selfishness manifested labels the degree of evilness inflicted on another. We have a selfish side. It has different effects on different people at different times. Some embrace it. Some abhor it. Most of us are somewhere in the middle of it. We are born into it. We are made subject to it. And we are all victims of it. The world sucks!
Allow me to clarify. By “the world” I don’t mean the planet, or how life in nature operates, or the laws of physics. There is nothing evil in of itself. What I am referring to is the realm of man (sexually all inclusive.) It is the minds of men is where evil is bred. If not at least contained it will be manifested in the physical realm. Evil is initiated and its growth encouraged by this realm’s god. Which is Satan. The realm of man is temporarily legally subject to Satan. Genesis shows how Satan stole man from his Creator. Satan is “the thief” Jesus spoke about as recorded in John 10:10. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:...” The only reason Satan exists and comes around is to steal… and to kill… and to destroy. He does this through the minds of men. It is in the mind where the struggle against evil lies. It comes at us from outside our minds… and from within our minds. It is everywhere present continuously.
Allow me to clarify. By “the world” I don’t mean the planet, or how life in nature operates, or the laws of physics. There is nothing evil in of itself. What I am referring to is the realm of man (sexually all inclusive.) It is the minds of men is where evil is bred. If not at least contained it will be manifested in the physical realm. Evil is initiated and its growth encouraged by this realm’s god. Which is Satan. The realm of man is temporarily legally subject to Satan. Genesis shows how Satan stole man from his Creator. Satan is “the thief” Jesus spoke about as recorded in John 10:10. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:...” The only reason Satan exists and comes around is to steal… and to kill… and to destroy. He does this through the minds of men. It is in the mind where the struggle against evil lies. It comes at us from outside our minds… and from within our minds. It is everywhere present continuously.
Let’s take a look at the first three words of Proverbs 13:21 with Strong’s Concordance but first… take in the whole verse for a moment. Consider what it says. Then read it again before we continue.
Evil pursues sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid.
Evil pursues sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid.
How does that hit you? How does that make you feel? Wrong dividing of this verse and many like it spawned the religious “holier-than-thou” attitude we’re all familiar with. Projecting error and pushing criticism as if it were the deliverance for the evil someone, anyone may be experiencing. Le’me tell ya something… PREACHING SIN STEALS, KILLS AND DESTROYS! Preaching sin promotes and spreads fear. It makes the tender-hearted feel worthless. Condemned. Why? Man is hardwired to be reliant on God. God is man’s environment. But… being cut off from God by Satan’s theft… Satan offers man (the world) his counterfeit to everything God would have for man. Man is born into this realm without the spirit that was originally created in him and although not knowing it… senses something’s missing. Man’s true nature is not selfish. It becomes that way. We all know the innocence of a child. It doesn’t know evil (selfishness.) It just wants what it perceives as a need met. As it matures it learns and experiences evil in one form or another. What is right, what is wrong. What is good, what is bad. Choices are made between the two during maturity and education is basically trial and error as attempts are made trying to find what it is that fills what is missing. What brings peace and happiness. It is offered to us through our minds by this world’s god by way of our senses. (Man was designed to communicate with his God via spirit and yes... Satan can counterfeit that too. [2 Timothy 1:7]) Without God supplying what is needed, that which is missing cannot be genuinely or properly met. Including that being done perfectly and completely in love. Everything else will fall short. This is why most people live feeling unfulfilled. Unsatisfied. Constantly! At times this desire to fill what is missing or needed can become desperate. This is what sin is. It’s a mindset. It is the willingness to gain whatever it is you want regardless of the hurt put on another or others. The complete opposite of what God would have for His children. This is what preaching sin/religion drives people to. It doesn’t show you the way to deliverance. It drives you deeper into it! If… whatever it is one struggles with or is entangled in with an accepted counterfeit (evil) is known by anyone… it’s the one ensnared in it. Other than inflating your own ego what's the profit in telling someone how screwed up they are? It drives the tender-hearted to condemnation and hardens the heart to rationalization.
Evil pursues sinners. Let’s get Strong’s on it. Let’s see what we can get out of three words. (Presented for the most part as the concordance offers. Most A.V. notes are omitted. Abbreviations de-abbreviated.)
Evil: Strong’s #7451. ra’, rah; from 7489: bad or (as noun) evil (naturally or morally):- adversity, affliction, bad, calamity.
#7489: ra’a’, raw-ah’; primitive root: probably to spoil (literally by breaking to pieces); figuratively to make (or be) good for nothing.
Pursues: Strong’s #7291. radaph, raw-daf’; primitive root; to run after (usually with hostile intent: figuratively [of time] gone by):- chase, put to flight, follow (after, on), hunt, (be under persecute (-ion, -or), pursue (-r).
Sinners: Strong’s #2400. chatta’, khat-taw’; intensively from 2398; a criminal, or one accounted guilty: offender, sinful, sinner.
#2398. chata’, khaw-taw’; primitive root, probably to miss, hence (figuratively and generally) to sin: by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causative) lead astray, condemn;- bear the blame, by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss.
Now… with the definitions of these three ancient Hebrew words we can get a much better picture of what they mean. With an overall knowledge of God’s Word a literal translation may be formulated that speaks clearer to understanding for our time. Here’s one offered…
Adversity and calamity that desires to destroy hunts with the intent
to overtake and destroy all those that are worthy of condemnation
And just who all are worthy of condemnation? (Are ya sittin’ down?) You… of course. Me too. Actually, everyone that is born into this world. This realm of man. Absolutely everyone is born belonging to and subject to this world’s god. He does as he pleases with his possession. He stole man from God. Man is enslaved to him. This master is death. He is destruction. But!... (And this is a big but. [Ha-ha. I know. Focus dammit!])… we, as he has, have been given free will. God does want His people back. Nasty as they are. Every man and woman regardless of their behaviour has the ability to call out to God for deliverance from the slavery of this world as Israel did after being enslaved by Egypt for some 400 years. And be delivered. It worked for them. It worked for me. It can work for anyone!
Yeah yeah. We’re all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. We are not God’s equal. We cannot take care of ourselves as required on our own. Evil is everywhere. We are worthy of the condemnation for the choice made of the senses over the spiritual. Once evil was experienced after the original wrong choice was made, evil has pursued man to overtake man and eliminate everything about man ever since. Man being the human race. And yet… the undeserving love God has for the realm of man that chose the creation over the Creator (the physical over the spiritual… where God dwells) pierces the question of worthiness. He doesn’t hold it against those that by free will… call to Him. It is apparent we are not worthy. And yet as far as God’s concerned it is not an issue. God never wanted condemnation for that which He formed, made and created. He didn’t want man to ever experience evil. And yet, being love He had to make free will choice available. He couldn’t be love otherwise! God understands the weakness en grained in us. He presently doesn’t hold it against man. Man was designed to rely on Him! It’s because of this love and desire to meet our need God promises justice. In everything. Which is the Christian believer’s hope. Now let’s read the whole verse again. And take a look at the rest of it.
Evil pursues sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid.
But: Sets in contrast to what was just stated. To the religious it states if righteous living is accomplished evil won’t touch you so if it keeps touching you you're not living right. But that’s not what it means. All they see is the words “evil”, “sinners”, “but”, “righteous” and “good”.
Righteous: Strong’s #6662, tsaddyq, tsad-deek’; from 6663; just:- just, lawful, righteous (man).
#6663 tsadaq, tsaw-dak’; primitive root; to be (causatively make) right (in a moral or forensic sense):- cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just(-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be turn to) righteous (-ness).
Good: Strong’s #2896, towb, tobe; from 2895; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural
#2895, towb, a primitive root, to be (do or make) good (or well) in the widest sense. Be (do) better, (make goodly)
#2895, towb, a primitive root, to be (do or make) good (or well) in the widest sense. Be (do) better, (make goodly)
Shall – absolutely (No Strong's number)
Repaid: Strong’s #7999. shalam, shaw-lam’; primitive root; to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively to be (causatively, make) completed by ; by implication, to be friendly; by extension, to reciprocate (in various applications):- make amends, (make an) end, finish, full, give again, make good, (re-)pay (again), (make)(to)(be at) peace(-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper(_ous), recompense, render, requite, make restitution, restore, reward.
Repaid: Strong’s #7999. shalam, shaw-lam’; primitive root; to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively to be (causatively, make) completed by ; by implication, to be friendly; by extension, to reciprocate (in various applications):- make amends, (make an) end, finish, full, give again, make good, (re-)pay (again), (make)(to)(be at) peace(-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper(_ous), recompense, render, requite, make restitution, restore, reward.
So... with some assistance from Webster's 1913 Dictionary (links may be found below) an expanded literal translation according to usage of Proverbs 13:21 could be...
Adversity and calamity that desires to destroy hunts with the intent to
overtake and destroy all those that are worthy of condemnation but
overtake and destroy all those that are worthy of condemnation but
desirable qualities that promote success, welfare, happiness absolutely will be restored and rewarded to among those worthy of condemnation
that think and live by the standard of creation's Creator.
that think and live by the standard of creation's Creator.
All of man (all without exception) is born into a world where needs are unmet and evil reigns. This is by the design of the god of man's world... for the purpose of fermenting selfishness. But choice (free will) remains. It is available for those that desire to live according to the one true God’s will for man. The lifeline of God’s Word brings us to Him. We are all sinners. We are flesh and not perfect without the God that made life available to supply what we need. We all are worthy of His condemnation. The only difference among the sinners is a remnant of mankind chooses to believe God through His Word and come to a knowledge of His son Jesus Christ. Man has a need for a guide from selfishness... from evil... from sin... to God. God, who is the subject of the whole Bible, supplies that need through the revealing of His only genetic son throughout His Word and it is this knowledge which shows the meek the way to Him. (John 14:6) Those that believe on the Promised Seed freely change their allegiance from the world to heaven. From the physical to the spiritual. From Satan to God. They are reclaimed legally by God by way of the ransom paid via the murder of God's son and become His people. And they live accordingly.
God’s people in this world have an edge. We have God’s Word and His gift of holy spirit which He utilizes to guide us in the study of His Word and the application of it. As we choose to study His Word, believe it and apply it in our lives. What Proverbs 13:21 tells us is that evil pursues everyone. But… the difference is… some of us… Old and New Testament believers… living and asleep... shall be repaid good for the evil we experience(d) and endure(d). We believers hope for this repayment. For this justice. Most of which is future but by God’s grace and love He is able to repay us in this life for the evil we endure in losses suffered as we hold fast to Him. Which is holding fast to His Word in our minds.
So Hold Fast! With The Power Of God's Word!
Related LinksDoes Evil Exist? Neuroscientists Say No The Concept Of Evil 2 Timothy 1:7
Swim, Sink Or Stand Up Religion Sucks! A Christian Believer's Hope Romans 12:1-3
Ra: The Sun God Of Egypt Good And Bad In God We Trust John 14:6
Evil: Webster's 1913 Dictionary Pursue: Webster's 1913 Dictionary Legality And Morality
Good: Webster's 1913 Dictionary Righteous: Webster's 1913 Dictionary
- Published 07/28/2017
