Psalm 37:1 Evildoers

Who is evil? Who are the evildoers?

In Romans 1:29-31, Paul refers to "they invent ways of doing evil." Such people are lumped in with a list that includes not only generally agreed upon evils (murder, God-haters), but also things most of us would have to admit to commiting at some time in our lives (gossip, disobey parents).

Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 9:12, warns about the danger of being ensnared into the jumbled net of the evil around us.

Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.

Satan is at work in this world to mess with us, to get us to become evil like him. His primary tactic is to lure us into getting involved in things that aren't good but don't seem to be actually evil. From there, it's  a slippery slope.

In my own heart, I know the greatest evil to which I've fallen prey is the temptation to see myself as 'good", compared to THOSE evil people.

“People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us... It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.”

  Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

He's right. Those EVIL PEOPLE are no worse than you or me, but not because it's okay to be evil. They're no worse than us because we also have evil in our hearts.

This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.

Ecclesiastes 9:3

Nurturing evil in your heart leads to psychological problems, to “madness in our hearts”. Not just the sort of evil madness that leads to murder, rape, or criminal activities, but also heart-driven anger, jealousy, impatience, selfishness. Once evil sets its roots in you heart, it bears fruit through misdirecting your energy and focus.

Don’t swim around in the pool of evil that builds up in your heart. Instead, intentionally engage in positive acts of goodness, thereby overcoming the evil that wants to take over your heart.

Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil. Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Amos 5:13-15

The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

Matthew 12:35

And then there's Psalm 37.

Do not fret because of those who are evil . . . 

Psalm 37:1 

David begins by telling us not to get pulled in by the evil around you, pulled into worry, frustration, anger. Don't get sucked into responding to evil with evil.

He goes on to list about two dozen positive, concrete actions we can take as our righteous and productive response to evil times and evil people.

Try this as a first step: dwell on one verse from Psalm 37 each week. Read it and memorize it.

Repeat it to yourself when you're following the news reports each day, and think creatively about how the week's verse provides practical advice for responding intentionally to evil times.

Repeat the verse of the week to yourself every time you're considering posting something on social media or engaging in conversation. Make sure your public comments reflect the Word you're hiding in your heart, rather than the evil that's trying to invade your heart.

40 verses, 40 weeks.  Do it in 40 days, if you prefer.

The change in your life will be amazing.