When evil is good & good is evil
By Paul Bawden
The old prophet Isaiah had these words to say to the nation of Israel: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil . . . .”
Isaiah was using words to remind the nation that they had become their own truth. They rejected the biblical God and His word. In so doing, the people became idolaters going after other gods, sorcery, and astrology. Such led to all kinds of immorality, drunkenness, taking of bribes to set the wicked free and punishing the innocent, while stealing from the poor, and not fighting for the cause of orphans and the rights of widows. Obviously, good was called evil, and evil good.
Isaiah could only proclaim that the people were calling evil good, and good evil if there is personal ultimate reality that is eternal. Otherwise, any other kind of reality is here today and gone tomorrow. Matter is not eternal, and neither is man eternal with his many ideas.
Such brings up the discussion of God. There are many kinds of gods today in different religions and philosophies of men. Only the biblical God stands above all others because He claims to be eternal, and has left His imprint on the pages of sacred writ, making His eternality known through the sending of His eternal Son into the world to take on sinless flesh to demonstrate that He is the God-man, and that through His death, burial, and bodily resurrection, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to His Father but through Him (John 14:6).
The eternal Jesus Christ being Truth, means that He is personal ultimate reality – and what He teaches is for our physical and spiritual health. Why so? He is our Creator and provides us His teachings and guidance so our lives can be fulfilled free of that which would contaminate us, yes, in some instances destroy our lives.
In our culture today, a personal Creator is denied, and any wisdom and direction He gives for living fulfilled lives on planet earth is scoffed at in the public square.
Such was the problem in Isaiah’s day. Such is the problem in our day. No wonder evil was good and good was evil in Isaiah’s day, and today evil is good and good is evil.
For consider: In the public arena today any mention of the biblical God and His word are scoffed at. Jesus’ name is not to be mentioned. Biblical marriage is obsolete – we are not either male or female. Life can be aborted up to the time of birth, criminals are set free, and the innocent punished, Hamas’s evil atrocities against Israel are good, Israel is the evil nation, and Israel is on par with Hamas regarding humanitarian treatment. In other words, evil is good, and good is evil.
How did we get to such thinking in the USA? The answer is clear, but not accepted by many. We, like Israel of old, have departed from the biblical God and His teachings along with rejecting His eternal Son, Jesus Christ, the God-man. In other words, we as a nation have become idolaters. Following man’s ideas rather than the biblical God’s word, we are living in a society where everyone does what is right in his own eyes – evil is good, good is evil. Such living can lead to anarchy which can bring in totalitarian rule, meaning individual freedom can almost be lost.
It’s only Christ who can set us free individually to obey God’s word and live for Him to His glory! Which means our nation can also change to do good rather than evil. I trust you know the Lord personally and are living for Him. Keep praying for a revival of truth in our nation and the peace of Jerusalem.
Paul Bawden is married and served in the pastoral ministry for 45 years, retiring in 2011. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Speech and attended Dallas Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Theology. He has taken counseling courses at Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. Paul is a lifetime member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as being a member of Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM), which serves churches during their time of transition in searching for a new pastor. He writes for Union Gospel Press, as well as being a volunteer writer for GotQuestions.org. Paul likes to write, read, bike, and work in the yard. The Bawdens have had the privilege to travel to Mexico and Romania on mission trips and visited various countries in Europe.