Right Or Left
Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14
Depart – Many Hebrew concepts involve physical motion of the body. For example, the Hebrew idea of grace or benevolence involves turning the face in my direction. “Make His face to shine upon me” is a Hebrew idiom for gracious relationship. In this verse, the Hebrew verb sur has the same physiological imagery. Although we translate sur as “depart,” that verb really means “to turn away from, to go away, to quit, to keep away, to take away or to be removed.” Did you notice that each of these meanings can be expressed in bodily terms. To depart from evil is to do something that has physical results. This is not mental suppression of evil thoughts. This is not prayerful pleading for spiritual escape. This is getting up and walking away.
When I drive to the airport, I head for the “Departures” gates. Why? Because I am leaving the city. I have to go through a whole series of physical actions: get out of the car, walk to the gate, get on the airplane and fly away. David never went to an airport, but he certainly understood the sequence of steps needed to depart from evil. Most of the time, just walking away is enough to avoid disaster.
Did you also notice that David does not advise us to stand and fight? Only our subtle arrogance allows us to think that we can handle the situation. David knows we can’t. He knows from experience. With a little reflection, we must admit David is right. Most of our spectacular moral failures occur when we hang around. Leaving is often the best (and only) solution. The spiritual hero is the man who knows when to walk away, not the man who thinks he must stand his ground. Yeshua fought the battle in order that we might depart from evil. We don’t need to fight it again.
Of course, there is a complementary activity. Departing is going away. But going away from something means that I am going toward something else, and in Hebrew thought, to go away from evil is the same as going toward good. There isn’t any neutral ground here. The only way I can depart from evil is to start doing good. The most effective tactic for overcoming the temptation toward evil is to start doing good. Of course, doing good is an outwardly focused activity.
Remember the last time you discovered you were right in the middle of something sinful? Did you stay and try to fight your way through it? Did you think, “God expects me to be stronger here. I must overcome this”? Or did you see the red light warning signs and turn away? Did you realize that the way out was the path of doing good for someone else? Did you instantly move toward grace for another? I hope so. But if you didn’t, maybe this is a good time to reflect on the outcome. Then the next time you see the signs for departure, you’ll turn the right direction.
Topical Index: turn away, depart, sur, Psalm 34:14
Thanks for a valuable lesson today, Skip. I would that each of us would apply the Word for today and flee rather than try to fight.
As I pondered the teaching this morning, I found these additional verses from Paul…it’s awfully hard, if not impossible, to flee unless you turn away from that which is tempting you…again, a valuable lesson for those of us who walk in the flesh, but desire to walk in the Spirit…
1 Tim 6:11-But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
NIV
2 Tim 2:22-Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
NIV
Skip … nice connection to “Devarim “ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” … which leads of course to “Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Now … as for “sur” versus “shuv” … I must admit that at times I have been baffled by the overlap … any explanations as to the primary use of the individual form? Clearly at times “sur” is used in a spiritual context as is shuv … and clearly the “shuv” form is used in non-spiritual intent as well!
Next issue … great commentary regarding fleeing evil. After delving into lacham/fight and `amad/stand … it is clear that these are actions which The LORD takes; either in righteous indignation or judgment … either way I ain’t qualified.
Perhaps our mistaken thought processes are inherited from the early days of the church which took upon itself the job of purging the world of evil … i.e. Be Israel and clean out the promised land? Alas … that is another conversation!
Shalom
Today’s word reminds me of the predicament Joseph found himself in when the young virile Hebrew was confronted and majorly “tried” by the adulteress wife of Potiphar. (Genesis 39).
“Fight or flight?” and in this case He made for the door ASAP!. You gotta know when to walk away- and know when to run!. Flee fornication we are admonished in 1 Corinthians 6.18.
I do love the way this verse has a “balance” to it. Not only are we to “depart”, but we are also admonished to “pursue”. “Depart” is only half the story.
Salvation/deliverance is not only a “turning away from”, but it is also a “turning toward”. The way to take a bone away from a dog is to offer him a steak. The problem with mosts dogs is- they’ve never seen the steak! Most folks just don’t know the blessings that are ours “in Christ!”
When the children of Israel were delivered from the bondage of the oppressors, they actually did have a destination in mind when they left, but it took them forty years to make an eleven day journey. (What’s up with that?) Not only was it an “exodus”- a coming out- ,there also was an “eisodus” or a “going into.” A coming out (from Egypt) and a “‘going in” to the promised land of Canaan.
From “darkness to “light” is another from/to listed in our Bible. In the words of Acts 26.18: “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to G-d, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
And then there is this blessed promise (from Proverbs 1.23) “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Breath/spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”
what is the please “please add 9 and 9 mean?
It means that I have been getting so much spam on the blog site that we added this filter in order to stop the automatic ping-backs and spam.
“Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14”
“The spiritual hero is the man who knows when to walk away, not the man who thinks he must stand his ground.”
Hi Skip,
Psalm 34:14 certainly makes good sense, but I don’t see anything heroic in walking away from evil.
I tend to think of evil as an impulse that is my responsibility to manage; and when I sense that another person in my presence is evil, my first reaction would be a sense of fear and a desire to depart as quickly as possible.
A hero, on the other hand, would be the person who is willing to confront evil in order to help others who are in danger.
If we look at Psalm 23, The Good Shepherd, David tells us we don’t need to run away from evil, because:
Yahweh is my shepherd,
I lack (fear) nothing.
Psalm 23:1
Though I pass through a gloomy (evil) valley
I fear no harm,
beside me your rod and your staff
are there, to hearten me.
Psalm 23:4
Yes, but our definition of “hero” just might be a lot more Greek than Hebrew. I don’t know about you, but when I try to fight evil, I soon discover that I am not able to do so. I am overwhelmed. No matter how hard I fight, the enemy seems to be able to adjust the response to slay me. So, I must either run to the Lord, or let Him fight for me. But I know myself well enough to know that I can’t fight on my own no matter how worthy the cause. I am simply too corrupt, with too many years experience on the other side, to be a true warrior in my own strength. Kryptonite always kills me.