Daily Devotional
Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.
The Wisdom of God
Verses for the Day:
22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on
the LORD, and he shall save thee.
23 Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not
good.
Proverbs 20:22-23 (AMP):
22 Do not say, I will repay evil; wait (expectantly) for the Lord,
and He will rescue you.
23 Diverse and deceitful weights are shamefully vile and abhorrent to the Lord,
and false scales are not good.
The book of Proverbs gives us
instructions as to how we are to react toward those who do evil things to us.
Its wisdom cannot be applied without God helping us to follow those
instructions. In verse 22 we are told not to repay evil for evil,
but rather wait on God to deal with the injustice that was done to us. In other
scriptures in the Bible we are told that God will deal with our enemies, as
vengeance belongs to Him. He knows how to deal with all injustice.
Romans 12:17-21:
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all
men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for
it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for
in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
In these scriptures we are told to do something
that is impossible on a personal level when someone has done an evil deed
toward us, and that is, to "repay evil with good." We can only do this through
the power of the Holy Spirit, as our natural reaction to evil and injustice is
retaliation. The Bible throughout its pages teaches that His children are to
rise above evil and not react wickedly to anyone. We are to show the world that
we are different than the devil's crowd. When we are lied about, we don't tell
lies back to offset those lies. We tell the truth, and expect God to defend us,
even if by telling the truth we become vulnerable.
In a marriage, or
any other relationship, if they lose their temper and rail at us, we do not
return railing for railing as the Bible tells us that instead "a soft answer
turns away wrath."
1 Peter
3:8-17:
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind,
having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise
blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a
blessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue
from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid
of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an
answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear:
16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of
evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in
Christ.
17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing,
than for evil doing.
Proverbs
15:1-3:
1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth
out foolishness.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
From these
scriptures, we can see that we must call on the Lord to help us when vengeful
anger or resentment begins to rise in our hearts. We must ask the Lord to
cleanse us from those evil traits and give us His love, patience and His
solution to the problem. He has the power to change other people's attitudes
toward us if we keep our hearts right before Him. Remember, He sees all
that is happening and He will rescue us if we cry out to Him in faith. He can
change any heart that is designing evil against us or change the circumstances
surrounding the problem in our favor, if we trust Him and ask Him to forgive and
bless those who are persecuting us.
The subject in verse 23 of our study
today is mentioned in the book of Proverbs three times. When we hear
something repeated in scripture three times it is because the Lord is
emphasizing it and wants to bring it to our attention. Cheating by using
false standards is a very vile and corrupt thing to the Lord. He hates
someone who is a thief and someone who is deceitful. God loves honesty and
truth, so those who use or take advantage of others through unethical practices are
very detestable to the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father, I do want to be like
You, so help me to react with Your love when someone does something toward me
that is evil. I confess that I cannot do this in myself, but I am asking
that You give me the love, understanding and patience that I need to be able to
overcome evil with good. Father, Jesus forgave those who crucified Him on
the cross, even in the midst of His agony; let me remember what You did on the
cross, when I need to forgive trespasses done against me. Lord, give all
of your children the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain them in their trials in
this life. We all need Your power and grace to overcome and be like You.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, my Lord. Amen.
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